We are coming up on the last week of May which means one thing here in Cleveland - it is Memorial Day weekend and hopefully Summer has finally come! In the CrossFit world, this also means it is time for Murph!
If you find yourself asking who Murph is then you must be new to our functional fit world of people who do not always take the easy road, are willing to work harder than they ever have for their fitness goals, and understand that the support of a community can lift mountains. Welcome! And prepare to scream at yourself for 40+ minutes this Memorial Day.
What Is Murph
Murph is a CrossFit Hero WOD. More, THE CrossFit Hero WOD. Each year thousands of gyms around the United States program the same WOD on the same day - Memorial Day Murph.
Murph was created in honor of the sacrifice of Lt. Michael Murphy, one of the storied American soldiers in the movie Lone Survivor. Click the link to read more about Lt. Murphy and the Murph Foundation.
The Murph workout itself is completed for time:
1 Mile Run
-then-
100 Pull-up
200 Push-up
300 Air Squat
-then-
1 Mile Run
If the athlete is conditioned or tough enough, it is often performed wearing a weight vest, just at Lt. Murphy was said to have done it himself.
Obviously this is an incredibly difficult and taxing workout. It is not something to take lightly or without understanding what effects it will likely have on the body. Below are 5 suggestions for every athlete, elite or otherwise, preparing to complete Murph.
Preparation
1. Hydration
Probably seems like a bit of a no-brainer... 40 minute workout, hot Summer day. Obviously "game day" hydration is a big thing. We are all likely well-versed in proper competitive hydration recommendations, but let us discuss the days prior to Murph. When our athletes compete we usually give tell them the rule of thumb is your body weight (BW) in ounces of water the day of the competition, about three-quarters of their BW the day prior and a gradual building in amount for the days prior. Assuming the athlete is consistently getting their regular daily intake somewhere around around half their BW in ounces.
I assume at least one of you is saying to yourself - "I never drink water during a WOD. It wastes too much time." For a 10 minute WOD I might agree with you. However, if you want to maximize your Murph score, you need to plan your water consumption and stick to the plan.
Check out The Article from STACK Magazine for hydrating pre workout.
2. Diet
Ever hear the phrase, "You are what you eat"? Well, if you eat a load of crap the day before Murph, you will be crap during Murph. I get it, it is Memorial Day weekend and there's cookouts, parties, baseball, etc, etc. But do your "Monday Self" a favor and save the massive cheat meals until later that day. Otherwise you might hit a horrible wall during the workout that doesn't quite dissipate until late Monday evening.
In a sense, think of Murph as preparing for a competition. Eat as clean as possible, consume complex carbs the day or two prior, adequate amounts of protein and fat, and simple carbs the morning of. Your body will be properly fueled, you will feel significantly better post-WOD and your WOD time will reflect your good choices.
Take a look at this suggested Pre Competition Morning Meal Plan from CrossFit Nomad.
3. Mobility
As CrossFitters we generally do not specialize in any one modality, but instead focus on variation. Thus, some CrossFit athletes tend to lack significant competency in running and may not necessarily have the stamina needed to perform well during a WOD that includes two 1 mile runs.
Thus we need to prepare the body for not only the impact of the BW workout in the middle, but the runs at the front and back end. First, mobility to be performed the day before for the BW movements:
4. Have A Plan
Crucial - stick to your plan, even when you begin doubting yourself. Of course this makes the assumption that you had a good plan. Helping you develop a good plan...
Rule #1 - understand what you're capable of. If you've never done 100 pull-ups in a normal class WOD before then you probably shouldn't do 100 in Murph. Alternatives - ring rows, assisted pull-ups or half Murph. I personally would not have someone scale 100 pull-ups to jumping pull-ups, especially not at this level of fatique.
The famed weight vest! If you cannot do chest to bar pull-ups well, easily cannot bench more than your BW or have a bad air squat, please do not try and be a badass. On that note, if you can't run a mile anyway there is absolutely no point in walking most of each mile just because you want to wear a vest.
Running is running and most people only have one pace when they run a mile. That said, it is not a great idea to sprint out of the gate too hard. It is difficult to slow one's heart rate back down for pull-ups and push-ups after they've just cranked it sky high trying to run a PR mile time.
