How Sean Kao Built ASP: From a Parents' Garage to Training the World’s Best Swimmers | Ep. 291

How Sean Kao Built ASP: From a Parents' Garage to Training the World’s Best Swimmers | Ep. 291

From Social Kick • Swim Culture & Stories by Social Kick

April 9, 2026 · 1h 1m · Episode 291

About this episode

Sean Kao discusses his journey in revolutionizing swimmer training and building Aquatic Sports Performance.

In this episode of the Social Kick Podcast, we sit down with Sean Kao, the founder and mastermind behind Aquatic Sports Performance (ASP). Sean has revolutionized the way elite swimmers approach the weight room, training some of the fastest athletes on the planet, including Caleb Dressel and Michael Andrew. Sean takes us through his journey from being a sprinter at Arizona State University under the legendary Bob Bowman to building a world-class training facility from a garage. We discuss his "Rate Limiting KPI" philosophy, the reality of "neural load" in sprinting, and the grit required to build a media brand and an elite pro group simultaneously. Whether you’re a coach, an athlete, or a swimming nerd, Sean Kao’s insights on the business and biology of fast swimming are a must-watch.

People in this episode

Host: Social Kick

Guest: Sean Kao

Topics covered

  • swimming
  • athlete training
  • sports performance
  • weight training
  • coaching
  • elite athletes

Keywords

  • swimming
  • training
  • athletes
  • performance
  • weight room
  • KPI
  • neural load
  • sprinting
  • media brand

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aquatic Sports Performance, Arizona State University

More episodes of Social Kick • Swim Culture & Stories

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Social Kick • Swim Culture & Stories podcast page.