Brace Yourself! Murph is Coming!

It’s that time of year once again!!! Murph season is upon us! In just 3 short weeks, the bold and brave members of CrossFit Grove City will be completing the Hero Workout entitled “Murph” a.k.a. “Body Armor.” The basic workout description and the story behind it goes as follows:

 

“Murph”

For time:

1 mile Run

100 Pull-ups

200 Push-ups

300 Squats

1 mile Run

This workout is held in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. (You might have heard of this guy if you read the book or watched the movie entitled “Lone Survivor”)

The workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it “Body Armor”. Once it was picked up as a mainstream CrossFit hero workout, it has ever since been 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.

If you have been with us before, you’ll know that this is much more than just a workout. It’s a celebration. It’s a game-changer. It’s a brutal awakening to how much fitness you are lacking or perhaps a welcomed epiphany to just how much fitness you have gained since starting CrossFit.

Before I get into breaking down the scaling options to this workout, I first want to make sure that you also clear your schedules for the Murph afterparty. We will once again be heading over to Karen Kettler’s parent’s home where they will be hosting a barbeque. There will be yard games, swimming, fishing, and paddle boating. And if you didn’t get enough of a workout, there’s plenty of room to run around on the property. It will be BYOB and just ask that if you plan on attending to please RSVP and consider bringing a little something to share!

 

Okay! Now down to the nitty gritty. How will you decide to complete this workout?

Option 1: Traditional Murph – This is for anyone that has the general work capacity that you might have acquired through a focused fitness regimen such as CrossFit or being part of a team sport. This is also the SAFEST method for breaking up the full volume of this particular workout.

Run 1 Mile

Then complete 20 rounds of the “Cindy” workout (this will give you all the work in bite-sized peices)

1 round of “Cindy” = 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 airsquats

Then run another mile to finish up

Option 2: Half Murph – There are two major ways to break apart this workout;

1. Cut the 1 mile run down into an 800m run (½ mile) and complete 20 rounds of “Cindy” before running another 800m
2. Run the mile and complete only 10 rounds of “Cindy”
3. The other option is to simply cut everything down into half the volume.

Whichever way you choose, you will still get a valuable workout.

Option 3: Buddy Murph – This is for those that need or desire just a little extra encouragement while they push through the workout. No partner left behind!

With a partner, run 1 mile together,

Then trade off on 20 total rounds of “Cindy” (10 rounds each). This will allow you to rest while you partner works,

Then run your second mile together again! Bonus points if you choose to hold hands when you cross the finish line!

 

There are some other options out there as well, but what I have outlined above are the 3 that I will promote, because I know that they are safe and effective for the majority of active individuals that are considering the workout. Please, please, please! I cannot stress it enough! If you are considering breaking up the workout in a more challenging way or perhaps adding a weighted vest to up the difficulty, please speak to one of our coaches before finalizing your decision.
More posts to come soon!!!