
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

Jul 27, 2021 • 32min
Important Details, Strong Networks, & Simpler Lives
In this edition of our 3x3, I'm talking through some of the small things that CrossFit New England does well, how I think about building stronger relationships, and ways to make our lives simpler. 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.

Jul 20, 2021 • 31min
Benchmark: Daily Discipline
We're revisiting one of our most popular conversations from the early days of the podcast, talking about why it's important to determine our level of discipline and then never break the chain of daily success. 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.

Jul 13, 2021 • 41min
The Protein and Produce Diet for Kids
We talk all the time about the five factors of health, but how do they apply to our kids? We're diving into that question, talking about how I ensure that my kids are eating well, how we set up the house to reduce food conflict, and 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.

Jul 6, 2021 • 45min
If You Want To Run Fast, Run Fast (2:00 #28)
Your questions are back in the spotlight. We're answering questions about programming when you have limited time and equipment, why I don't think we need to establish a VO2 Max threshold for Games athletes, dealing with CrossFit skeptics, and more. Find us on Social: Ben | Patrick Questions Answered: 01:45 - Dealing with comparing ourselves to others 04:30 - Increasing coaching skills with limited time 06:40 - Moving from living to thriving 10:40 - Determining VO2 Max for CrossFit athletes 12:00 - Training for physique and health 14:45 - Programming for limited training time 18:30 - Communicating patience for members looking for progress 21:45 - Seeing women become Navy SEALs 24:00 - Surviving as a gym without social media 28:45 - Taking cold showers in the morning and hot ones at night 31:50 - Running faster by running faster 34:35 - Dealing with CrossFit skeptics 43:00 - Moving the CrossFit Games out of the USA 👉🏼 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.

Jun 29, 2021 • 1h 7min
Greg McKeown on the Pursuit of Sustainable Excellence
Greg McKeown is the author of Essentialism and Effortless. He joins us to discuss why easy things aren't always trivial, having faith that the process will work, working backward from our optimal max, and a whole lot more. Find us on Social: Greg | 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.

Jun 22, 2021 • 1h 24min
Stop Fearing Failure (Modern Wisdom Interview)
This week, we're republishing a conversation I had with Chris Williamson on his podcast, Modern Wisdom. We go deep on what it means to live a life of excellence, the hierarchy of mindset, living for the remembering self, and a whole lot more.
[[]---[]] 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.

Jun 15, 2021 • 1h 4min
Useful But Rarely Taught Skills (HopperTalk #04)
HopperTalk is back! This time around, Patrick and I are giving our thoughts on normalizing naps, what we'd change about CrossFit's early days, whether we think first impressions are usually accurate, our favorite Games events, and more!
[[]---[]] 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.

Jun 8, 2021 • 54min
Dr. Jonathan Fader on Looking at Life as a Sport
Dr. Jonathan Fader is a performance psychologist who's worked with pro athletes in the MLB and NFL. He joins us this week to talk about earning trust, getting our mental reps in, why he sees life as a sport, and a bunch more.
[[]---[]] 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.

Jun 1, 2021 • 49min
Discomfort vs Pain (2:00 #27)
Our 2:00 Drill is back! We're answering your questions about learning how to relax without guilt, helping athletes fulfill their dreams, understanding the difference between discomfort & pain, & lots more!
[[]---[]] 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.

May 25, 2021 • 1h 11min
World-Class Health in 100 Words
Modern medicine might define health as the absence of disease, but that's not a good enough definition for us. So we're offering our own, in a format that many CrossFitters will recognize. (See full episode description for text.)
[[]---[]] 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.