Every year on Memorial Day weekend athletes around the United States do CrossFit’s infamous Murph workout:
- 1 mile run
- 100 pull-ups
- 200 push-ups
- 300 air squats
- 1 mile run
Murph is named after U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.
On paper, this is not a workout geared to my strengths. I’m not a runner, and pull-ups, push-ups and squats are my most challenging movements. Yet, I’ve come to love this workout — although usually not when I’m in the middle of it.
Read: What I Learned From My First Time Doing CrossFit’s Legendary Murph Workout
Here are 6 reasons why I love Murph:
(1) It’s Simple
Simple doesn’t mean easy. Murph is challenging and grueling, but the movements are simple and basic.
They aren’t complex barbell lifts that require high cognitive effort. That means you can turn on auto-pilot and allow your body to move. This is where fitness is at its best, allowing you to clear your head.
(2) It’s Functional
The point of exercise isn’t just to build muscle or lose weight; it’s to function better in life.
Every movement in Murph is functional and necessary for life. Running, pull-ups, push-ups, and squats may not be my favorite, but I can appreciate how getting better at them helps me function better in daily movements outside of the gym.
Murph also tests bodyweight strength and cardiovascular capacity in one workout.
(3) It’s a Great Fitness Benchmark
The simplicity and functionality of Murph makes it a great benchmark workout to test your functional strength and capacity year after year.
2026 was my third year doing Murph, and it’s rewarding to see my progress.
Progress isn’t only about total time; I can also see progress in how my heart rate didn’t get as high during the workout and my ability to sustain my pace even in a Zone 5 heart rate— a true metric of improved fitness.
(4) It’s Scalable and Adaptable
There are infinite variations of Murph that can suit all fitness levels and states of mind and body. Each variation will give you a different stimulus.
That means even within the familiar structure and movement patterns, I can create novelty that keeps each Murph fresh.
Read: 3 Ways to Do the CrossFit Murph Workout at Any Fitness Level
(5) It’s a Strategy Game
Strategy is my wheelhouse, and I love to strategize workouts for optimal flow and stimulus. Murph offers a great opportunity for strategic planning:
- Do you go straight through or break it up?
- What’s the best way to break it up?
- Vest or no vest?
Read: 5 Considerations to Determine the Best Murph Strategy For You
(6) It Allows for Creating a Rhythm
Everything in nature operates in a rhythm, including our bodies.
Rhythms help maintain nervous system regulation. So when we can structure a workout into a rhythmic pattern, it becomes a stimulus that helps trigger dopamine and aids nervous system regulation. That’s the best of all worlds.
Murph naturally lends itself to a rhythm.
Running is already a natural rhythmic activity. It’s not something you need to think much about.
By breaking up the pull-ups, push-ups and air squats into smaller rounds, you create a circuit that facilitates a rhythm.
Read: 5 Productivity Lessons From CrossFit’s Murph Workout
(7) It Helps Develop Inner Strength
As simple as it is, Murph is also very challenging. The volume is grueling. Even people who are good at pull-ups, push-ups, and squats start suffering mid-way through.
Read: 3 Tips to Get Through CrossFit’s Murph Workout
There’s no heavy loads in Murph, but the workout as a whole is a heavy lift.
Murph is a test of cardio endurance, bodyweight strength, and mental and emotional perseverance to grind it out.
The moment when you start rethinking your life choices or contemplating quitting, is the moment you start to build your inner strength — your resilience, persistence, perseverance, and grit.
At the end, you get the feeling of accomplishment and the knowledge that you can do hard things.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...