2008

The origin of "Murph" - a Crossfit WOD

The origin of "Murph" - a Crossfit WOD
The Murph is a crossfit milestone as far as workouts of the day are concerned. This staple workout is one of the toughest and most grueling workouts I've had the pleasure of doing in my short tenure at Crossfit. For those of you who may not be familiar with Murph, let me educate you on some of his finer aspects... running, pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and a little more running!

It's a timed workout and leaving only yourself to compete with, you're left to complete the below as quick as you can:

MURPH - A CrossFit Hero WOD



  • 1 mile run

  • 100 pull-ups

  • 200 push-ups

  • 300 squats

  • 1 mile run


Note: The only rule for the above "dung" sandwich is that the 1-mile runs need to be done at the start and finish. But as for the pull-ups, push-ups and squats, you can break them up any way you want. The only thing that matters is that you complete them all before starting out on that last mile.

http://youtu.be/uQgWiNgKO9Q

Two months ago I had my first go at Murph and he kicked my ass! It took me damn near 53 minutes to complete. Tonight, I wanted to take him down, but alas, he kicked my ass again -- but at least I was able to complete in 43:29. That's right! Take that Murph. But for those that aren't aware, if we were to do the "Murph challenge" as it is truly meant to be done we should be wearing a 20-pound vest to emulate body armour as worn by those that protect us.

On a more serious note, I think it is important for people to know the history and origins of "Murph".

The following exert is from the Murph Challenge event posting :


The Memorial Day "Murph" Challenge is a fitness competition to benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (www.specialops.org). SOWF provides college scholarship grants, not loans, to surviving children of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel killed in combat or training missions. The SOWF also provides immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terror. The SOWF fills an important void as the people who are benefiting from it are George Orwell’s rough men – The ones who are out there at the really sharp end. It is their kids that use this fund and we can think of no one more deserving.

If you are not aware the Special Operations community is made up of: Rangers, Green Berets, Navy Seals, Air Force Pararescue Jumpers, USMC Force Recon, etc. These guys have been on the front lines of the war on terror from day one. No matter how you feel about the war these are some of the most dedicated people in the world. You don’t hear much about what they do, and they prefer it that way. These are the true "silient professionals". It is not only time that we say “Thanks” – we must also give them our support.

Lt. Michael Murphy

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y. who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.


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.



Thanks to all the soldiers that are out there protecting our freedom and our way of life.
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