May 25, 2022
Friends, athletes, countrymen, lend me your ears…
Memorial Day is fast approaching and you know what that means: You, sweaty weight vests, and the spirit of a fallen American hero named Lt. Michael Murphy. For the uninitiated, Memorial Day Murph is one of the longest-standing CrossFit traditions. It is the quintessential Hero WOD that brings CrossFitters together and also serves as an annual benchmark for your fitness.
Lt. Murphy served and protected our country in ways that most of us will thankfully never have to experience. And for his ultimate sacrifice, we, the CrossFit community, will honor him once again as we do every year, without fail. And every year is a new opportunity to give thanks and share the gift of his memory with the newest members of our community!
And now onto the workout. If anyone asks you, “What’s Murph?” you respond with:
… to which non-CrossFitters usually say, “that’s fuckin’ crazy.” But that’s ok because not only are x-fitters crazy, we own it, wearing it like a badge of honor. And if/when you complete your (next) Murph this Memorial Day weekend, you’ll be sipping beers and flipping burgers with the rest of us fitness freaks!
Some more deets:
- Date: Saturday, May 28th, 2022
- What’s in store: Murph WOD, followed by a bad-ass BBQ (tequila, beer, wine, high-quality meats, snacks, and more). Please feel free to contribute any/all food & drink!
- Murph heat times: 9, 10, 11 am
- What to bring: A can-do attitude and a weight-vest (if you have one)
- Can you partition? Yes, it’s your workout. Remember, it’s a day to remember the fallen, not to judge others. 😉
- I’m new to CF and that looks fuckin’ crazy. Totally understandable! You can do a half-Murph. Just scale everything down by 50%.
- I’m on a strict diet. Not everyone’s paleo, we get it. Please let us know your dietary restrictions and we will do our best to accommodate!
Fun facts:
- Lt. Murphy’s nickname was ‘The Protector.’ (link) “When Murphy was in the 8th grade, he was suspended from school for fighting with bullies that were trying to shove a special needs child into a locker. And Gary Williams, author of “Seal of Honor,” a biography of Murphy, recounts a story where Murphy protected a homeless man who was collecting cans from a gang of thugs.”
- “Michael’s standard time was 32 to 35 minutes.” (link) “Upon deciding to join the Navy, Michael began running, doing calisthenics, and climbing a rope tied to a tree in the backyard of his childhood home on the South Shore of Long Island. Then he discovered CrossFit, his father says. “And he put together his own [CrossFit-style] workout that fit in with his job as a SEAL.” They run. They push. They pull. They lift. Michael did it while wearing body armor, the 16.4-pound military-issued vest, because that’s what he wore downrange. That’s how Body Armor, as Michael called the WOD that would become Murph, was born.”
- Record time for Murph is 34.13 set by Hunter McIntyre (link). “McIntyre completed the last mile at 34:13, which put him ahead of Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson (38:40, unpartitioned) at the 2015 CrossFit Games, and Mat Fraser (35:48, partitioned) and Josh Bridges (34.88, partitioned) at the 2016 CrossFit games.”
Last thing… a huge shout out to our May Flowers!
- Giannis Tsoytsis – 5/3
- Oscar Rogel – 5/5
- Kia Lee – 5/6
- Vaness Enea – 5/9
- Kasia J – 5/12
- Nicholas Duggan – 5/14
- Kevin Naula – 5/17
- Jon Leonor – 5/18
- Andréa Lopez – 5/29
Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen. Put them together, and you’ve got a kingdom. Build your Kingdom and rule it!
Bleed blue baby,
Team Dynamix
