Summer Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I just completed my first "Murph" ever in honor of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy who gave his life in 2005 during the war in Afghanistan. For those of you who are not familiar with "Murph", it is: For time: 1 mile Run 100 Pull-ups 200 Push-ups 300 Squats 1 mile Run You must begin and end with a 1 mile run. It was quite an emotional experience when while trying to complete this workout, you realize that this workout was in honor of someone who gave their life. In case anyone is interested in watching a tribute video: Anybody else doing this over the weekend or completed in the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gailh Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Yep - I did it back in January while on my whole 30............ I'm hoping to rx'd it next time :-) But I did eat like a horse for the rest of the day!!!!!! Haven't felt like that again until we did Kelly a couple of weeks ago............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadence Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 What a wonderful way to commemorate Memorial Day! I did a seriously abbreviated version a couple years ago when Hubby had me doing CrossFit with him and it still almost killed me. Way to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 We took on Murph this afternoon in all the sweltering heat of Memorial Day in the not-so-south. It's such a humbling workout - not because the skills are excessively difficult, but because you have so. much. time. to think about things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Robin - good for you for taking it on in the heat!! Yikes! My upper body is feeling it for sure, enough where running a race yesterday hurt. I agree it is a humbling experience though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I've often thought about doing Murph, but never actually done it. I've always been impressed with those who take on the challenge. Are you allowed to mix up the middle three sets? IE, do 10 sets of 10 pullups, 20 pushups, 30 squats, or do you have to do 100 pullups then 200 pushups then 300 squats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Yes, you should try it, especially with your new pull-up bar (or soon to be pull-up bar?)! You definitely can mix it up and that is highly recommended. Personally I think the way to attack this one is just like "Cindy" style - 5 pull-ups - 10 push-ups - 15 squats, for 20 rounds. Taking it on this way it seems as not any one muscle gets completely over-fatigued. Don't get me wrong, it is tough, but at least you can push through each exercise a little easier (in my opinion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I'm actually a fan of front loading the squats. it's easier to cycle through them in the beginning, and then leaves your legs fresher for the second run. 4(5/10/25), 4(5/10/20), 4(5/10/15), 4(5/10/10), 4(5/10/5) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thanks Heather and Renee... I will probably give Murpf a go this week. I'm sure it will torch me, but it will be fun! I like the idea of front loading the squats too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Front loading the squats is brilliant! I will definitely try that next time. I took the 20 round approach this time, and I had to do jumping pull ups for the last 12 because I tore my hands. That didn't happen when I did 10 rounds... Plus, I had to hash mark my arms with a pen to keep track and then people looked at me weird... ;0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Claydon Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Plus, I had to hash mark my arms with a pen to keep track and then people looked at me weird... ;0) haha! I'm just imagining you out running errands afterwards...people looking/asking and you have to explain wanting to do Murph and therefore marking up your arms #nobodycancountafter3.2.1.Go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 SO true. My counting skills are worse than a Kindergartener's once a wod starts. And actually, the hash marks are common place for me. I stick em anywhere I can find room (usually my calves). I'm a hot mess after a workout and try to avoid human contact as much as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea D. Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I'm recovering from a shoulder injury but I, too, participated for the first time this year...I just spread my reps over the week leading up to Memorial Day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I just did Murph for my first time today. I had a couple hours to kill after dropping my son off at a birthday party, so I stopped by the local school track. There's a pullup bar about 100m from the track, so it was a good setting. After a quick warmup with some dynamic stretching, jogging and some movements to open up my hips, I got started. My total time was 45:33... from what I saw on logsitall.com, that's pretty average. I'll take it for my first time. I know I left some on the table... I didn't have any competition to spur me on faster. Here were my rough splits: 1 mile barefoot run - 7:30ish 100m jog to the pullup bar - 1:00 (8:30) pullups, pushups, squats - 20 sets (4x5/10/25, 4x5/10/20, 4x5/10/15, 4x5/10/10, 4x5/10/5) - 28:30 (37:00) 100m jog to the track - 1:00 (38:00) 1 mile barefoot run - 7:33 (45:33) I might have shaved some time if I marked a 1 mile route directly from the pullup bar, ran in shoes so I didn't have to pickup my sandals, keys, shirt and phone when moving from the track to the bar and back, and pushed harder. I also gave myself 10-20 seconds rest between each pull/push/squat set... maybe more in the later sets. I think I could easily take 3-4 minutes off my time without much trouble. It's a great workout and I'll probably revisit it later in the summer to see how I've improved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 That is a great time, Jim! Nice work! What are your thoughts on the way you did the squats? Would you change anything next time? Do you recommend that approach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 I felt that front loading the squats definitely kept me a bit fresher for the second run. My second run was just a few seconds slower than my first, and I had a little left in the tank. I think that for my size (~195 lbs) I run better than I do pullups. I don't kip due to old shoulder injuries, so my pullups are slower and less efficient than a typical Crossfitter. I was able to complete the first 12 pullup sets unbroken, but had to do 4+1 for the last eight as the squat sets got shorter and I had less recovery time. I generally rested about 5 seconds before finishing my last rep. I'm not sure whether I would do better with 20 sets of 5/10/15 or the front loading. Having more squats earlier in the sets allowed for a bit more rest between pullup sets, so there's definitely a trade off. Next time I do it, I will shave ~30 seconds off my first run, some more on my second run, and save a minute or two by transitioning to and from the bar better. After my first run and pullups, I had to put on my sandals, grab my stuff and jog up and down a gravel path to get to and from the next stage. Next time, I'll wear shoes and GPS track a mile run from the bar. It's definitely a benchmark workout and can be done anywhere there's a pullup bar and a place to run. Pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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