For those who have completed this WOD before, the obvious strategy importance lies in what happens inside the gym. How do we break up the 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats? The first point is - only the absurdly gifted, crazy and dumb go straight through in the order written. Everyone else is absolutely breaking the total reps in sets or rounds. Here are some general suggestions:
5. Prepare Your Mind
Remember, Hero WODs are created to honor our fallen military personnel and in many cases they are made extremely difficult to put the do-er through extreme hardship and experience suffering. Whether you agree that this should be the case or not, it is. Thus everyone who does these WODs needs to understand the level of difficulty they are taking on.
Every day thousands upon thousands of CrossFitters around the world have their comfort zones removed and find happiness and empowerment in the fact that they were able to conquer another grueling physical and mental challenge. This is one of the reasons why our workout regemin is so popular and successful. Hero WODs tend to be that and more.
Focus on preparation because the simple act of preparing tells the mind that it is going to be doing something important and difficult. This will help us set the stage for the challenge that lie ahead Monday. Enjoy Murph, love Murph, but understand it is going to be very difficult and may make you question yourself at some point. Establish your plan and anticipate telling the weak voices in the back of your head to shut up.
Now get out there Monday, give the WOD hell and learn something about yourself. In the end, always remember - Murph is just one man, but he represents all the lives of our brave armed forces who have given their own lives in the line of duty to all of us who live in a country that is significantly safer than many other parts of our planet.
- Coach A
If you find yourself asking who Murph is then you must be new to our functional fit world of people who do not always take the easy road, are willing to work harder than they ever have for their fitness goals, and understand that the support of a community can lift mountains. Welcome! And prepare to scream at yourself for 40+ minutes this Memorial Day.
What Is Murph
Murph is a CrossFit Hero WOD. More, THE CrossFit Hero WOD. Each year thousands of gyms around the United States program the same WOD on the same day - Memorial Day Murph.
Murph was created in honor of the sacrifice of Lt. Michael Murphy, one of the storied American soldiers in the movie Lone Survivor. Click the link to read more about Lt. Murphy and the Murph Foundation.
The Murph workout itself is completed for time:
1 Mile Run
-then-
100 Pull-up
200 Push-up
300 Air Squat
-then-
1 Mile Run
If the athlete is conditioned or tough enough, it is often performed wearing a weight vest, just at Lt. Murphy was said to have done it himself.
Obviously this is an incredibly difficult and taxing workout. It is not something to take lightly or without understanding what effects it will likely have on the body. Below are 5 suggestions for every athlete, elite or otherwise, preparing to complete Murph.
Preparation
1. Hydration
Probably seems like a bit of a no-brainer... 40 minute workout, hot Summer day. Obviously "game day" hydration is a big thing. We are all likely well-versed in proper competitive hydration recommendations, but let us discuss the days prior to Murph. When our athletes compete we usually give tell them the rule of thumb is your body weight (BW) in ounces of water the day of the competition, about three-quarters of their BW the day prior and a gradual building in amount for the days prior. Assuming the athlete is consistently getting their regular daily intake somewhere around around half their BW in ounces.
I assume at least one of you is saying to yourself - "I never drink water during a WOD. It wastes too much time." For a 10 minute WOD I might agree with you. However, if you want to maximize your Murph score, you need to plan your water consumption and stick to the plan.
Check out The Article from STACK Magazine for hydrating pre workout.
2. Diet
Ever hear the phrase, "You are what you eat"? Well, if you eat a load of crap the day before Murph, you will be crap during Murph. I get it, it is Memorial Day weekend and there's cookouts, parties, baseball, etc, etc. But do your "Monday Self" a favor and save the massive cheat meals until later that day. Otherwise you might hit a horrible wall during the workout that doesn't quite dissipate until late Monday evening.
In a sense, think of Murph as preparing for a competition. Eat as clean as possible, consume complex carbs the day or two prior, adequate amounts of protein and fat, and simple carbs the morning of. Your body will be properly fueled, you will feel significantly better post-WOD and your WOD time will reflect your good choices.
