The WOD Hero in honor of Michael P. Murphy

Considered one of the toughest and most iconic CrossFit workouts, the WoD Murph CrossFit is a tribute to Michael P. Murphy, an American soldier who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2005.

Who was Michael P. Murphy?

The WoD Murph CrossFit , the WoD Hero workout from CrossFit, was born precisely in honor of soldier Michael P. Murphy, considered in the United States as a national symbol. He received the highest decorations of the American army posthumously, such as the Medal of Honor or the Purple Heart, for his bravery in combat.

Murph lost his life on June 28, 2005, at the age of 29, during a mission in which a commando of four Navy SEALS was trying to locate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan. The team was ambushed, which led the soldier to abandon his cover, to seek an elevated position in order to contact by radio and request support. He was exposed to a hail of projectiles, but his action saved the life of one of his companions, who would ultimately be the only survivor of that mission.

After this heroic act, the tributes continued. In fact, his story reached the big screen: 'Lone Survivor' is a film written by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, based on the story of that historic event. Today, Michael P. Murphy gives his name to parks, squares, US Navy ships and to this tough training routine, probably one of the most demanding in CrossFit: the Murph.

Murph CrossFit: What it is all about

The WoD Murph Crossfit is a workout that first appeared on the CrossFit website on August 18, 2005. It was one of Michael's favorites and at the time he called it 'body armor'.

Michael's favorite workout would later become a Hero WoD. Hero WoDs were created by CrossFit in honor of those men and women who fell in defense of their country during the war. The Murph CrossFit WOD consists of performing:

1 mile Run (running 1600 meters).</li>

100 Pull-Ups (Dominated).</li>

200 Push-Ups.</li>

300 Air Squats.</li>

1 mile Run (running 1600 meters)</li>

*With a 20 lb Vest or Body Armour (if possible, the WoD Murph Crossfit will be performed with a 9 kilogram weighted vest).

Cap or time limit: 60 minutes.

When is the WoD Murph Crossfit performed?

The last Monday of May is the day of the memorial to the military personnel who serve and have served the United States. CrossFit, as a sports institution, designates this day to do the Murph workout, to pay tribute to Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy. It is, without a doubt, a way to become sensitive to suffering and share the effort and sacrifice in the community.

How to manage and scale the WoD Murph Crossfit

Only a few are able to do this workout with a weighted vest, so most people perform this WoD without weight due to its high volume of work.

Hero WoDs are always complicated wods. In this case, the difficulty does not come from the execution of the exercises, since they are basic training movements, but from the high volume of repetitions. An overload is produced that can be managed in about an hour.

Therefore, this routine can be scaled, as there are several versions. For example, you can do smaller sets while maintaining the same volume of work:

Scaled version 1

1600 meters.

20 rounds of: 5 pull ups + 10 push ups + 15 air squats</li>

1600 meters.

Scaled version 2

600 meters.

20 rounds of: 5 pull ups + 5 push ups + 15 air squats + 5 push ups.

1600 meters.

This way, you can give your muscles a break by alternating exercises and doing smaller sets. The feeling will be very different from doing 100, 200, and 300 reps, respectively. Plus, each of the exercises can be done with the appropriate help: pull-ups with a rubber band, ring rows, push-ups with knees on the ground, squats on a box… The point, as in all CrossFit WODs, is to create a community spirit.

WoD Murph at the CrossFit Games

The CrossFit WoD Murph gained notoriety outside the United States in 2015, when it became one of the events at that year's CrossFit Games , to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Murphy's death. At that event, several athletes were unable to withstand the California heat. In particular, Annie Thorisdottir had to withdraw from the competition due to heat stroke, and Kara Webb fainted and needed medical attention. Sam Briggs won in 39:10, and Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson in 38:36.

In 2015, SEAL Josh Bridges was unable to compete in the Games. The athlete himself said that the WOD was made for him. Josh also had an extra feeling about his teammates, since he is a soldier.

Murph 2015 Results

Women

1.- Samantha Briggs, 39:10.14

2.- Alethea Boon, 40:33.65

3.- Kristin Holte, 40:39.82

Men

1.- Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, 38:36.21

2.- Mathew Fraser, 39:20.93

3.- Noah Ohlsen, 39:33.74

In 2016, Castro offered athletes another chance. This time, he made some adjustments, such as moving up the time of the event to avoid the mid-day heat peak, and breaking the WOD into 5 rounds of 20 pull ups – 40 push ups – 60 air squats.

Kari Pearce was the winner that year, with a time of 36:42; while SEAL Josh Bridges won with a time of 34:38. The images of Josh excitedly celebrating the victory in that wod are now part of CrossFit history.

WoD Hero Murph Best Times

Record in official competition:

38:36, by Icelandic Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson (CrossFit Games, 2015)

39:10, by the English Samantha Briggs (CrossFit Games, 2015)

Non-competition record:

34:30, by American Hunter McIntyre (2020)