What's the hardest part of Murph? The toughest part of the "CrossFit® Murph Challenge" is the mental and physical endurance it demands. This workout is designed to push you to your absolute limits. The mix of running, pull-ups, push-ups, and squats is no joke—especially when you throw on a weighted vest.
The added weight increases the workload on your muscles and cardiovascular system, making it more challenging to maintain your pace and breathe efficiently. The amount of added difficulty will depend on the weight of the vest you're wearing and your fitness level.
For those of you that don't know what this is, it is a 1 mile run, followed by 100 pull ups, 200 push ups and 300 squats, then finished with another 1 mile run, all of this is done in a 20 pound weight vest (we just but plates into rucksacks).
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.
On average, you're looking at burning anywhere from 500 to 800 calories.
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 good Murph times by age group 35-39 are: 40:16 for “Advanced” athletes, 35:25 for “Competitor” athletes, and 32:35 for “Elite” athletes. The good Murph times by age group 40-44 are: 43:16 for “Advanced” athletes, 35:31 for “Competitor” athletes, and 34:48 for “Elite” athletes.
Experienced: This strategy includes 5 rounds of 20 pull-ups, 40 push-ups, and 60 air squats and is required for athletes competing in the Crossfit Games. Expert: This strategy is Murph Workout Rx. 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats without partitioning or breaks in between.
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.
Josh Bridges holds the record at 28 minutes and 45 seconds, set back in 2014.
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.
'Murph' World Record Holder Hunter McIntyre Shared How He Trains for the CrossFit Workout. McIntyre breaks down his best advice on how to prepare for the infamously tough CrossFit workout.
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. Following an unpartitioned format will take the longest.
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.
But yes, it was a thing. Perhaps regional, as I'm also from California. If I remember correctly, the difference between a wedgie and a murph, is that a wedgie is intentional, usually provided by some bully, whereas a murph just happened naturally, perhaps from, say, wearing tight pants or roughhousing.
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.
Typically, the Murph Workout is completed FOR TIME with a 14 lb (6 kg) weight vest for women and a 20 lb (9 kg) weight vest for men.
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.
Carbohydrates will be your friend before starting. Carbohydrates are our body's preferred fuel source. Before exercising, we want to prioritize simple carbohydrate intake. Fruits, dairy, white breads, white rice, and table sugar are all examples of foods that contain simple carbohydrates.
I recommend a building strategy during your first run. Meaning that your first 400m should be the slowest, then each 400m gets a little bit faster. I aim to run around a 7:15-7:30 mile pace in my first mile (~20% slower than a PR mile), and I pace that out as 1:55, 1:50, 1:48, 1:45 or as close as I can to that.