What is the Murph Workout? A Reality Check for Real People

Every year, around Memorial Day, the fitness world starts buzzing with two words: "The Murph." You see it all over social media — exhausted, sweat-drenched people lying on the floor with a look of pure agony and accomplishment. So, **what is the Murph workout?** On the surface, it’s a legendary CrossFit workout. But at its heart, it's a tribute. It’s a "Hero WOD" (Workout of the Day) created to honor Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005.

And let's be brutally honest here... it is an absolute monster of a workout. A true test of physical and mental fortitude. It’s designed to be hell. Because he went through hell for his country.

The Anatomy of a Hero Workout

Here’s what the "Murph" entails, performed for time:

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

Oh, and to do it as prescribed ("Rx"), you're supposed to wear a 20-pound weight vest. Yeah. Just reading that makes my shoulders ache.

It’s an incredible goal and a powerful way to pay tribute. But it’s also a workout that can, and will, break you if you’re not ready for it. And I'm not just saying that. I'm speaking from experience.

A Story About My Ego and a Failed Murph

Let me tell you a story. A few years into my own fitness journey, I was feeling pretty good. I was strong, I was consistent, and my ego was... well, let's just say it was a bit inflated. I saw a group of elite athletes at my gym crushing the Murph and I thought, "I can do that."

Spoiler alert: I could not.

I skipped the weight vest, thankfully. But about halfway through the pull-ups, I hit a wall. A massive, brick wall. My form went to crap, every muscle was shaking, and I was getting dizzy. I ended up quitting, feeling defeated and ridiculously sore for the better part of a week. My ego wrote a check my body couldn't cash. It taught me one of the most valuable lessons in fitness: just because a workout is famous, or "elite," doesn't mean it's the right workout for *you*, right *now*. Trying to jump ahead is a great way to get hurt, as I've warned in my article on how to stay injury-free as a beginner.

Scaling is Smart, Not Weak

Does this mean you should never try the Murph? Absolutely not! But you should approach it with respect and a smart plan. The spirit of the workout is in the effort and the remembrance, not in ending up with an injury. Here’s how you can scale it to your level:

• Partition the reps: Don't do 100 pull-ups then 200 push-ups. Break it down. A popular way is to do 20 rounds of: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats. This is often called a "Cindy" rep scheme and it’s much more manageable.
• Modify the movements: Can't do 100 pull-ups? Do jumping pull-ups, use resistance bands, or do bodyweight rows (inverted rows). Can't do 200 push-ups? Do them on your knees or elevate your hands on a bench.
• Cut the volume: Do a Half-Murph (half-mile run, 50/100/150 reps, half-mile run). Or even a Quarter-Murph.
• Ditch the vest: This is the easiest modification. Don't even think about the vest until you can complete the entire workout with good form at a respectable time.

The Best Workout in the World is... Yours.

The Murph is a fantastic benchmark and a goal to maybe work towards. But it is not a day-one, or even year-one, training plan. The truth is, the single best workout in the world is the one that is built for your current abilities, your goals, your schedule, and the equipment you have available. It’s the one you can do consistently and safely, week after week. That's how you build real, lasting fitness. It's about finding the right approach for you, whether that's a full-body or split routine.

Trying to follow a plan made for a Navy SEAL when you're just starting out is like trying to learn to drive in a Formula 1 car. It's not going to end well.

And that’s why I’m so passionate about what we’ve built here. We took this idea — that everyone deserves a plan as unique as they are — and made it accessible. For just $5, you can get a **personalized workout plan** built from the ground up, just for you. No generic templates, no elite workouts you're not ready for. Just a smart, effective plan to get you where you want to go.

So, respect the Murph. Admire the people who can do it. Maybe even set it as a distant goal. But today, tomorrow, and next week? Do *your* workout. The one that makes you a little bit better, every single time. That’s the real path to becoming your own hero.