How to Build the Perfect Athlete - Helen Glover, Hugh Dennis, Steve Haake and Emma Ross

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC

Comedy, Science

4.7 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are limbering up for a high-performance episode all about what it takes to build the perfect athlete. Joining them on the track are physiologist Dr Emma Ross, sports engineer Professor Steve Haake, Olympic rowing legend Helen Glover, and comedian Hugh Dennis - who’s getting into gear and reliving his cycling adventures in the Pyrenees. From muscle power and mental grit to high-tech training tools, the team dives into the science of champions. Can we engineer the ultimate competitor? And how do you get back to peak performance after becoming a parent? Helen Glover shares her inspiring story, while Hugh Dennis wonders if he’s still got what it takes to get to the top.

Producer: Olivia Jani Series Producer: Melanie Brown Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

BBC Studios Audio Production

Transcript

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0:00.0	Friends with benefits
0:02.8	Keeping it casual
0:04.1	No strings attached
0:05.5	Or as we now call it
0:06.8	A Situation ship
0:07.9	But it can be a wee bit of a roller coaster
0:10.6	I'm Sophie Gravia
0:12.1	I'm Christine McGuinness
0:13.3	And this is our safe space
0:15.1	For you to share your date and dilemmas
0:17.4	And relationship revelations
0:19.1	Even we have some stories to tell For For me, that was a colonel.
0:22.5	That's a red flag. So let's find our way together. Situationships with Sophie and Christine.
0:28.4	Listen and BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. You're about to listen to The Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:37.0	Episodes will be released on Wednesdays.
0:39.1	Wherever you get your podcast.
0:40.7	But if you're in the UK, the full series is available right now.
0:44.1	First on BBC Sounds.
0:46.1	Hello, I'm Brian Cox.
0:47.3	And I'm Robinitz, and this is the Infinite Monkey Gymnasium.
0:51.2	Today, we guarantee that in just 10 days, you two can have a body like Robinins.
0:56.0	Yes!
	...

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