If you think performance training is only about racing and hitting PRs, you're leaving almost everything on the table. This episode breaks down why training for performance changes how you think, how you handle stress, and how you show up in every part of your life, whether you have a race on the calendar or not.

In this episode:

• Why most people operate from a mindset of lack and reactivity, and how performance training shifts you toward building real capacity over time
• The "if-then planning" approach that stops your week from falling apart every time something unexpected hits
• How performance training forces you to get honest about where your time actually goes and what's really replenishing you versus draining you
• Why people overestimate what they can do in 12 weeks and underestimate what they can do in 12 years, and how training rewires that thinking
• The difference between a coach who just writes your program and a coach who cares about the human underneath the athlete
• Why all lasting performance improvement starts with an improved human, and what that actually looks like in practice

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Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

You've read the articles. Too much cardio kills your gains. Lift heavy and your running falls apart. Pick one, or get on gear. It's mostly nonsense, and the people building real strength and endurance at the same time are the proof. This episode unpacks where the "interference effect" actually came from, why it almost never applies to you, and the real reasons your progress has stalled.

In this episode:

• Where the "interference effect" myth actually came from
• What two modern meta-analyses (43 studies in the newest one) really found about training strength and endurance at the same time
• The only two situations where interference is real
• The four things killing your progress
• Why type A "shiny object syndrome" keeps you stuck

DELOAD CALCULATOR: https://assembleperformance.com/deload-quiz-page

FREE WEEK OF HYBRID TRAINING: https://assembleperformance.com/6-days-hybrid-training

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Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

You hit week five of a brutal training block, you're fried, and you freeze: should I deload? Then the guilt creeps in... taking it easy feels like throwing away everything you've built.

Here's what nobody tells you: the deload was invented for single sport athletes. Run it the old way on a hybrid program and your progress stalls.

In this episode:

• Why deloads were never designed for hybrid, concurrent, or tactical athletes
• The one question I ask every client before I touch their deload
• Symmetric vs. asymmetric deloads
• Exactly how I'd deload three different athletes: HYROX prep, half-marathon + strength, and the powerlifter chasing a 5K
• The 3 deload mistakes stalling hybrid athletes right now
• Why a deload is NOT a rest week
• "Earn the deload, respect the deload"

Not sure what your deload should look like? Grab the free Deload Calculator! Answer a few quick questions and get a personalized guide so you know exactly what to do this week.

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Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

You can hit your macros, stack your steps, train five days a week, and still binge every Saturday night. That's not a discipline problem, and Jared Hamilton has 15 years of coaching data to prove it. In this episode, we get into why high-achievers are often the worst at losing weight, the "be → do → have" order most people run backwards, and why working out can quietly become just another way to suppress what you're feeling.

Jared is the founder of Dieting From the Inside Out, a coaching program built around the idea that you have to fix your relationship with food, your emotional regulation, and your subconscious patterns before a calorie deficit will ever stick. He's coached thousands of clients (mostly career-driven, high-achieving women), just gave a TED talk on his philosophy, and has a book on the way. If you've ever wondered why all the "right" actions still don't add up to results, this conversation is going to land.

In this episode:

• Why the more performance focused you are, the more important inner work becomes (and why bodybuilders keep walking off stage with eating disorders)
• The "house-building" analogy Jared uses to reframe weight loss for clients who don't think they need inner work
• Why "I'm an all-or-nothing person" is almost always a self-told lie — and the simple cracked-phone test that proves it
• The "be → do → have" order of operations, and why most people get it backwards
• What separates emotional regulation from identity work, and how to actually feel your feelings (not just journal about them)
• The "knowledge trap", why listening to 400 podcast episodes can make you worse, not better
• When the line between coaching and therapy actually matters, and the "no man's land" most people are stuck in
• Jared's nuanced take on GLP-1s: why he's not anti-shot, but is anti-ignorance

Links & resources mentioned:

Jared's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaredhamilton

IG: https://www.instagram.com/realjaredhamilton/

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Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

Most people in fitness are sprinting toward peptides, red light masks, and $200 lab panels while skipping the $15 food scale that would actually fix the problem. Aram Grigorian has been calling this out on Instagram for years, and in this conversation he gets specific about why "you can't optimize until you stabilize," what he charges his clients to not track when they don't need to, and why he keeps losing money on an event he refuses to stop running.

Aram is a fitness and nutrition coach based in San Diego, founder of the Real Coaches Summit, and the guy behind @4weekstothebeach on Instagram. He came up training $175/hour clients at Equinox in Greenwich, walked away from a six-figure finance career to do it, and now runs a 130-client coaching business while putting on the only industry event a lot of us actually look forward to every year.

In this episode:

• Why the "basics vs. optimization" debate is settled, and what 99 out of 100 clients actually need
• Aram's foundational protocol every adult should hit before touching anything fancy
• The "North Star calorie number" framework, and why it's the same idea as finding your income number
• When tracking food is a tool vs. when it's a prison, and the test he uses to tell clients they can stop
• Why most people don't have a calorie-out problem, they have a calorie-in problem (even endurance athletes)
• How Aram dropped 5 lbs in April just by following his own 3,500-calorie budget
• The real story behind Real Coaches Summit: why he started it, why he lost ~$25K on it, and why 140 people already bought tickets for next year
• Why he doesn't pay speakers, won't tolerate "rah-rah business" content on his stage, and what makes a "real" coach

Links & resources mentioned:

Arams IG: https://www.instagram.com/4weeks2thebeach/

Real Coaches Summit: https://www.instagram.com/real.coaches.summit/

Join the email list: https://assembleperformance.com/mailing-list-join

Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

In this episode I kick off 2026 by diving into the topic of risk-taking, especially through the lens of extreme sports. I share my personal experiences, including the journey of obtaining my skydiving license, to illustrate the importance of overcoming fear and embracing uncertainty. The episode also covers how these lessons apply to broader aspects of life, from training and coaching to everyday challenges.

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Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

In this episode of the Assemble Performance Podcast, we chat with Justin McCartney about his preparation and experience running a 50K. Over the past six months, Justin and I worked closely to prepare him for this challenging race in Austin. We'll discuss his background as a coach, the mental and physical hurdles he faced during training, and the strategies that got him through the race. This episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in endurance training, coaching, and mental toughness.

Join the email list: https://assembleperformance.com/mailing-list-join

Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness

In this heartfelt solo episode, I reflect on the deeper reasons behind my content creation and coaching.

As I record this in my backyard, I discuss the importance of staying true to one's values, the essence of genuine connection, and why production quality isn't everything. Join me as I explore the significance of exercising, not just for fitness, but for feeling more aligned with oneself, nature, and others. I also touch on the joy of creativity and the impact of creating content that truly resonates. Tune in for a more impromptu and authentic approach to sharing my thoughts and experiences.

Join the email list: https://assembleperformance.com/mailing-list-join

Contact Me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justinsjones/

Email: justin@assembleperformance.com

Website: https://assembleperformance.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjonesfitness