
Chasing Excellence
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.
Latest episodes

May 3, 2022 • 42min
The Antidote to Anxiety is Action (HopperTalk #09)
This round of HopperTalk has us talking through life’s cheat codes, things that are criminally over-priced, lessons from the pandemic, and more. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick Questions Answered: 01:05 - What are some cheat codes you’ve found in the game of life. 07:25 - What improved your quality of life so much that you wish you did it sooner? 15:20 - What’s criminally over-priced to you? 24:30 - What seems harmless but is actually dangerous? 30:50 - Looking back at COVID, what are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned? 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Apr 26, 2022 • 49min
Motivating Kids to Work Out (2:00 Drill #34)
We’ve got your questions on tap this week. We’re talking about what a de-load week looks like, how to prioritize health when life is busy, choosing the best kind of bodywork, and more. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick Questions Answered: 01:55 - Building confidence as a coach 04:15 - Admitting our least productive habits 06:45 - Dealing with long-term challenges 13:00 - Choosing the best kind of bodywork 15:10 - Designing a better physical education fitness test 22:20 - Understanding de-load weeks 26:20 - Motivating kids to workout 28:00 - Prioritizing health when life is busy 34:40 - Getting better at metcon workouts 38:45 - Buying a gym and eliminating class offerings 48:10 - Predicting the success of the young guns in CrossFit 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

7 snips
Apr 19, 2022 • 1h 3min
Stephen M.R. Covey on Trusting & Inspiring
Stephen MR Covey has made a career of teaching people about trust. He joins us to talk about his new book, the difference between a trust & inspire leader vs. a command & control leader, shifting paradigms, & so much more. Learn more about Trust & Inspire here. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick // About Us: 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Apr 12, 2022 • 34min
Benchmark: 10 Principles of Nutrition
We're talking about our top nutrition principles in this rebroadcast from one of our most popular episodes. We talk about avoiding sugar, eating more veggies, understanding good vs bad fats, and eating mindfully. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Apr 5, 2022 • 49min
Anonymous Leaderboards (2:00 Drill #33)
Your questions are back this week! We’re talking about goals versus purpose, whether anonymous leaderboards might work, how to think about Fran, buying a gym, and more. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick Questions Answered: 02:50 - Working with a challenging employee 06:30 - Focusing on goals or purpose 08:45 - Earning trust with co-worker 11:15 - Taking vitamins & supplements (or not) 12:30 - Training when not sleeping enough 17:20 - Doing Fran for fitness or as a test 21:10 - Getting better at burpees 25:30 - Making leaderboards anonymous 29:50 - Buying a gym 36:00 - Making a Peloton-like version of CrossFit About Us: 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Mar 29, 2022 • 55min
Dr. Nate Zinsser on Winning the First Victory
Dr. Nate Zinsser is the author of the book “The Confident Mind.” He joins us to discuss the mental toughness strategies he’s developed over 30 years of working with cadets at West Point and elite athletes at every level. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Mar 22, 2022 • 27min
Be Confident, Earn More, & Increase Impact (3x3 #08)
The 3x3 is back! This round, I’m giving some strategies you can use to improve your confidence levels, increase your earning potential, and leave a lasting legacy. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Mar 15, 2022 • 45min
Things Happen For You, Not To You (HopperTalk #08)
In this round of HopperTalk, Patrick and I give our thoughts on lies we tell to make other people feel better, why grades shouldn’t be taken so seriously, how to react when something bad happens, and much more. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Mar 8, 2022 • 1h 10min
Mark England on Moving from Victim to Competitor
Mark England and Kimberly Kesting from Enlifted Coaches are back to continue our conversation about the victim mentality, should statements, soft talk, the imposter syndrome, writing down our scary thoughts, and much more. Find us on Social: Enlifted Coaches | Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.

Mar 1, 2022 • 1h 3min
Mark England on the Power of Words, Breath, & Story
We’ve got Mark England and Kimberly Kesting from Enlifted Coaches in town this week to talk about the victim mentality, soft talk, owning your story, pressure language, and much more. Be sure to tune in next week for part two. Find us on Social: Enlifted Coaches | Ben | Patrick 👉🏼 Ben Bergeron is a best-selling author, coach to 7 CrossFit Games champions, and founder of CompTrain. 👉🏼 Patrick Cummings is a long-time CrossFitter, podcaster, and creator of Functional Branding.
[[]---[]] 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.