Okay, friends. It’s that time of year again.
The weather is starting to warm up. BBQs and pools are starting to open up. And, before you know it, Memorial Day will be upon us.
As is the case every year, we will be programming the hero workout ‘Murph’.
At Achieve, we will be undertaking the grueling test on May 16th, so jut a little earlier than usual. This is so everyone has the opportunity to participate, as we know a lot of travel and other engagements are going on that weekend.
Every spring, right around the time the weather gets nice, people start pretending like they love running and they aren’t afraid of the looming volume of push-ups coming their way. I’m here to help you understand why we do Murph and how we will be prepping for it at CrossFit Achieve.
Murph is a CrossFit Hero workout that stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died heroically in the line of duty in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. Read more about Lt. Michael Murphy HERE.
Murph was introduced as a CrossFit Hero workout on Aug. 18, 2005, and has become a long-standing tradition observed by CrossFit and a broader global community of athletes. Thousands of CrossFit gyms program Murph each year on Memorial Day as a way to honor Lt. Murphy and all others who have served.
We are no strangers to the importance of doing hard things. Even more so, we understand the value as a community of doing hard things together. No workout serves to remind us of this better than Murph.
Always remember this…
It’s meant to be challenging.
It’s meant to be meaningful.
It’s meant to bring people together.
At the end of the day, Murph isn’t just about the reps. It’s about experiencing a fraction of the discomfort of what the individuals and loved ones of those being remembered suffer. It’s about honoring legacy and respecting the sacrifice others have made so that we can enjoy the freedoms and privileges that we do.
We know that Murph is a HUGE workout.
By the end, you’ll have accumulated 2 miles of running, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats. Some will have done this wearing anywhere from 14-20+ lbs extra on top.
We don’t just leave things to chance. Showing up cold and unprepared is not the best strategy, and we are going to do everything we can to prep ourselves for the test at hand.
No, this doesn’t mean just doing a couple extra pull-ups and push-ups once a week leading up.
So, let’s dig in to how we are going to prepare.
In the coming weeks, our athletes will see more pull-up volume, push-up capacity work, squatting stamina and intentional running progressions.
If you are or have been a member at an affiliate before, it can often feel like you’re just doing a variation of Cindy or Murph every other day in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day. I want to be very intentional in NOT following that framework. I’ve seen that exact approach trash knees and elbows and that’s not what I want for you.
Rest assured that the work input into our programming will be very intentional, progressive and manageable.
You will absolutely see doses of Murph-style volume. That is an inevitability. But, it will be in interval formats or pieced in with other stuff to keep it fresh, exciting and stimulating. Think of it as practice, not just endless gymnastics punishment.
Although Murph has been a CrossFit Games event 2 times (technically 3 times if you want to count Atalanta), this workout isn’t just for elite athletes. Like all things in CrossFit, we approach this with infinite scalability, because it is for and we expect to see everyone participate!
As written, we’ve already covered the RX version. But, I’ll rewrite it again here…
For Time
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
Men wear a 20# weight vest.
Ladies wear a 14# weight vest.
The most obvious scale/modification would be simply doing the workout without a weight vest. Easy peasy.
Let’s work through some other scales to give you some ideas.
If you have the skills but the amount of reps scares you, you could do a half variation. Just cut all the reps in half and go to town.
This can be even more fun if you just do a full version, but with a partner! Do the runs together and split the gymnastics in half, one working and one resting.
If you don’t have the skills yet, adding a band to do your pull-ups, jumping pull-ups, ring rows or bent over rows are excellent options. For push-ups, adding a band can help you achieve the full version, or you can do them from a box or bench or even your knees. If squatting doesn’t feel awesome on your knees, squat to a target so you’re still squatting, just limiting the range of motion.
You are also free to break it up in any way you want! I always encourage the runs to be done to start and finish, but you can break up the gymnastics in SO many different variations.
The goal here is to participate and finish proud, not crawling to your car questioning your life choices.
So, as Memorial Day and Achieve’s participation a week early is coming closer, I challenge you to embrace the process.
The prep work is just as much part of the fun as the actual event itself. Everyone will be more ready when the day arrives so we can crush it from 3…2…1…GO!
Murph is tough. But it’s also one of the best days of the year in the gym, and the work we do over the next few weeks will make sure you’re ready for it.
So mark your calendars for May 16th. We are running heat times at 6:30a and 8:00a. Plan out your Saturday, preorder a shirt, and let’s crush it together!