Take a look at this suggested Pre Competition Morning Meal Plan from CrossFit Nomad.
3. Mobility
As CrossFitters we generally do not specialize in any one modality, but instead focus on variation. Thus, some CrossFit athletes tend to lack significant competency in running and may not necessarily have the stamina needed to perform well during a WOD that includes two 1 mile runs.
Thus we need to prepare the body for not only the impact of the BW workout in the middle, but the runs at the front and back end. First, mobility to be performed the day before for the BW movements:
- Roll Lumbar (low back) to prep for air squats (specifically with a vest) and run.
- Roll T-Spine and Lats to prep for pull-ups and push-ups.
- Roll and Smash quads to prep for air squats.
- Perform Internal Rotation Shoulder Mobility stretches and drills to prep for pull-ups and push-ups.
- Smash Glutes and perform Hip Mobility drills to prep for air squats.
4. Have A Plan
Crucial - stick to your plan, even when you begin doubting yourself. Of course this makes the assumption that you had a good plan. Helping you develop a good plan...
Rule #1 - understand what you're capable of. If you've never done 100 pull-ups in a normal class WOD before then you probably shouldn't do 100 in Murph. Alternatives - ring rows, assisted pull-ups or half Murph. I personally would not have someone scale 100 pull-ups to jumping pull-ups, especially not at this level of fatique.
The famed weight vest! If you cannot do chest to bar pull-ups well, easily cannot bench more than your BW or have a bad air squat, please do not try and be a badass. On that note, if you can't run a mile anyway there is absolutely no point in walking most of each mile just because you want to wear a vest.
Running is running and most people only have one pace when they run a mile. That said, it is not a great idea to sprint out of the gate too hard. It is difficult to slow one's heart rate back down for pull-ups and push-ups after they've just cranked it sky high trying to run a PR mile time.
For those who have completed this WOD before, the obvious strategy importance lies in what happens inside the gym. How do we break up the 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats? The first point is - only the absurdly gifted, crazy and dumb go straight through in the order written. Everyone else is absolutely breaking the total reps in sets or rounds. Here are some general suggestions:
- 20 sets: 5 pull-up + 10 push-up + 15 air squat (my suggestion for vest)
- 10 sets: 10 pull-up + 20 push-up + 30 air squat (my suggestion without vest)
- 10 sets: 10 push-up + 10 pull-up + 10 push-up + 30 air squat (weak push-ups)
- 10 sets: 5 pull-up + 20 push-up + 5 pull-up + 30 air squat (weak pull-ups)
- 5 sets: 20 push-up + 20 pull-up + 20 push-up + 60 air squat
- 60 air squat + 5 sets (5 pull-up + 10 push-up) + 60 air squat + .... until 4 sets of PUs and 5 sets of air squats are completed
- Alternatively, if there is an extreme weakness or strength, the pull-ups or push-ups can be cranked out in one or two large set(s) while the other is split up with air squats. This might be the best choice for those who are very good at pull-ups but very weak at push-ups.
5. Prepare Your Mind
Remember, Hero WODs are created to honor our fallen military personnel and in many cases they are made extremely difficult to put the do-er through extreme hardship and experience suffering. Whether you agree that this should be the case or not, it is. Thus everyone who does these WODs needs to understand the level of difficulty they are taking on.
Every day thousands upon thousands of CrossFitters around the world have their comfort zones removed and find happiness and empowerment in the fact that they were able to conquer another grueling physical and mental challenge. This is one of the reasons why our workout regemin is so popular and successful. Hero WODs tend to be that and more.
Focus on preparation because the simple act of preparing tells the mind that it is going to be doing something important and difficult. This will help us set the stage for the challenge that lie ahead Monday. Enjoy Murph, love Murph, but understand it is going to be very difficult and may make you question yourself at some point. Establish your plan and anticipate telling the weak voices in the back of your head to shut up.
Now get out there Monday, give the WOD hell and learn something about yourself. In the end, always remember - Murph is just one man, but he represents all the lives of our brave armed forces who have given their own lives in the line of duty to all of us who live in a country that is significantly safer than many other parts of our planet.
- Coach A
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