This coming Monday (29/5/17) CrossFit boxes all over the world will be taking on the Hero WOD ‘Murph’, a 1 mile run followed by 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats and a second 1 mile run.
Now we know many people will be looking at the rep scheme and going ‘What the actual fuck?’ Don’t worry, like everything we do ‘Murph’ can be scaled to suit the ability of any athlete.
Below are a few of the scaling options we will be utilising at Saxon CrossFit on Monday:
The RX:
Run 1 Mile
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Air Squats
Run 1 Mile
True RX would be completing all this in a weighted vest without partitioning the reps, so completing all the pull ups before moving onto the push ups. This gets spicy! Hitting ‘Murph’ RX is no easy task and will be reserved for the seasoned CrossFitter amongst us.
Partitioned ‘Murph’:
Complete the same distance runs and amount of reps as RX ‘Murph’ but partition the pull ups, push up and squats into rounds – 20 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups and 15 air squats, 10 rounds of 10 pull ups, 20 push ups and 30 squats etc. This version of ‘Murph’ is a lot more forgiving, slightly less daunting and will allow you to get through the workout slightly faster. Don’t underestimate it though – its still a toughy!
Scaled ‘Murph’:
As with everything we do we can scale in several different ways. We can scale movements, loads, time domains and the amount of reps. Scaling the movements of ‘Murph’ is simple, pull ups to banded pull ups or ring rows, push ups to box push ups or knee push ups and the squats to a repeatable range of motion.
Scaling the rep scheme is also simple. A scaled version might look like:
Half mile run
50 pull ups
100 push ups
150 air squats
Half mile run
Totally partitioned ‘Murph’:
For some breaking down a long ‘chipper’ style workout makes it infinitely more manageable – this includes the run. Therefore, we could opt to partition the whole workout:
20 rounds of:
Run 160m
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats
Whichever variation of ‘Murph’ you opt for make sure you consider how the workout is supposed to be completed. ‘Murph’ shouldn’t take you over an hour but you shouldn’t finish it in 20 either. You shouldn’t be stood looking at the bar or resting on your knees for minutes at a time but you also shouldn’t hit the whole thing unbroken. So, make sure you pick a scaling option that suits your ability but one that maintains the pure suck that ‘Murph’ should bring – if in doubt ask your coach. And remember to hit it hard, no matter what!