What are you training for: one event, or the ability to take on different challenges? Chase Ingraham joins Brian Pierce to talk HYROX, CrossFit, and what your training prepares you to do. Drawing on his experience as a CrossFit Games athlete, coach, affiliate owner, programmer, and broadcaster, Chase explores competition and building fitness beyond a single event. Whether you race, ride, run, or simply want to stay capable, this conversation is about keeping yourself ready for the challenges you choose.

The conversation begins with a ridiculous question inspired by the recent HYROX Beijing incident, then turns into a bigger question: when do you push through, and when do you look at the situation and say, “Yeah, I’m good”?

Chase shares a story from the 2010 CrossFit Games, talks through the difference between normal athletic discomfort and the moments when stopping is the smarter call, and explains why he sees training as a baseline for doing more outside the gym.

Stopping is not automatically quitting. Sometimes it is judgment. Sometimes it protects your ability to train, compete, parent, work, and enjoy your sport for many more years.

Topics covered:

• Knowing the difference between productive discomfort and a situation that calls for reassessment
• Why pushing through is not always the same as being tough
• Chase’s 2010 CrossFit Games experience and the reality of competing through discomfort
• Training for the long game, not just one race, competition, challenge, or leaderboard result
• CrossFit, HYROX, and the value of broad, adaptable fitness
• Building enough capacity to say yes to rides, races, hikes, trips, and unexpected opportunities
• A few ridiculous stories, including the origins of Chase’s Captain America persona

Links & Resources

• Follow Chase Ingraham
• Deepish Conversations on YouTube
• Brian on Substack
• Brian on Instagram

Thanks for listening to Deepish Conversations, a podcast for people who enjoy good stories, a little humor, and learning something along the way.

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