Chasing Excellence

Chasing Excellence

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Chasing Excellence
Chasing Excellence
Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer (Or, How to Stop Being Pulled Down by Tough Relationships)
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Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer (Or, How to Stop Being Pulled Down by Tough Relationships)

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Patrick Cummings's avatar
Ben Bergeron's avatar
Patrick Cummings
and
Ben Bergeron
Mar 04, 2025
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Chasing Excellence
Chasing Excellence
Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer (Or, How to Stop Being Pulled Down by Tough Relationships)
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About This Episode

We’re answering questions from members of our Chase Club, discussing strategies for maintaining your emotional environment despite challenging relationships, optimizing strength training, navigating professional growth while maintaining gratitude, and preparing for the hero workout “Murph.”

Questions We're Answering:

  • How to navigate relationships that don't align with your pursuit of excellence

  • Balancing strength and endurance in CrossFit training

  • Managing professional growth while appreciating your current situation

  • Training strategies for “Murph”

Listen Now

  • Chase Club (🔒 Ad-Free)

  • Spotify

  • Apple Podcasts

  • YouTube

Quick Takeaways:

Managing Challenging Relationships

Question: How do we handle relationships that may hinder our pursuit of excellence?

Key Insight: Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. Instead of letting challenging relationships affect your environment, take control and set the temperature yourself.

Strength vs. Endurance

Question: Should I focus more on weightlifting compared to the endurance side of CrossFit?

Key Insight: For a well-rounded athlete, both relative strength and absolute strength matter. There's room for the latter even when you're already strong for your size.

Professional Growth and Gratitude

Question: How does one balance taking on risk/wanting change while appreciating what they have professionally?

Key Insight: Gratitude and growth are not opposites - they can and should coexist. Consider whether you're moving toward something positive rather than just away from discomfort.

Murph Training

Question: How would you suggest training specifically for the Murph workout?

Key Insight: Focus on overloading the components of the workout through structured protocols like increased rep schemes, grease-the-groove training for pushups, and progressive volume increases.


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🔒 Chase Club Content

Managing Challenging Relationships

Context: Relationships with family members who don't share our values can become significant emotional drains if we don't develop appropriate strategies.

  • Practical Application:

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