It’s almost that time!! A time of the year that we have butterflies in the pit of our stomachs but still oddly enjoy as we hear that 10 second countdown and go off into that first 1 mile run. A CrossFit tradition for well over a decade is to do the Hero workout called Murph. Murph was a United States Navy Seal who died heroically in the line of duty in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. There is a book written about his death called “Lone Survivor” and it is a gripping book all the way through. There is also a film with the same name but a ton gets left out that was in the book. I highly recommend reading or rereading that book before doing this workout.
This workout is about pushing yourself to a place that you don’t normally let yourself go mentally and physically. Telling all of the voices in your head that are trying to get you to quit or to slow down to shut up. So what is Murph?
For Time:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
* In a weighted vest
After we all finish the workout we’ll also hang around for a bbq out back so bring any food/drinks you like! We will be running 2 heats of this workout on the 27th of May at 8:30am and 10:00am.
Here is a paragraph from the Murph Challenge website.
“The Murph Challenge is not just a physical test, but also a mental and emotional one. Participants are pushed to their limits and are encouraged to keep pushing through the pain and exhaustion, just as Lieutenant Murphy did during his final moments. The event is held annually on Memorial Day, and people from all over the world come together to honor Lieutenant Murphy and all those who have given their lives in service to our country. The Murph Challenge is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by our military and a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.”
You’ll already notice there has been more running in the past couple of weeks along with more push-ups and pull-ups. Even if you feel like you’re not ready to do this workout as written we can still adjust as always to tailor it for you. Maybe we turn it into a partner workout or cut the reps in half or if need be we can adjust the movements. Either way don’t let your mind talk you out of doing this workout as we can adjust it to suit wherever you’re at physically and mentally.
How to attack the Hero WOD – Murph!
There are a ton of ways to approach this workout and break up the reps. Here are a few ways you may want to think about when looking at strategizing.
Unpartitioned – 100 pull-ups, then 200 push-ups, then 300 air squats.
This should only be done if you feel confident with your gymnastics and you want to challenge yourself.
Cindy Style – 20 Rounds: 5 pull-ups + 10 push-ups + 15 Air Squats
This is the most popular way to do Murph as it breaks up the reps nicely that you get a bit of a break between all of the movements so that you don’t hit failure.
Cindy Style (Push-Up Break) – 20 Rounds: 5 push-ups + 5 pull-ups + 5 push-ups + 15 air squats
This option is great if you know your push-ups will be your biggest weakness in this workout as you’re getting a bit more of a break in the push-up sets while completing the same amount of reps per round of cindy.
33 Rounds – 33 Rounds: 3 Pull-ups + 6 push-ups + 9 air squats + 1 Round: 1 pull-up + 2 push-ups + 3 air squats
This option is great if you want something that will keep you moving consistently but aren’t confident with your gymnastics just yet.
In the same way we test if you’re ready for kipping pull-ups by completing strict pull-ups, think about doing the same thing before you go adding in that vest. Can you complete 5+ strict pull-ups with the weight vest on? If not, then we need to work your strength BEFORE doing murph with a vest on. Even though you may be able to do kipping pull-ups in a vest and look like a badass that doesn’t mean the right muscles are working. Test this out now if you’re looking to wear a vest and start working that strength if need be. Strength is never a weakness so even if you can already do 5 plus strict pull-ups with a vest it never hurts to work strict strength in pull-ups.
The bbq afterwards is always a big hit and a nice way to enjoy some food and drinks with the rest of the community so be sure to plan this into your day as well!
Aaron Scott
CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
CrossFit Structure Co-Owner