

Chasing Excellence
Ben Bergeron & Patrick Cummings
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 peace of mind, this is your guide.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 17, 2023 • 52min
We’re Rewriting the Purpose of the Gym
We’re talking about how to know what a “healthy” body looks like in a world of Instagram, PEDs, and photoshop. We’ve also got listener questions about protein intake, getting more sleep, and coaching CrossFit kids, and more! EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 Ben’s thoughts on “self-help” 📍 How to get enough protein in during the day 📍 A few ways to get more sleep, even when super busy 📍 Why we want to start with the end in mind with training 📍 Why performance is correlated to capacity GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 10, 2023 • 59min
The Worst Things Could Become the Best Things
We’re talking about when things don’t turn out as we hope, but do turn out for the better. We’re also answering your questions about CrossFit programming, protein intake, hard conversations with in-laws, and citing our sources. EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 Whether doing “double strength” before a metcon is a good idea 📍 Best practices for staying healthy while traveling a ton 📍 How to get enough protein in to gain weight 📍 What to do if you keep waking up in the middle of the night 📍 How to set better boundaries with family members GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 3, 2023 • 1h 2min
Benchmark: Building a Life of Focus
To start the year off right, we’re revisiting the most popular episode we released in 2022. We’re talking about the levels of focus, how to wrestle with internal distractions, what anxiety feels like, and more. GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 27, 2022 • 1h 18min
Become Calm in the Many Faces of the Mind
This week, we’ve got a conversation Ben had recently with Danny Miranda. They chat about why focus is a more important resource than time, how to distinguish between inner and outer purpose, and hearing the voice in our heads. EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 When Ben decided he needed to live a life of impact 📍 How to avoid believing our own B.S. 📍 Why we need to listen, then learn, the help 📍 The spark that got Ben adding breath work to his routine 📍 Why we need to learn how to relax in moments of adversity Get more of the Danny Miranda podcast here: Apple | Spotify | YouTube GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 20, 2022 • 1h 8min
Do What Sets Your Heart on Fire
We’re talking about the value and purpose of work, why it’s so important to spend our time doing something we enjoy, and balancing risk and safety. We’re also giving some new podcast, documentary, and book recommendations. EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 How to avoid injury when starting CrossFit 📍 Why you have to practice for when stakes get high 📍 What our kids eat for lunch at school 📍 Why it’s hard to pinpoint the specific benefit of a single habit change 📍 Ben’s advice for young folks starting their working lives GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 13, 2022 • 56min
How to Make a Healthier Society
We’re talking about what it would look like for more people to have a C+ level of health & fitness, and why that would be a win. Also: your questions about learning from folks we disagree with & starting a strength program. EXPECT TO LEARN:📍 The simple difference between beginner & advanced athletes 📍 What we mean when we say “Chasing Excellence 2.0” 📍 What the Sick-Well-Fit continuum looks like 📍 The importance of nutrient density vs calorie density 📍 The biggest thing standing in the way of a healthy society Learn more about Emily Maki: 📍 Watch video 📍 Donate to her GoFundMe GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 6, 2022 • 55min
The 30 Days of Kindness Challenge
We’re talking about how to use our time at night better when it’s easy to kill a few hours mindlessly. What should we do if we’re too tired for much else? Tune in to find out, and stick around for our first 30-day challenge. EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 Why consistency comes before intensity in our training 📍 How to help a teenage athlete tackle nutrition 📍 The value of using Whoop as a training tool 📍 What it means to “flip the script” on a bad situation 📍 How to deal with disagreeable neighbors GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nov 29, 2022 • 1h 48min
Developing Critical Power in CrossFit Games Athletes
We’ve got a conversation Ben had recently with Matthew DesRoches of the Oxidative Potential podcast. They geek out about training for the CrossFit Games and the psychology of being an athlete. EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 The difference between first, second, & third wave adaptations 📍 Why CrossFit & MMA are so similar 📍 The timespan of a CrossFit Games athlete 📍 Why young athletes are so dominant in the sport now GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nov 22, 2022 • 36min
F’d, Flow, Focus
We’re talking about how to start journaling, surrounding ourselves with fountains & not drains, Ben’s journey into his daily meditation practice, & more! EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 What makes a shoe “minimalist” & why that matters 📍 Why teenage athletes probably don’t need much supplementation 📍 How Wim Hoff Breathing got Ben into meditation 📍 The number of workouts you need to ease back into full training 📍 Patrick’s five big questions to ask when making life decisions GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nov 15, 2022 • 54min
Know Why You’re Training
We’re talking about how to balance parenthood and work, how to incentive kids without treats, advice to those in their mid-twenties, & more! EXPECT TO LEARN: 📍 The one question to ask to ensure you’re training smart 📍 Why it’s important to focus on never going backward in your fitness 📍 What expectations to have when training in high humidity 📍 How to adjust your sleep on non-training days 📍 How to know when to distance yourself from difficult friends GET A QUESTION IN THE QUEUE: Send Patrick a DM with your Five Factors questions! ABOUT US: 📍 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. Find him on Instagram. 📍 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding. Find him on Instagram.
[[]---[]] Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:· Subscribing to our newsletter to get our free posts and upgrading to our Chase Club to receive exclusive content.· Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.· Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


