The Murph Challenge

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Is anyone else planning on doing the Murph Challenge on Monday?

themurphchallenge.com/

For those who don't know, it is as follows:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

All while wearing a 20# vest.

Post up your plan for breaking up the calisthenics and then your finishing time, etc...
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
126
Sounds like a good way to get a crispy case of Rhabdo.
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
2014: 41:41 no weight vest; 20 rounds of Cindy
2015: 39:06 no weight vest; 20 rounds of Cindy

This year I'm planning on wearing a 20# vest and doing 20 rounds of Cindy.
 

deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
6,646
729
126
Yep, we'll be running 4-5 heats at our gym starting at 9:00am. I've never done Murph (or Cindy actually) but have done 436 reps (of 600) on Cindy XXX in 20 mins. I plan on breaking it up as Cindy (5-10-15) with a 20# vest.

And for those poo-pooing about it being dumb since it's not about strength, it's more as remembering and respecting the man the WOD is named after. I respect crossfit a lot with its Hero WODs and can find zero fault with them dedicating them to the men and women who have lost their lives in combat.

Story behind Murph:
http://defiantwod.com/?p=738
 

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
19
81
I don't do any crossfit, but it sounds interesting. I remember stopping weight lifting for a time to do a similar high rep bodyweight workout every day a few years back. I did it mostly to break the monotony and as a kind of experiment to see what it would do for my body. It might have been the once famous "300 workout" now that I think about it. I got so I could do it so fast that I would often run through it twice in a workout just to feel like I was getting enough work in. I believe I came back stronger on most of my regular lifts afterwards and was quite pleased with the results in terms of my body shape.

This has a similar feel to it to me. I'm a bit late learning about it this year, but maybe next year I'll drop my normal workout regimen near the end of april and try to work up to a good time in murph by memorial day.
 

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Sep 27, 2003
17,618
2
76
Sounds like a good way to get a crispy case of Rhabdo.

It's similar to you going out and doing a 100M ultra, cold, without having trained for it. It's just the "notion" of CF being dangerous b/c some small thousandth of 1 percent of people have developed it, muchlike marathons are dangerous b/c some small thousandth of 1 percent of people have died running them.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
I am going with 50 rounds of 2-4-6. The push-ups with the vest will crush me if I don't break it up. I did 15 rounds of this today with the vest in 7:30, and felt like I could maintain the pace.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
49,985
6,299
136
I prefer:

100 pushups!
100 situps!
100 squats!
10km run!

And maybe a banana :)
 

deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
6,646
729
126
Time of 56:55 with a 20# vest and doing it as cindy. Pullups were easy, pushups weren't too difficult (sets of 5), but the squats were what ended up getting to me. Second run was rough and I had to slow a lot.

Room for improvement!
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
55:17

20# vest
20 rounds of cindy
unbroken kipping instead of butterfly
steady unbroken pushups
steady unbroken squats

After the 10th round I had to remove the vest, take off my shirt, and then shimmy the vest back on. It was about 80F and humid. I hydrated throughout and right before the 2nd run I had someone get me a new, cold water from the vending machine but he didn't get back until after I started the 2nd run so I had to turn around to get the water but it was worth it. My vest is really loose so it kept pounding me in the stomach during the runs and it made butterfly more difficult than necessary. I think if I can somehow tighten it up for next year, I can shave time off the runs and hopefully off the pullups by butterflying them.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
I bought the Everlast vest and really like it. It's only about $50 shipped and doesn't move around at all.

I hear you on the heat. Down here in FL it was hot and humid as heck and I felt like I really went slow as I felt I was about to overheat the whole time.
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
I bought the Everlast vest and really like it. It's only about $50 shipped and doesn't move around at all.

I hear you on the heat. Down here in FL it was hot and humid as heck and I felt like I really went slow as I felt I was about to overheat the whole time.

I can't even imagine doing it down there. I was worried about heat exhaustion because I kept feeling a weird headache keep trying to start and wasn't sure what that was about.
 

Sgraffite

Member
Jul 4, 2001
161
92
101
Can you break it up any way you want? I think I'd just run two miles right away to get the endorphins and the split up the pushups/situps/squats into small alternating sets.
 
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deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
6,646
729
126
Can you break it up any way you want? I think I'd just run two miles right away to get the endorphins and the split up the pushups/situps/squats into small alternating sets.

The only hard and fast rule is the 1mile run at the beginning and the end. The prescribed method to do it is sequentially as 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, but many people break that up as 5/10/15, 10/20/30, or other rep schemes.
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
The only hard and fast rule is the 1mile run at the beginning and the end. The prescribed method to do it is sequentially as 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, but many people break that up as 5/10/15, 10/20/30, or other rep schemes.

Actually, we checked mainsite to make sure and it says to partition as necessary. The only requirement was begin and end with the 1 mile run.
 

ArchAngel777

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
5,223
61
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There is a huge trick to making good times. You basically never want to approach, or even semi approach rep failure.

Doing 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 pull-ups when you can do 20 as a max is more wise than doing 20 x 17 x 13 or something like that, as you will complete fry your muscles. 75% of strength is gained back within the 1st minute of rest and cycling through those three exercises like a circuit wold probably help as well.

I could see someone making the mistake of running their fastest mile (big mistake) and then trying to as many pull-ups as possible in the first set... You would be gassed and the rest of the workout would not only be miserable, but extremely poor performance.