This week we saw the Crossfit hero workout called “Murph” programmed. To refresh your memory this is the workout:
“Murph”
For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run
Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
It was named after honor of Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed in duty in Afghanistan. We do this workout to honor the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives protecting our freedom. Crossfit Hero workouts are the most grueling workouts we do.
In my seven years of training in Crossfit I have never attempted this workout. I don’t think I have been specifically avoiding it, but we don’t celebrate Memorial Day in Canada which is typically when this workout is done. This one didn’t need much warm up. I did a couple of activation drills and some dynamic stretching and then strapped on the 20 pound vest and headed outside for the run. I knew this would be a long one so I paced it slow and steady from the start. The first run took just over 10 minutes and I went inside for the main course of the workout.
From doing previous workouts involving the weighted vest I knew I could bust out a couple of sets of 10 on the pushups but I knew that wouldn’t last. I know I can do 5 pullups and 15 squats no problems without stopping so my plan was to do 20 rounds of 5 push ups, 5 pull ups, 5 pushups and 15 squats. The strategy for this one was to always keep moving and to hopefully go unbroken on all the reps. The breaking up of pushups into 5’s turned out to be a good plan since I didn’t have to break any reps the entire time. I only took breaks during the transition of movements and even then, most of the transitions I didn’t need to rest.
The last run was much harder than the first. After doing so many squats my legs felt like Jello. I thought to myself that as long as I kept moving I will finish it. I didn’t want to stop at all otherwise that would have given me an excuse to quit and not finish. After a slow run coming back, I completed the workout in 49:14.
We don’t do long ones like these often. When we do they tend to be more mental than physical. It was a grueling one, but my mind will want me to quit long before what my body is capable of. I did take a few rest days after to recover. Hopefully it will not be another seven years before I attempt it again. The next time I know I can push myself even harder.
This week we saw a lot of personal records smashed. Floyd, JD, Jem, Suavek on the deadlift. Kyle on the press. I’m sure I am missing a few people here and I apologize in advance. There were just so many PRs this week and I’m getting old and my memory wasn’t what it once was.
-Harvey
This is where we recap the the picture or video that got the most views, likes, or comments of the week. The voice that said you can’t do this is a liar. You can do this. Watch it again for inspiration.
This week we want to highlight Jem. She set a new personal record on the deadlift at 235 pounds, but what amazed us the most was her performance Monday on Murph. In Crossfit, there is a saying where we train for the unknown and unknowable meaning we prepare ourselves for anything life throws our way. Jem did exactly that on Monday when she came in not reading what the workout was beforehand. This was one workout that could have scared off a lot of people.
Jem came in a bit late and saw us running already. She thought we were warming up and started to run as well. We told her to run the 8 laps which was a mile and she did that. Going back inside she finally read what the workout was and chipped away at it with no complaints. She didn’t have a strategy and didn’t realize the bottle neck in this workout would be the push ups. She knocked off the pull-ups and squats pretty easily but ended up with lots of pushups left. Not giving up she finished the pushups and just had the last run left. It was hot outside and she could have easily stopped at that point and called it a day. But she is tough as nails and didn’t quit. It took her over an hour to finish and we are proud that she never gave up. We know that looking back on workouts, the memorable ones are not necessarily the ones where we finish first, but are the ones where we never quit.
Jem front squat
Shinobi Performance of the Week is sponsored by Ninja Wraps