Chasing Excellence - podcast cover

Chasing Excellence

Ben Bergeron & Patrick Cummingswww.chasingexcellence.email
Looking to build more than just physical fitness? Join Ben Bergeron and Patrick Cummings as they explore how daily practices create the foundation for lasting peace of mind. Through practical frameworks and honest conversations, discover how deep health unlocks the freedom to chase what truly matters. Learn the five essential factors - training, eating, thinking, sleeping, and connecting - that transform fleeting moments of clarity into a life of sustained fulfillment. If you're ready to move beyond quick fixes and build context-independent peace of mind, this is your guide.
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Episodes

Lessons from Six Months of Lockdown

Reflecting on the last six months of being in lockdown, today we're talking about being a realist, what to do when we're surrounded by negativity, and balancing being in the moment and anticipating the future.

Oct 13, 202033 minEp. 144

Define Success, Eliminate Everything Else

I recently joined Greg McKeown on the Essentialism podcast, where we talked about measuring the most important things, learning about my leadership biases, and editing our lives to be sure there's space for the essential few. Here's our conversation.

Oct 06, 202035 minEp. 143

CrossFit Games Lessons, Benchmarks, and Trends

Post Stage 1 of the 2020 CrossFit Games, we're talking about the lessons I'm taking away from the weekend, the benchmarks I'd use to assess an athlete's capacity, and what I'm anticipating for the future of the sport.

Sep 29, 202041 minEp. 142

Common Mistakes CrossFit Coaches Are Making

There are best practices that every CrossFit coach can use to make their classes more professional and more effective. They include things like starting workouts better, not making eye contact, and using too many filler words.

Sep 22, 202035 minEp. 141

Don't Try to Win Today (2:00 Drill #19)

We're diving back into your questions this episode, covering topics from Wim Hof to why we don't program high-level gymnastics movements at CFNE to my advice for gyms as we continue to navigate these tough economic conditions.

Sep 15, 202044 minEp. 140

Building a Goals First Nutrition Strategy

In early 2017, we did an episode about simplifying nutrition. This week, we're continuing to think about how to cut through the noise, focusing on how our goals and our eating styles should determine our nutrition strategy.

Sep 08, 202045 minEp. 139

10 Principles of Training for Longevity

These days, I'm no longer training for peak performance, but for longevity and function. In this episode, we break down the ten principles you should be focused on in the gym if you want to do the same.

Aug 31, 202044 minEp. 138

Valuable Skills, Health Metrics, & Resiliency Tips

In this round of our 3x3, I'm giving my three hot takes on skills worth developing, health metrics to track, and strategies for staying resilient. We touch on the power of focus, parenting with a growth mindset, and more.

Aug 24, 202039 minEp. 137

Peloton vs C2 Bike for CrossFit? (2:00 Drill #18)

We're diving back into listener questions this week, talking about the difference between being proud and being prideful, my advice for using weightlifting shoes during metcons, what's on the horizon for CompTrain, and more!

Aug 17, 202025 minEp. 136

How to Use CrossFit to Train for Other Sports

We often talk about using CrossFit to get better at CrossFit, but what if your athletic pursuits happen outside the gym? We're talking about that this episode, focusing on lifestyle, competitive, and endurance athletes.

Aug 10, 202052 minEp. 135

Assessing Each of the 10 Components of Fitness

We've talked before about paying attention to all ten of the components of fitness. Today, we're looking at how I might measure and assess each one in an attempt to understand where an athlete's weakest link might lie.

Aug 03, 202044 minEp. 134

Mindset Strategies for Your Next Workout

We talk a lot about the power of mindset. Today we're bringing many of the principles we've touched on before down to the level of tomorrow's training session, discussing tips for before, during, and after a workout.

Jul 27, 202043 minEp. 133

Creating a Hierarchy of Values (2:00 Drill #17)

The 2:00 Drill returns this week! We're answering your questions about self-sabotage, using movements like burpees as punishment for kids, and the powerlifting program I'd recommend alongside CompTrain programming, and more.

Jul 20, 202042 minEp. 132

#132: Measuring Consistency w/ EC Synkowski

EC Synkowski from OptimizeMe Nutrition is back to talk about how the five factors compare to the four measurables she tracks through The Consistency Project and the importance of simplifying our pursuit of health.

Jul 06, 202046 minEp. 130

#131: The Last Two Weeks in CrossFit

These last few weeks have certainly been the craziest in the history of CrossFit. We break down what's happened, the current state of things, and my thoughts on CFHQ's new owner.

Jun 29, 202048 minEp. 129

#130: Answering Your Questions About Training

We're back with an AMA I did on the CompTrain Instagram page. I'm answering questions about coming back to the gym post-COVID lockdowns, if we'll continue doing CrossFit benchmarks, getting better at toes-to-bar, and more.

Jun 22, 202034 minEp. 128

AMA on Current State of CrossFit

This week, we've got an AMA I did on Instagram Live, answering some of your questions on the current state of CrossFit, affiliation, and certification, as well as my hopes for the future.

Jun 15, 202029 minEp. 127

#128: The Four Virtues w/ Ryan Holiday

Writer Ryan Holiday joins us to talk about Stoicism, the current unrest in the U.S. as we grapple with racial injustice, and the importance of developing self-awareness.

Jun 08, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 126

#127: AMRAPing Life w/ Jason Khalipa

Jason Khalipa, former CrossFit Games champ and founder of NCFIT, joins us this week to talk about the AMRAP Mentality, earned confidence, and the value of consistently checking in with yourself.

Jun 01, 202053 minEp. 125

#126: We are Prepared for This

If you're struggling to keep your head up during these tough times, if you're stressed about what might happen, if you need a reminder of just what you're made of ... this episode is for you.

May 25, 202023 minEp. 124

#124: Staying Competitive Despite the Lockdowns

Talking this week about how we're thinking about and planning for the 2020 CrossFit Games, my advice to athletes looking to continue making progress during the lockdowns, and why programming for yourself is a bad idea.

May 11, 202042 minEp. 122

#123: How to Keep the Training Intensity at Home (2:00, #16)

We asked you guys to send us some lockdown specific questions for this week's 2:00 Drill, and you didn't disappoint. We tackle whether I think gym members should be paying full price right now, limiting words, and what to do to make sure we don't get too down.

May 04, 202042 minEp. 121

#121: 10 Habits to Avoid During Quarantine

This week, we're revisiting one of our most popular episodes - but for our quarantine times. Here is my list of 10 bad habits to avoid while we're all locked in our houses.

Apr 20, 202047 minEp. 119

#120: The Unknown and the Unknowable

This week, Patrick and I catching up after a few weeks of quarantine and talking about shifting our routines, how we responded at CFNE, and the best way to fight the anxiety of the times.

Apr 13, 202039 minEp. 118

#119: Success Isn't About Working Harder

This week's episode is borrowed from Jason Khalipa's podcast, Business of Fitness. Down at WODapalooza this year, Ben & Jason sat down to talk about managing, working hard, delegation, & leadership.

Apr 06, 202037 minEp. 117

#118: Knowing When it's Time to Make a Change

We're talking about knowing how to differentiate between when it's time to go (change gyms, leave a job, end a relationship) and when it's time to make the situation better by making ourselves better.

Mar 30, 202024 minEp. 116
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