The CrossFit Series: Part Six - The Murph Workout

Michael Patrick “Murph” Murphy was a Navy Seal who died in combat in Afghanistan. He was awarded the U.S. military’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor, for his service. There was one workout Murphy loved above all others and it has stood on a pedestal of it’s own in terms of difficulty and regard since CrossFit’s inception. His personal name for the workout was “Body Armor.”

The CrossFit community honors his memory by performing the “Murph” workout every Memorial Day. In spirit of the rigorous training associated with being a Navy Seal, “Murph” is known by many to be the toughest CrossFit workout.

Here is the breakdown of a full “Murph.”

1 mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 air squats

1 mile run

“Those who train in CrossFit tend to be slimmer and are better suited for endurance in these workouts,” said Alex Federov, a student at Merrimack College.

On top of an enormous amount of work, “Murph” also encourages top athletes to perform this workout while wearing a 20-pound vest. “Murph” has been known as more of a psychological challenge than a physical challenge.

“Hero workouts like “Murph” not only test endurance through intensity, but rather test an athlete’s mental toughness through the unusually long duration of the workout,” said Jason Lozano, a current CrossFit athlete.

The 2017 CrossFit Games announced that “Murph” would be the in the mix for the 40 men and 40 women looking to claim the title of fittest on earth. To put things into perspective, 10 percent of the fittest athletes on earth failed to meet the 55-minute time cap for this workout and the winning time was just under 39 minutes.

Mat Fraser finished second in the event and spoke to the press about the difficulty of the workout compared to what was on schedule for the rest of the CrossFit Games.

“I think it put everyone at a deficit for the weekend,” Fraser said.

By no means does the average CrossFitter attempt “Murph” at the intensity that athlete’s like Fraser attack it with, but there are a couple of general tips given by top athletes if you want to try “Murph” for yourself.

“Murph” can be attempted without a 20-pound vest and each interval of exercises can be broken up into “mini sets,” where you never reach muscular failure. If you still have trouble finishing in an under an hour, there is a “Mini Murph” option as well for those who have to cut the reps and distance in half in order to finish the workout.