Why You Should Do Murph

Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of people perform CrossFit’s legendary Murph workout:

• 1 mile run
• 100 pull-ups
• 200 push-ups
• 300 air squats
• 1 mile run

Murph is simple on paper, but grueling in practice.

Even for the most elite athletes, this is a solid 30+ minute affair. For the average decent CrossFit athlete, it’s closer to an hour.

If you’ve never done it before, here’s what to expect:

Be prepared to be miserable the entire time.

Before you even start the endless rounds of pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats, your heart rate will elevate with the run. And your “reward” for completing those last rounds of squats is another run.

You’ll likely struggle to breathe for much of the workout.

You’ll feel like walking lead.

You’ll probably need a nap afterwards.

The next day, you’ll be sore in places where you didn’t even know you had muscles. I work out daily and I’m always sore after Murph.

Given all of this, why would you ever want to do Murph?

Because after Murph you’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment and a burst of self-esteem.

No matter how long it takes you, the ability to get through a workout like Murph is something to be proud of.

And that confidence will translate to other things.