Memorial Day Murph – May 25, 2020

On Monday, May 25, 2020, ICA will join tens of thousands of CrossFitters around the world in honoring the men and women who have died serving our country in the U.S. Armed Forces. The workout we’ll complete, Murph, is named after Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005, at the age of 29. Murphy graduated from Pennsylvania State University and was accepted to multiple law schools, but decided he could do more for his country as one of the Navy’s elite SEALS.  This workout was created by Murphy and was one of his favorites; he’d named it ‘Body Armor.’ It first appeared on the CrossFit site after his death, on 18 August 2005.

This year Murph will look a little different than normal. For starters, athletes across the U.S. will be performing the workout from their garages and driveways, rather than their local CrossFit affiliate. The most limiting movement in the workout is the pull-up (as far as strength and equipment limitations), so we have several at-home modification options for you to consider.

“Body Armor” aka “Murph”

Complete for time:

• 1 mile run
• 100 pull ups (sub: 100 sit ups)
• 200 push ups
• 300 squats
• 1 mile run

WOD Notes:

1. The workout starts and ends with a 1 mile run, but you can break up the pull-ups, push-ups and squats any way you’d like. The most common are 20 rds of 5/10/15 or 25 rounds of 4/8/12.
2. The full version of the workout takes about an hour. Rx requires a 20/10# weight vest.
3. A popular scale is to complete exactly half the distances and reps (800m run, 50 pull ups, 100 push ups, 150 squats, 800m run.) “Half Murph” usually takes 20-40 minutes.
4. Pull-ups are the most limiting movement in terms of equipment availability and strength. We recommend that most of our athletes substitute 100 sit ups in place of the 100 pull ups. Other options include: two-arm bent-over rows or make a DIY “ring row” station.
5. Compare results to last Memorial Day 190527.

Outdoor WOD: We’ll have 2 outdoor group sessions, at 8:30am and 10:00am. John and Ricky built a portable pull up rig (strict pull ups only) that can accommodate 4 athletes per class with 6′ spacing. Priority will go to athletes completing Murph Rx who do not have access to a pull up bar at home. If you are interested in reserving a spot on the rig, let us know asap.