If you have been at CrossFit NXNW the past couple weeks, chances are you’ve heard your fellow crossfitters talking about “Murph”. If you are somewhat new to CrossFit you’re probably asking yourself who, what, why, and “is this physically possible for me to complete”. I thought I’d share some helpful tips to help make this Saturday’s “Murph” workout enjoyable. First, here’s a little about the workout:

History

“Murph” was originally posted on CrossFit.com on August 18th, 2005 by Lauren Glassman. The description read:

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.

Partition the 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Tips and tricks

1. Come to the gym hydrated, continue to hydrate and eat food after the workout, and throughout the weekend! You probably have a three day weekend filled with plans of fun, beer, and BBQ’s, but please don’t show up hungover Saturday. Not only will you have a terrible time, but you will be putting yourself at risk for a condition called rhabdomyolysis. Luckily, nobody has ever gotten this at CrossFit NXNW! If you have never heard of rhabdomyolysis or would like to learn more, I encourage you to read this article: http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Ray_rhabdo1.pdf
2. Please don’t bring guests/drop-ins who have never done CrossFit! Even though you want your friends to experience this awesome workout and meet the cool people you workout with… They will leave humbled and possibly intimidated by their first experience at NXNW. We don’t want that. Also, there’s the whole rhabdomyolysis thing. If you want your friends/family to see what you do, have them start with one of our upcoming CrossFit 101 courses
3. Scale accordingly! The RX version of the workout can be a little intense for a lot of people, so be sure to ask your coach how to scale. Here are some ways to scale the workout. Volume – Find a partner with your ability level and split the reps in half. Don’t have a partner? Reduce the reps to a challenging yet safe number for your ability level. Movements – Scale the pull-ups with ring rows, the push-ups with box push-ups. Unable to run two miles? We will have rowing and biking alternatives! Partition reps – Unable to complete this “chipper” style? This workout allows you to break up the movements. Here are a couple popular ways of partitioning:
   1. Cindy style: This mirrors the rep scheme of the CrossFit benchmark workout Cindy:
      20 rounds of:
      5 pullups
      10 pushups
      15 squats
   2. 5-5-15: If pushups are a particular challenge for you consider the following scheme
      20 rounds of:
      5 pushups
      5 pullups
      5 pushups
      15 squats
   3. 5-5-5-10-5: Similar to the 5-5-5-15
      20 rounds of:
      5 pullups
      5 squats
      5 pushups
      10 squats
      5 pushups
4. Complete Full Reps! If you are completing the RX version of this workout, please hold yourself accountable to completing proper reps. Make sure that chin clears the bar and that chest touches the ground (“chest to deck people!”). In past years, we’ve had ordinary people wear a vest and “complete” the workout faster than the athletes in the CrossFit Games… If you are too fatigued to complete a proper rep, loose the ego and slow down, or scale!
5. Have Fun!