“It’s not how grueling they are that makes them so well-known. It’s that each one is named after a fallen soldier, sailor, airman, marine, police officer, or firefighter.”
Test your strength and endurance with this brutal workout that pays tribute to an American hero.
Every year on Memorial Day, thousands of CrossFitters, fitness enthusiasts, military veterans, and patriotic Americans gather to perform a workout that tests their strength and endurance. It has become well-known as a physically and mentally grueling way to demonstrate your fitness while paying tribute to an American hero. You don’t have to wait for Memorial Day, however, to give this workout a shot. You won’t regret it.
Hero WODs (workouts of the day), as they’re known in CrossFit, are some of the most intense workouts you’ll find anywhere. It’s not how grueling they are that makes them so well-known. It’s that each one is named after a fallen soldier, sailor, airman, marine, police officer, or firefighter. The intention is to think of the person it’s named for when performing the workout, especially when it gets really tough.
This WOD is named for Mike Murphy, and here’s his story.
Lieutenant Michael Murphy of Patchogue was killed in action in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005. He was subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions that day, placing himself in the open and exposed to enemy fire in order to make a satellite phone call to get the quick reaction force (QRF) to help save his teammates. Murph, as he was known to his friends, loved to do this workout, which he called “body armor.” With a 20-pound weighted vest or plate carrier, run a mile, do 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and then run another mile.
To conquer this workout, you must have a strategy for tackling the high number of repetitions you have to complete.
Here are three tips that you can use to complete Murph with your best possible time.
1. Partition the repetitions
You can do this a number of ways. I prefer to do 20 rounds of five pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 squats in between the mile runs. The point is not to try and complete hundreds of pull ups, push ups, and squats consecutively. Perform more rounds of lower repetitions of each exercise to avoid fatigue.
2. Practice months ahead of Memorial Day
Don’t approach this workout without training for it. Start a few months before Memorial Day. Do the workout once a week. You’ll need plenty of recovery time. Start without the added weight. Do a quarter or half of the workout at first. Track your progress by timing yourself.
3. Hydrate
Start hydrating in the days before you do the workout. Murph requires a tremendous amount of energy to complete the high number of repetitions, and not being hydrated could mean not completing the workout. Have a water source with you while working out, and take sips between rounds.
Enjoy the Murph!
