Every Memorial Day, hundreds of thousands of people grab a weighted vest, lace up their shoes, and put themselves through one of the hardest workouts in fitness. It is called Murph. The name comes from Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005 at twenty nine years old. The workout was his favorite. People do it on Memorial Day so his name keeps getting said out loud.
Who Was Lieutenant Michael Murphy
Michael Patrick Murphy grew up in Patchogue, New York. He was a Penn State graduate, a lifeguard at Lake Ronkonkoma every summer, and a guy who turned down law school to enlist. He commissioned as a Navy SEAL officer in 2002. By 2005 he was leading a four man reconnaissance team in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan as part of Operation Red Wings.
On June 28, 2005, his team was discovered by local goat herders. Murphy made the call to release them rather than execute civilians. Within an hour, somewhere between thirty and two hundred Taliban fighters surrounded the team. The fight that followed lasted nearly two hours across some of the worst terrain on the planet. Murphy walked into open ground to get a satellite signal so he could call for help. He took rounds doing it. He finished the call, said thank you, and kept fighting until he was killed.
Only one SEAL on that ridge survived. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on October 22, 2007. He was the first service member to receive it for actions in Afghanistan and the first Navy recipient since Vietnam.
What the Murph Workout Actually Is
Murph is what CrossFit calls a Hero WOD, a workout written to honor a fallen service member. Lieutenant Murphy did this one regularly while deployed. He called it Body Armor because he wore his plate carrier the whole time. The full prescribed version is brutal on purpose.
★ The Prescribed Murph
| Run | 1 mile |
| Pull ups | 100 reps |
| Push ups | 200 reps |
| Air squats | 300 reps |
| Run | 1 mile |
| Weighted vest | 20 lb men / 14 lb women |
The middle work is usually broken into rounds. Twenty rounds of five pull ups, ten push ups, and fifteen air squats is the most common scheme. That is called Cindy, and it is twenty rounds of an existing benchmark workout sandwiched between two miles. Some people go unbroken. Most do not.
Why People Do It on Memorial Day
CrossFit started the Memorial Day Murph tradition years ago and the Murph Challenge, run by the LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation, made it official in 2014. The foundation funds scholarships for students pursuing careers in service. The workout is the fundraiser. Last year more than three hundred thousand people did Murph on Memorial Day weekend and the foundation raised over two million dollars.
Memorial Day is the right day for it. Not because Mike Murphy died on Memorial Day, he died on June 28, but because the day itself exists to honor the men and women who did not come home. Doing the workout he loved is a way to say his name. Then you say the other names too.
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300K+ People who do Murph every Memorial Day weekend through the official Murph Challenge. |
How to Actually Do Murph
You do not have to be a CrossFit athlete to take this on. You do have to respect it. Here is the standard order.
| 1 | Run the first mile. Start outside if you can. The point is the work, not the pace. Save something for the back half. |
| 2 | Break the middle into rounds. Twenty rounds of five pull ups, ten push ups, fifteen air squats keeps the pace honest and your form intact. Going straight through the 100 pull ups first is a fast way to blow up. |
| 3 | Wear the vest only if you have trained in it. Twenty pounds adds real strain to push ups and pull ups. If you have not done weighted reps before, skip the vest and run the workout clean. |
| 4 | Run the second mile. This one is going to feel like four. Walk if you have to. Finish on your feet. |
| 5 | Stop the clock and say his name. Lieutenant Michael Murphy, U.S. Navy, killed in action June 28, 2005. Then say the other names that matter to you. |
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Scaling Options So You Can Actually Finish
Murph is hard. It is supposed to be. Scaling does not water it down, it lets you finish the work and walk away healthy.
The goal is to do the workout, honor the man, and be sore at the cookout. The goal is not the emergency room.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
MISTAKE 01
Doing all 100 pull ups straight through.
Your grip is gone by rep 40 and your form turns into a kipping disaster. Break the middle into the 20 rounds of 5/10/15 from the start. You will move faster overall.
MISTAKE 02
Running the first mile like it is a test.
You are not racing the mile. You are surviving five hundred reps with a mile on each end. A seven minute first mile costs you a fifteen minute second mile.
