CrossFit ‘Hero WODs’ are workouts dedicated to men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty. To show respect, they’re generally tougher, heavier or longer than your standard CrossFit fare, making them infamous in the functional fitness community.
Perhaps the most well known of them, ‘Murph’, is no exception to that rule. Dedicated to US Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, (later portrayed by Taylor Kitsch in the 2013 biographical blockbuster film Lone Survivor), many in the CrossFit community don their weighted vests regularly to commemorate Murph, with the ‘The Murph Challenge’ taking place every year on America's memorial day. Many celebrities including Chris Pratt and John Krasinski have taken to social media to share their efforts tackling the brutal but rewarding hero WOD.
What is The CrossFit Hero Workout 'Murph'?
A combination of running, and bodyweight movements, ‘Murph’ challenges nearly every muscle in your body, as well as your lungs, and moreover, your grit. If you want to take on the challenge this weekend, you can find the workout below.
The calisthenics movements are bookended either side by a one mile run, but you can break down the individual reps however you wish – the most popular option being to complete 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 press-ups and 15 squats with minimal rest. Some prefer to go ‘unpartitioned’, meaning you complete all reps of each movement before moving onto the next, but most agree that the most important factor in tackling 'Murph', is giving it your all.
Go at your own pace and scale the movements or distances following our guidelines below to suit your own fitness levels. If you can manage, and have a weighted vest wear it. The idea here being that everybody gives their own personal version of 100% effort.
How To Perform The Workout 'Murph'
Run 1 Mile
1 mile is a challenging but short distance, but remember there’s a lot of work to do after this so don’t come out of the gates too hot. Focus on your breathing, keeping those breaths as long and deep as comfortable to avoid gassing out too soon. If you can sync your inhales and exhales to your strides, focussing on 3-4 steps in, 3-4 steps out, you'll temper your pace while managing your breathing.
Scaling options:
Ditch the vest if you know it's going to cause you genuine harm, and if you have problems running, even unburdened, switch the run for a row or ride. If you're going to hit the bike, double the distance. If you're going to row, aim for a distance between 1600-2000m. Whatever you choose, try and make sure your effort reflects how long it would take you to run a hard mile, then aim to get with 1-2 minutes of that time on the closing mile.
Pull-Up x 100
You’ve got a lot of reps to get through here, so keep the sets short from the beginning. Grasp a pull-up bar with an overhand grip over shoulder-width apart. (A) Pull yourself up by flexing the elbows while pinching your shoulder blades together. When your chin passes the bar, (B) pause before lowering to the starting position. Break these up into small manageable chunks, and do this sooner rather than later. If you go out too hot, you'll find yourself staring up longingly at the pull-up bar for the majority of this workout.
Scaling options:
Again, the quickest way to make this more accessible is to leave the weight vest in your locker. Full-time CrossFitters will be performing kipping or butterfly pull-ups, a far more efficient way to reach a high rep count. So if you're going strict, consider scaling back the reps to 50 or 75 or using a band for assistance, or switch to ring rows or inverted rows with your feet on the ground. Don't be afraid to switch it up and scale back mid-workout either, the important thing is you work to your own personal 'redline'.
Press-Up x 200
Drop into a strong plank position with your core tight and hands on your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively. Just as you do with your pull-ups, break these up into smaller sets than you may think necessary to avoid being stuck face down on the ground. If you reach the point where you can only perform sets of 1-2 reps, consider scaling.
Scaling options:
If high rep press-ups present a challenge, consider elevating your hands onto a box or bench. This change in angle will alleviate some of the resistance, making the movement easier to perform. A resistance band doubled over and wrapped around the arms, above the elbows, can also help you to chomp through the reps.
Air Squat x 300
Take deep breaths and find a rhythm. Standing tall (A), keep your chest up and sink your hips back, before bending your knees to drop your thighs until they are at least parallel to the floor (B). No half-reps here, please. Then drive up.
Scaling options:
Most will be able to make it through these, even if it means shedding the vest. If your mobility is an impediment to squatting deep, raise your heels on plate or blocks. If you struggle to squat deep for high reps for other reasons, try placing a bench or box behind you at the appropriate height and squat up and down from it.
Run 1 mile
This is the home straight. If you’re gunning for a fast time this is where you can really open up and give it all you’ve got, otherwise just hold on tight and push hard until the very end. Your legs will feel like jelly by this point, but focus on your breathing and settle into a manageable pace. Don't be afraid to empty the tank towards the end – this is supposed to be hard.
More CrossFit Hero Workouts
- Tackle CrossFit Hero WOD 'DT' For a Full-Body Burn
- This 650-rep CrossFit Hero WOD Delivers a Brutal Bodyweight Workout
- This CrossFit ‘Hero WOD’ Delivers a Wicked Chest Pump Alongside a Fitness Boost
- 20-Min CrossFit Hero WOD
With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.
