With the CrossFit Open behind us and Spring in full swing, it’s time to turn our programming attention to our next annual event- Memorial Day Murph!
Please keep in mind: what we do in the gym, and what we’ve always done, is CrossFit: constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. Completing a “training cycle” does not change that overall recipe. It just means that certain movements and time domains may pop up more often than they would at other times of the year.
So, if you’re looking to complete a full “Murph” every day (or week) until Memorial Day, you’re in the wrong place. We are here to see a consistent change in our overall health and fitness, and along the way, we’re also going to prepare you for the 2024 Memorial Day Murph Challenge!
Check out the details below to see how we’re focusing and getting everyone prepped so that you can have your best Murph performance ever this year!
Focus Element: Motor Control
This training element is all about learning and developing gymnastics “Positions Of Potential”. Hardening the end points of each movement will help build integrity and robustness when the body moves from one position to the next.
If the body is more confident in the end points of each movement, it will be able to move more fluidly and efficiently from point A to point B.
Static holds at end-range combined with some tempo work will help harden the movement end-points for the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats.
We will also be bringing some “chaos” elements into these holds, to help build robustness through increased stability.
Focus Element: Strength
The first 5 of 9 weeks will have strength components meant to relate to Murph directly. Expect to see these movements often in this training block:
– Bench & Push Press
– BB/SB Back Rack Lunges
– Pull-Ups & Rows
– Sled Pulls (FW & Lateral)
– Heavy Swings
The latter half of the Open Prep Cycle was low intensity when it came to strength work. Each week will have 3 strength-specific components focusing on the areas listed above to enable a stronger Murph performance.
Focus Element: Volume
The strength phase from the first four weeks will give way to higher volume accumulation in weeks 5-9. The volume will ratchet up heavily for body weight and lightly weighted movements to prepare us for the high-volume nature of Murph.
The pull-up, push-up, and squat volume will increase to about 70% of the Murph volume, to allow adaptation and prepare everyone for the Memorial Day challenge, without burning out.
Focus Element: Conditioning Intensity
Overall we’ve seen a lot of high-intensity work in the last couple of months. The workload ahead will see a bit of a taper in intensity that gives way to higher volume.
The intensity of regular workouts should still be higher than Murph because Murph is a relatively low-intensity piece inherently.
“Weight vest Wednesdays” will start showing up around week 4 (we hope you like them!!)
Focus Element: Weightlifting Stamina
Most of the weightlifting movements not called out in the strength elements will be used in conditioning workouts to help build stamina.
Lighter loads for larger sets and longer time domains will be employed.
Focus Element: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Our mono-structural components will be longer efforts with measured rest to promote a higher endured speed under fatigue. We want to run/row/bike/ski faster at longer distances so the goal is to move at tempos that are faster than our Murph race pace to reinforce and build a faster Murph pace.
We’ll see some 15-35 minute efforts that have 1-2 minutes of rest between rounds. Enough rest to increase the speed that we’re able to move throughout a given round.
We’ll also see some days that have a double dose of conditioning.
Overall, this cycle of training is meant to be a fun and effective way to ramp up our ability to move at a low weight intensity, for a long time. And of course, we’re going to have a blast doing it!
