"Murph" FAQs
What is Murph and why do we do it on Memorial Day?
”Murph” is a workout named after Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL officer who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2005. The workout was his favorite to do and referred to it as “Body Armor,” because of the added weight he would wear when doing it. We do “Murph” on Memorial Day to honor all the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty.
“Murph”
1 Mile run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Air squats
1 Mile run
*Done with 14/20lb vest
**Can partition pull-ups, push-ups, squats up as needed
What if I can’t do that many pull-ups/push-ups?
Good news! Murph is infinitely scalable! We have so many members each year do their own version of the workout. You can do a ½ Murph, you can do ring rows, abmat push-ups, jumping pull-ups, row instead of run, etc. We have a full list of options available at the gym—take a look when you’re in next! Also, the weight vest is not mandatory and very few of the participants will actually wear one.
Do I have to do those reps all in a row?
No! We highly encourage you to break them up. A lot of people do 50 rounds of 2 pull-ups, 4 push-ups, 6 squats or 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats. It sounds like a lot, but it goes by more quickly than you might think.
What should I expect if I participate?
The workout is run in heats and each participant gets their own personal rep counter. That’s right, no need to count out 50 rounds of 2,4,6 on your own! We will have 15 people per heat and run a new heat every 45 minutes. After your heat, you can have some food, cheer on other members, and play a game of bags or two. We’ll be firing up the grill and hanging out at the gym afterwards!
But I’ll be out of town on Memorial Day, how can I still participate?!
More good news: you don’t need to miss out! We will be hosting a small heat on Friday morning (5/24) at 7:30am for anyone going out of town for the weekend. You won’t get a personal score keeper, but we’ll make sure you have a printed out scorecard to keep track!
How do donations work?
Every year as a gym, we donate to the Michael Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Donations are very much appreciated, but not mandatory, and will be done at the gym on Friday 5/24 and Monday (Memorial day). We will have donations slips you can fill out if you wish to be charged through your Wodify account, or you can donate with cash or a check.
This is one of our favorite events of the year. Come get after a tough workout for a good cause, and hang with your TwinTown fam this Memorial Day!