In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28, 2005. A U.S. Navy SEAL officer, Murphy was awarded the U.S. military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the War in Afghanistan. His other posthumous awards include the Silver Star Medal (which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor) and the Purple Heart.
The “Murph” Hero WOD was originally posted on the CrossFit Main Site as the workout of the day for Thursday August 18, 2005 (050818), where the post said “This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it ‘Body Armor.’ From here on it will be referred to as ‘Murph’ in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.”
“Murph” has become one of the most famous CrossFit workouts, globally, especially as a tribute on U.S. Memorial Day (the last Monday of May), when the workout is sometimes referred to as “Memorial Day Murph.”
The workout, as prescribed (“Rx”), requires a weight vest but allows the athlete to partition the work as needed. In a more challenging “Rx+” version of the workout some athletes do the work in the order written, un-partitioned (complete the 100 pull-ups before beginning the push-ups, etc.).
The workout made its first appearance in the 2015 CrossFit Games Championships (athletes partitioned the work), then again in the 2016 Games (athletes were required to do it unpartitioned).
Sunday May 24
10 am – Zoom
Monday May 25
6 am Zoom
6 am Warlock Back Parking Lot
8:30 am Warlock Back Parking Lot
Sign Up In Mindbody Space is limited.
I appreciate everyone honoring Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy. Below are a few options and some advice after years of doing this workout. Realize that this is about honoring Murph and our CrossFit Community. Please avoid putting yourself into a cataontic state that you can’t recover from for a week. We know that this situation isn’t ideal and either way we find a way. Chris, The Staff and I appreciate your cooperation so we can continue to help you with your Low Risk Outdoor Recreational Activities.
After a few years of doing this I want to bring a few things to your attention so you can complete this activity safely and with as much understanding as possible. My goal is for you to make an informed decision on how to tackle this recreational activity.
Your conditioning may not be up to snuff (ouch, burn haha) and there are a few factors at play between your consistency with training, your volume, your intensity and your nutrition. You know whether you’re where you should be. Consider that before your ego gets in the way of this workout. Here’s some information you might find useful along with some guidelines. Again, you know your body better than anyone and you are incharge of making the correct choice. My feeling is if you can’t bust out 20+ rounds of Cindy during that 20 Minute AMRAP I would vote to leave the weight vest at home or only wear it only for the run. If you have been drinking over the weekend, specifically the day before I would recommend doing half Murph AND turning down the intensity. Rhabdo is a real thing. Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of damaged muscle. That muscle breakdown causes the release of myoglobin into the bloodstream. Your body can’t process too much myoglobin and it results in kidney damage, possibly a trip to the hospital and a fair amount of discomfort. This usually only happens with athletes who are deconditioning, could perform at a relatively high level and jump back into similar volume / intensity workouts without prepping. Where we can normally see you guys, make modifications and adjust volume you are now left to your own devices on this workout, so I feel the need to inform you as to what I’m paying attention to throughout this workout. It also tends to happen when:
1. There is a large volume of pull ups
2. Intensity is higher than normal
3. Dehydrated / Drinking alcohol the day(s) prior* (this is in a majority of rhabdo cases)
Be intelligent and have fun when honoring Murph this weekend. If you’re not sure what to modify volume wise just message me and I’ll happily advise. I know all of your volumes and capabilities pretty well 🙂
Primer:
400 – 200 – 100 M Jog
7-5-3 Walkouts
WOD: Murph
1 Mile Run
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
Partition as Needed. Optional Weight Vest 20/14
No Pull Up or Rings Modification
1 Mile Run
100 Kettlebell Swings @ 53/35
200 Push Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
Modified Volume 1
1 Mile RUn
10-15 Rounds of
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
Modified Volume 2
800M Run
8-10 Rounds
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Air SQuats
800M Run
AMRAP 45
200M Run
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats