Join us in Honoring our Heros with Memorial Day Murph

Every Memorial Day we remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this country by engaging in shared suffering.   

This is a holiday that brings up a lot of emotions for us, many of them complicated.  Some people like to impose suffering on themselves so that we might feel some small measure of what those who came before us felt.  Some of us choose to suffer because we are lucky enough to be able to do so when others can not.  Others are inspired by the sacrifice someone they will never know made for our freedom. The meaning of the day and the workout is likely different for all of us.  I'm not sure when the tradition of doing Murph for Memorial Day started, but now it is a yearly event that brings us together as a community to remember and honor those we lost.

This year Mollie, Ed, Steve, and Dana will be participating in Murph.  We want you to join us, so we've put together a 4 week training plan to help you get ready. 

The History of "Murph"

Lt. Michael P. Murphy, fondly referred to by friends and family as “Murph,” became a U.S. Navy SEAL and in early 2005, Murphy was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL in the presence of Taliban fighters. Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire to make contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. At one point, he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. On the ground and nearly out of ammunition, the four SEALs, continued to fight. 

Though severely wounded, the fourth SEAL and sole survivor, was rescued by U.S. Forces on July 2, 2005. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit and inspirational devotion to his men in the face of certain death, Lt. Murphy was able to relay the position of his unit, an act that ultimately led to the rescue of Luttrell and the recovery of the remains of the three who were killed in the battle. Lt. Murphy’s personal awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon and National Defense Service Medal.

Now it’s all starting to make a little more sense on why CrossFitters make a big deal out of Memorial Day and Murph. It’s the least we can do to honor the courage and selfless sacrifice that was made that day. CrossFitters synonymously around the world pay special tribute to Lieutenant Murphy by joining together and suffering through this workout.

The Murph Workout

Murph is a CrossFit Hero workout that consists of:

• 1 mile Run
• 100 Pull-Ups
• 200 Push-Ups
• 300 Air Squats
• 1 mile Run

All with a Weight Vest (20/14 lb)

How to Partition or Scale

Partition Options:

1. As written, straight through
2. 1 mile run, 10 rounds of 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 air squats, 1 mile run
3. 1 mile run, 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 air squats, 1 mile run
4. Partner Murph - run 1 mile with your partner, alternate rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 air squats for 20 total rounds, run 1 mile with your partner
5. Any of the above without a weight vest or armor
6. Half Murph - run 800m, 10 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 air squats, run 800 meters

Scaling Options:

1. Jumping pull ups
2. Ring rows for pull ups
3. Push-ups on a box

Download Our 4 Week Training Plan