Key Messages
Learn What It Takes To Be The Fittest On Earth From Coach And Author Ben Bergeron
If you’re looking for inspiration to compete against the top athletes in the world, then Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron is a great place to start.
In this book, you’ll get a look inside the intense training approach used by the “fittest people on earth.” You’ll find out what qualities they possess, how they manage through difficult challenges, and what it takes to succeed.
You’ll learn how being mentally fit can put you leagues ahead of your competitors, why humble attitudes will lead to better results than an ego-driven one and why a concept as simple as E+R O can give you an edge over others.
Through these sections, discover how seemingly odd exercises such as jumping into freezing lakes can actually make all the difference when striving for excellence.
Chasing Excellence provides readers with powerful insights into what it takes to be successful at professional levels.
It’s easy enough for anyone to pick up, but comprehensive enough for the most passionate athletes too!
The Key To Excellence: Combining Passion With The Right Habits For Maximum Commitment
To reach excellence and come out on top, each individual needs both a passionate commitment to their work and the right habits in order to make it happen.
Take for example the Wright Brothers, who were passionate about engineering and aviation; that passion is what drove them to be successful when all odds were against them.
On the other hand, Samuel Pierpont Langley had more support and resources but ultimately fell short due to a lack of genuine commitment.
It’s not just passion, however – having the proper habits also plays a major role in achieving success.
As pointed out by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, studies have shown that those with mastery over a skill demonstrateded vast amounts of practice – not just any regular practice mind you, but specifically “deliberate practice,” which involves pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone into greatness.
How To Focus On Things You Can Control And Let Go Of Things You Cannot In Athletics
Achieving excellence in any endeavor requires a balance between focusing on the things you can control and understanding what is out of your hands.
In Chasing Excellence, author Ben Bergeron gives us a great example of this concept using two of his athletes, Katrín Davíðsdóttir and Mat Fraser.
When readying his athletes for the 2015 Crossfit Games, Bergeron asked them to list the potential difficulties they could face during their competition.
He then split those issues into two categories: things within their control and things outside their control.
Not only does this permit his athletes to save their energy when it comes to external circumstances, but it implies that no matter how hard an athlete trains and prepares, there will always be some factors beyond their control.
This knowledge helps eliminate unnecessary worrying or negative thoughts which can prevent peak performance.
However, success also depends on one’s ability to “shut the door” when necessary; that is knowing when to let go of mistakes or defeats in order move on from them as quickly as possible.
For this purpose, Bergeron encourages mindfulness and practicing breathing exercises to refocus attention after setbacks as well as recognizing errors so they are not repeated in the future.
Ultimately, if one desires success in any field, it is essential for them to have a balance between rigorous discipline over one’s actions versus being able accept what cannot be changed or managed.
This blend between strictness and surrender allows for powerful results both mentally and physically by releasing suffocating worry while still striving for excellence.
The Power Of Confidence: How Hard Work And Humility Helped Mat Fraser Reach The Top
Coach Urban Meyer of Ohio State Football might have the best way to look at confidence: Event + Response Outcome, or E + R O for short.
This emphasizes that any athlete’s response to a given situation has a major impact on the end result – and it’s the only thing they can really control.
So whether you end up first or last, you can still have confidence if you gave your absolute best.
Mat Fraser for example, was almost last in his 2015 Crossfit Games run but he accepted this with humility and started working harder on his running skills.
He even recruited high schoolers as running partners – showing how humble he could be about being outrun by teenagers!
This paid off when he took first place in the event at the 2016 Crossfit Games with sheer confidence.
That’s why having confidence also means being able to accept the bad with the good, as well as being willing to learn from mistakes and continuously work on improving performance – what author Ben Bergeron calls ‘double-loop learning’.
By using this technique Mat Fraser was able to move past external factors such as conditions of the course or other athletes’ quality and focus more on internal improvement.
All of this paved the way towards him confidently taking first place in the next year’s event.
The Power Of Positive Mindset: How Positivity Can Improve Your Performance
Having a positive outlook is another key to excellence.
This is backed up by research such as the study conducted by Stanford University professor Arnold Zwicky, which showed that people tend to pick up on the sort of results they are already focusing on, thus making it vital to have a positive outlook on life in order to get the best possible results.
Katrín Davíðsdóttir provides a great example of having this positive outlook working wonders.
Despite encountering unexpected setbacks such as a three-hour flight delay, she maintained a strong and optimistic attitude throughout her experience, setting her apart from other competitors and giving her an edge in the competition.
The same goes for any activity or task you do – thinking positively will result in more positive outcomes!
Maintaining an upbeat attitude can keep you motivated and help you find areas where you can improve your performance.
By always staying focused on how to get better, your hard work will be rewarded with the results you desire.
It Takes Training Adversity To Be Ready For The Unexpected And Succeed
Intense training can give you a big advantage and prepare you for the worst possible conditions.
This is what author Ben Bergeron discusses in his book “Chasing Excellence”.
With examples such as Katrín Davíðsdóttir and Mat Fraser, Bergeron demonstrates the power of training in extreme conditions.
He encourages athletes to add difficult obstacles to their training by using the overload principle.
This refers to reaching your body’s limits by increasing weights during exercise or taking drastic measures like swimming in icy cold waters.
Initially Davíðsdóttir refused but eventually those challenging conditions resulted in her feeling more prepared for competitions.
The same principle applies when it comes to events like Pegboard Ascents, where athletes must use their upper-body strength to climb a wall with holes.
While other competitors were speedy, Davíðsdóttir chose slow and steady concentration over speed which saw her achieve greater heights than them.
By facing intense and trying situations you become better aware of what could possibly go wrong at any given moment, allowing you to make smarter decisions faster than those who aren’t used to something new or “unideal”.
Intense training is an investment that will not only increase physical strength but also mental toughness so you’ll always be ready for whatever life throws your way!
The Power Of Grit: How To Unlock Competitive Excellence And Achieve Success Beyond Measure
Grit is essential for anyone who wants to achieve competitive excellence.
It’s about having the inner strength, determination and courage to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and keep going, even when everything seems insurmountable.
Mat Fraser, a professional Crossfit athlete, is a shining example of what grit can do.
In the 2013 Crossfit Northeast regionals, he was having an awful time in the rowing event and clocked in at 1:50.
Rather than giving up, Mat went back to training and pushed himself each day by rowing 4000-5000 meters – something that is a lot even for professional rowers!
Thanks to his grittiness, he was able to come back stronger and not let any challenge stop him.
This kind of mentality is memorable because it goes far beyond simply achieving short-term goals; instead, it pushes us further so we can reach long-term success.
Even when Mat blowout the competition by 195 points with two events left in 2016 Cross Fit Games he still put his all into these final events – this is rare and shows true grit.
So if you want to achieve competitive excellence, recognize that grit plays an essential role in reaching one’s highest potential.
Having grit allows you to push through limitations and get extraordinary results which will make sure your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed!
Wrap Up
Chasing Excellence is a fascinating book about the pursuit of athletic excellence, and it can be summed up by this main message: athletic excellence isn’t just for those with natural talent – it can be achieved by anyone who has the passion and commitment to improve their skills.
The book emphasizes that physical strength is only one part of reaching peak performance – mental fortitude is key for mastering a discipline and breaking through normal limits.
The actionable advice in this book revolves around the concept of “aggregation of marginal gains”, or tiny but meaningful improvements being made on a daily basis.
A 1 percent improvement every day could mean a powerful 100 % improvement by the end of a year!
