Memorial Day "Murph"
Honoring our heroes with fitness!
Team! It's Memorial Day and every year on this day the CrossFit community comes together to remember the heroes who fought and sacrificed for our freedoms. "Murph" is a bodyweight workout with simple movements that can be scaled for any fitness level or limitation. Enjoy this one! -Carla
Today we celebrate a Memorial Day tradition in the CrossFit world - Memorial Day "Murph". "Murph" was named after Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a United States Navy Seal who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28th, 2005. He was 29-years-old. To learn more about Lt. Michael P Murphy and the Murph tradition, click here.
As written, this workout is a tough one! So I have provided 2 modified versions for minimal equipment and all fitness levels below, along with my personal favorite way to do this workout.
MURPH RX (The Original)
Wearing a weighted vest (14 lbs for women, 20 lbs for men)
Run 1 mile
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 Air Squats
Run 1 mile
The approach to this workout is to split up the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats into 20 triplet sets of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats allowing brief rest of one movement while doing the others.
Warm Up and Movement Practice
400m jog
3 rounds
5 bench dips, dumbbell rows, or pull-ups (select and “easy” version of your workout option)
5 push-ups (easy option)
10 air squats
Workout
MODIFIED VERSION 1
In our modified versions, we lose the weighted vest and preserve the key elements of endurance before and after the sets of triplet movements.
Warm-Up
5 min jog or bike, or 3 sets of 200m Row with 30 sec – 1 min rest in between sets.
Movement Practice
Watch the videos and perform 2-3 sets of 5 repetitions of the movement variations of the triplet in the workout version you have selected.
Workout
½ mile (800m) Run, Row or 1-mile Stationary Bike
10 - 20 rounds of the following triplet (you choose the volume!)
5 Push-Ups *find a bench/box or stacked plate height that allows you to confidently do 10 reps unbroken prior to the workout. These sets will get smaller with fatigue - that’s expected!
15 Air Squats
½ mile (800m) Run, Row or 1-mile Stationary Bike
TIPS!See video links for movement variations.
If you are an endurance athlete - stick with the 1-mile runs!
Break up sets as needed, but move efficiently and pace yourself!
MODIFIED VERSION 2
If you have dumbbells/barbells, try this version:
½ mile (800m) Run, Row or 1-mile Stationary Bike
10-20 sets of the following triplet5 heavy barbell/dumbbell bent-over rows or barbell/dumbbell curls
10 push-ups (incline as shown or strict)
15 air squats
½ mile (800m) Run, Row or 1-mile Stationary Bike
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE - THE “HALF MURPH”
Run 1/2 mile
50 pull ups
100 push ups
150 air squats
Run 1/2 mile
Good luck and have fun!! :)
Cool Down
It is ESSENTIAL to cool down appropriately after a workout like this to begin your recovery process. Foam rolling, mobility work, massage and body work or a cold plunge is a great addition to this yoga segment below.
20 minute Deep Stretch Yoga from Five Parks
