Every year around Memorial Day, it happens again. While mindlessly scrolling through social media, you see that Tony has yet again made his annual post about his MURPH workout. You think to yourself, “What is Murph...wait, is Murph actually a who? Who is Murph? Where is Murph? Why does Tony care so much about this MURPH?”
Look no further. The mystery of the MURPH has been solved.
One of the most notorious and challenging workouts for competitive athletes is the exhaustive and lengthy Murph: 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and a final mile run.
Murph can also be referenced as “Body Armor,” which is why the Murph challenge is notoriously completed while wearing a weighted vest.
More than a Workout
Did you know? The Murph challenge is more than a routine workout.
Meet Lutieniet Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL from New York.
Michel Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element of Operation Red Wings, tasked with finding a dangerous commander near Asadabad, Afghanistan.
After being released from the detainment of goat herders, Taliban fighters engaged in a fierce gun battle with the SEAL team, including Lt. Murphy.
Through his actions in the challenging terrains of Afghanistan, it was apparent that Lt. Murphy was focused on his mission of saving the lives of his teammates.
Despite multiple gunshot wounds, Lt. Murphy fought to defend his team, even in the face of almost certain death.
While Lt. Murphy’s heroic actions led to his own death in battle, the fourth member of the SEAL team, Marcus Luttrell, survived. Lt. Murphy was consequently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.for risking his life to save the lives of others.
How to Scale The Murph Challenge
On paper, the Murph challenge does not seem too bad, but don't be fooled because it is notoriously challenging. While most athletes aim to complete this workout consecutively, there is a wide variety of ways to scale this prescription to each athlete’s unique ability level.
(Related: Scaling Crossfit Workouts)
"Cindy Style"
• 1 mile run
Then 20 rounds of:
• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 air squats
Then 1 mile run
"Push-up Saver"
• 1 mile run
Then 20 rounds of:
• 5 push-ups
• 5 pull-ups
• 5 push-ups
• 15 air squats
Then 1 mile run
"Get the Legs Over With"
• 1 mile run
Then 15 rounds:
• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 20 squats
+ 5 rounds:
• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
Then 1 mile run
"Slow and Steady Wins the Race"
16 rounds:
• 200m run
• 6 pull-upa
• 12 push-ups
• 18 air squats
+ 1 round:
• 4 pull-ups
• 8 push-ups
• 12 air squats
Whether you are scrolling through social media or registering for your own Murph challenge, remember that the Murph Challenge is designed to push us, humble us, and encourage us to dedicate our own personal pain and sweat to honor military members like Lt. Michael Murphy.