MISTAKE 03
Wearing a vest you have never trained in.
Twenty pounds changes the way every push up loads your shoulders and the way every squat loads your knees. First time in a vest should not be on a five hundred rep workout day. Test it weeks out, not minutes out.
MISTAKE 04
Skipping water and food before you start.
Murph takes most people forty five minutes to over an hour. You can sweat out two pounds of fluid. Eat a real breakfast a couple hours out and drink water like you mean it. Bring a bottle with you.
MISTAKE 05
Skipping the meaning.
It is not just a workout. Read Mike Murphy's citation before you start. Bring a flag. Bring a name to dedicate it to. The point is remembrance. The pain is just the price of admission.
The Tribute Piece
Murph is a Navy SEAL workout, and the Navy has its own colors of remembrance. The First Navy Jack flag, the one with thirteen red and white stripes, a coiled rattlesnake, and the words Don't Tread On Me, is the oldest Navy flag in service. It flies from the jack staff of every commissioned warship and it sits on plate carriers and gym walls from Coronado to Virginia Beach.
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Navy Heritage First Navy Jack Flag The same flag flown by every active Navy warship. Hang it next to the Stars and Stripes on Memorial Day weekend and remember the men who carried it. Shop the Navy Jack → |
Other Hero WODs You Should Know
Murph is the most famous, but it is one of dozens. Each Hero WOD is named after a fallen service member or first responder, and each one has its own story. A few worth knowing.
★ Other Memorial Workouts
| JT | 21-15-9 of handstand push ups, ring dips, push ups. For Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, Navy SEAL, killed in Afghanistan, 2005. |
| DT | 5 rounds: 12 deadlifts, 9 hang cleans, 6 push jerks at 155 lb. For Senior Airman Tim Davis, killed in Afghanistan, 2009. |
| The Seven | 7 rounds of 7 reps of 7 movements. For seven CIA officers killed in a 2009 bombing at Camp Chapman. |
| Loredo | 6 rounds: 24 squats, 24 push ups, 24 walking lunges, 400 m run. For Staff Sgt. Edwardo Loredo, killed in Afghanistan, 2010. |
If you want to know the names behind the work, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Battlefield Cross are two of the oldest ways America has held space for the men and women whose names we say on this weekend.
For more on the traditions of this weekend, read our guides on visiting a national cemetery on Memorial Day, the Battlefield Cross, and the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m.
Murph Challenge FAQ
How long does Murph take?
Elite athletes finish in under 35 minutes. Most regular gym members take 45 to 75 minutes with the vest, 35 to 55 minutes without. Your first time will be slow. That is fine. Finishing is the win.
Why is the workout called Murph?
It is named after Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Medal of Honor recipient, killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, during Operation Red Wings. The workout was one he did regularly and called Body Armor.
Do I have to wear a 20 pound vest?
No. The vest is part of the prescribed version because that is how Murphy did it in body armor. If you have never trained with weight, run it without. The full workload without a vest is still extremely hard.
Can beginners do Murph?
Yes, with smart scaling. Try Half Murph, partner Murph, or use ring rows and knee push ups. The point is to do the work and honor the man. Half a Murph done well beats a full Murph that ends in injury.
When did Memorial Day Murph become a tradition?
CrossFit gyms started running it as a tribute in the late 2000s. In 2014 the LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation launched the official Murph Challenge as an annual Memorial Day fundraiser. It now raises over $2 million a year for scholarships.
What should I eat and drink before Murph?
A real breakfast two to three hours out. Carbs, protein, water. Hydrate the day before, not just the morning of. Keep a bottle of water with you during the workout. Salt helps. Caffeine is fine.
Is Murph safe for someone who has never CrossFit'd before?
Murph is high volume bodyweight work, which means high risk of rhabdomyolysis if you go too hard too fast with no base. If you do not work out regularly, scale heavily, skip the vest, and consider doing a Half Murph instead. Listen to your body. Stop if your urine turns brown.
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Do the Work. Say the Names. Hang the colors. Honor the fallen. Remember why Memorial Day exists. |
