In Murph, while the run portions must be done as a sandwich around the reps, athletes may break up the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats however they'd like. Spending a bit of time thinking through your rep scheme can help both the newbie and veteran athlete succeed in this workout.
The rules are that you have to start and end with the one mile run but you can break up the pull ups, push ups and squats however you want.
You can partition it while doing Rx. That's how it was written. If your gym says unpartitioned is Rx, then you're not doing Murph as it was written.
It's simple: Run one mile, do 100 pull-ups, do 200 push-ups, do 300 body-weight squats, then run another mile.
If you can do all of the movements but the overall volume is too high for you, you can modify it by halving the runs and total reps, and partitioning them in a way that allows you keep moving throughout.
On average, you're looking at burning anywhere from 500 to 800 calories.
What is a 'Good' MURPH Time? What's considered a good time is relative to the exerciser. If you're a beginner, less than 60 minutes is considered a good finish time. For exercisers who are advanced, you'll want to complete it in less than 45 minutes, and for elite athletes, less than 35 minutes.
What types of pull ups are in Murph? Any pull-up variation is acceptable; providing you begin (or pass through) under the bar with straight arms and finish the rep with your chin above the bar. This can be achieved with strict pull-ups, kipping pull-ups or butterfly pull-ups.
Prior to my 32:41 on June 18th, 2021, Hunter McIntyre held the record for the fastest known weighted & unpartitioned Murph with a time of 34:13. I believe the record will fall again soon and continue to drop quickly as more athletes attempt it as a standalone competition.
Whether you're scaling it or going Rx'd, a "good time" is one that shows progress for you over time! For elite athletes, knocking it out in under 30-40 minutes is the gold standard. For most gym athletes, a strong target is between 35-60 minutes.
Aiming for Half Murph Times
While times can vary based on fitness levels and scaling options, here are general guidelines: Beginners: 25-30 minutes. Intermediate: 20-25 minutes. Advanced: 15-17 minutes.
The workout specifies that athletes can “partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed” which presents a rare element in a CrossFit workout as usually athletes are required to finish all of the reps of an exercise before moving on.
The MURPH WOD is a demanding workout consisting of a mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and finished with another mile run. Sounds difficult right? That is only part of the story. An official MURPH time requires doing the workout while wearing a weight vest of 20lbs (men) or 14lbs (women).
As prescribed, Murph is performed for time. It starts with a 1-mile run, followed by a grueling sequence of 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats. The workout concludes with another 1-mile run. Athletes may partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats as needed.
Here you divide the exercises (pull-ups, push-ups, squats) into rounds with fewer repetitions. Thus, the total volume remains the same, but the volume per set is reduced and equalized in time. So if you can do a maximum of 10 push-ups and 5 pull-ups at a time (unexhausted), simply divide the exercises into 20 rounds.
An overhand grip pull-up is the hardest to do, because it places more of the workload on your lats. The wider your grip, the less help your lats get from other muscles, making a rep harder.
The Murph Workout also helps to improve strength, power and endurance. The combination of running and bodyweight exercises helps to build lean muscle mass, allowing you to become stronger and more powerful. This can help to improve athletic performance in any activity or sport.
Plus the work is bodyweight exercise which isn't going to be as much as moving barbells full of plates. Due to the duration of Murph it's likely that you aren't going as hard as on shorter WOD's either. Assuming a 200 pound athlete, I'd estimate you're in the 600-700 calorie range if you did Murph in 45 minutes.
Kipping Skill Practice
If you have been on the verge of getting kipping pull-ups or you can do some but your a little inefficient, Murph can actually be a good workout for you to deploy them. Most people break Murph up “Cindy-style” with sets of 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Squats.
The Murph workout is challenging because it stresses most major muscle groups: the back and shoulder muscles with the pull ups, the chest with the push ups, and the legs and torso with the squats.
Every single day for 362 days straight (as of publication), Jim Lubonski has put on a 20-pound weighted vest. Then he runs one mile, does 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and follows that with another one mile run. If he's still feeling good, he finishes up by doing his own workout as well.
The night before “Murph,” consume your normal fat intake (roughly 60-percent of your daily Caloric intake in this example). The morning of, or even if you're still eating carbs by the barrel, keep fat calories to a minimum, as it tends to slow down digestion.
The Murph workout is a 1 mile run followed by 100 pullups, 200 pushups, and 300 squats. To cross the finish line, you complete another 1 mile run.