4 Things to Remember When Completing Murph this year: From a veteran CrossFitter & Performance Physical Therapist
Memorial Day Murph
As Memorial Day approaches this year, a lot of people begin to focus their attention on training for Murph. If you don’t know what Murph is, it is officially known as the Murph Challenge, named after Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy.
This workout has been a staple in the CrossFit community for years. Each year, we see more and more gyms, CrossFit and non-CrossFit affiliated, joining the Murph challenge and coming together as a community to remember and honor Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
I, personally, have completed Murph every year since 2011. I’ve been through lots of changes and my fitness levels have varied throughout the years, but as we approach what will be my 14th year of completing Murph, I will share with you my 4 Things to Remember When Completing Murph this year:
The intention of the workout
The workout is HARD
Scaling is NOT a crime
This workout is NOT a way to show out
Let’s go into more detail about what I mean.
1. The intention of the workout
I have strong ties to the military from my ENTIRE family being involved in the military now, or at some point in their careers. For me, it is important to remember WHY these workouts were created in the first place.
I feel so strongly about honoring the memory of those we have lost who served this great country and made it what it is. Without their sacrifices and sacrifices of their family members, we would not have the freedom we have.
These workouts were created to build a community and do something hard with friends to honor the memory of someone who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is important to remember that as we get ready to complete this workout for another year, or maybe your first year.
2. The workout is HARD
I feel like this one is a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget just HOW hard this workout is as it has become so mainstream.
This grueling workout is SUPPOSED to test your will and mental fortitude. What it is NOT supposed to do is injure you and put you on the sidelines in your health and fitness journey.
There is a difference between working hard to honor a memory and hammering yourself into the ground or worse, hurting yourself.
I know plenty of people in the past 14 years who have gotten rhabdomyolysis, suffered heat injuries, gave themselves tendinitis or who were just sidelined in the gym for a week due to soreness or ripped hands. Which brings me to the next point…
3. Scaling is NOT a crime!
Remember to scale appropriately to your fitness level and don’t be the jerk that judges people for cutting the reps, sharing the work with friends or not wearing the vest.
In my 14 years of completing this workout I have done some years with a vest, some years without, some years I shared reps with a friend and some years I completed the whole thing, sometimes the reps were partitioned and sometimes I did the workout all the way through, as written.
It is important to remember that scaling is NOT a crime and it doesn’t mean your way or honoring Murph means less because you shared it with a friend or significant other. It doesn’t mean you care less because you don’t want bloody hands at the end of your workout.
Remember that you CAN scale the workout and still honor Murph’s memory.
4. This workout is NOT a way to show out
I feel that over the years, so many firebreathers have used this workout to gain respect or show how fit they are to others in the gym.
I honestly think we shouldn’t put such an importance on the finishing time of this workout.
Remember this… Your Rx is not important, your time is not important, competing is not important… What is important is that you show up, suffer a little, support your community and those around you, and remember why we do this workout to begin with.
Although my 4 things to remember when completing Murph this year are not necessarily performance related, I believe they allow you to focus on what this workout really stands for and perhaps enjoy the experience a little more.
If you are looking for tips on how to prepare for the Murph Challenge, read on!
We are 6 weeks out from Memorial Day today. If you want to start building tolerance to push ups and pull-ups and start working on your running, we have a blog you can check out here: 6 Week Murph Prep Guide. If you want tips and different partitioning options for reps, we’ve got that covered in our blog How to Train for the Murph Challenge or if you want tips on How to Maximize Your Run in the Murph Challenge go check out that blog.
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