I am not sure exactly when this started, but many crossfit gyms will gather to do the Murph workout on Memorial Day, and so will I. Special thanks to Phantom Crossfit for letting me come hang out with them. There are a lot of ‘named’ workouts. Fran and Angie are probably the most famous. But on Memorial day we do Murph to honor LT. Michael P. Murphy (SeAL) who was killed in action on June 28, 2005. The movie Lone Survivor with Mark Wahlberg tells the story and is widely credited with being factually accurate.

Per his friends, Lt Murphy loved this workout, which was originally named Body Armor –

Run 1 mile
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Air Squats
Run 1 mile
…wearing a 20lb vest

You can divide up components. Last year I did 10/20/30 for 10 rounds and hit 56 minutes, without the vest. This year I am going to do it right, and will wear my vest.

This is my little way of honoring those that have fallen to give me the freedom I enjoy today. Then I plan to grill, drink beer and sit by the pool, because what else honors being American on Memorial day and the life we enjoy from their sacrifice.  People make fun of grilling on Memorial Day as a cliche.  But you know what?  If we didn’t practice the act of enjoying our freedoms, there would be no sense in having freedom.  There are those that sacrifice to provide it, make their sacrifice worthwhile.  It’s no different than shaking the hand of a serviceman and saying “Thank you for your service.” 

I encourage you to participate and sign up with the larger effort here -> http://themurphchallenge.com  You can also donate to the scholarship fund, http://murphfoundation.org  The latter is really easy, at least do that one.