We are so excited that Memorial Day (and therefore Murph!) is less than one week away!
We wanted to make sure everyone knew all the details about this year’s annual Memorial Day Murph Challenge at Aevitas, and also that everyone feels fully prepared to conquer the workout – with whatever scaling method is appropriate for YOU!
2023 Memorial Day Murph Event Details
Date: Monday, May 29th
Time: 8:00 & 9:15 AM Class Times; After-party until ~12!
Location: BOTH Aevitas locations!
Cost: No cost, but bring a donation for Wounded Warrior if you’d like!
Other details about the day:
- We will be running the morning similar to a regular Saturday workout. Class times will be 8:00 AM and 9:15 AM. Don’t worry about the class cap, we’ll make sure that’s removed so no one is capped out – this is meant to be a big community event! Please sign up for class so coaches can be as prepared as possible.
- Non-members are welcome with our standard $20 Drop-in Fee. The fee will go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project! Please email us if you are bringing anyone so we can get their waiver, etc. completed before the event.
- Plan to stay for the after-party when you’ve finished the workout! We will have some refreshing beverages to share, plus we’ll all need to sit down for a bit after completing Murph!
- If you’d like to bring food or beverages to share, please do!
- If you ordered a t-shirt or tank during the Pre-order period, they will be available on Murph day! Wear your new shirt to work out, or change into it afterward (or just bring it home)!
- If you did NOT order a shirt but would like to, we will have a post-order going on for about a week after the event. Details coming soon
Murph – The Workout and Scaling Options
As you probably already know, Murph is:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run
*If you have a weight vest or body armor, wear it
However, completing Murph “as-written” or “Rx” is NOT a requirement to come complete the event with us on Monday! If you’re worried about not being able to complete the workout in its entirety, there are LOTS of ways to scale to your own needs.
Below are some general examples of how to scale Murph. Your coach on Monday will also be able to help you make appropriate decisions that will allow you to participate in the event, get a great workout in, and not be completely wrecked for the rest of your day/week!
Common Murph Scaling Options
- Weight vest is optional! If you don’t have a weight vest, and/or you haven’t been using a weight vest in our recent “Weight Vest Wednesday” workouts, and/or you haven’t completed Murph in a reasonable amount of time without a weight vest before, you may want to hold off on adding the extra weight until next year. Don’t worry, we’ll do it again then 🙂
- Partitioned reps! You don’t have to do 100 Pull-Ups, followed by 200 Push-Ups, followed by 300 Squats! You can split into 5 rounds of 20-40-60, or 10 rounds of 10-20-30, or our personal favorite: 20 rounds of 5-10-15.
- Save your Push-Ups! Going along with the partitioned reps option above, one additional way to save yourself with the Push-Ups is to complete 20 rounds of: 5 Pull-Ups, 5 Push-Ups, 15 Squats, 5 Push-Ups.
- Scale the Movements! You can always scale the Pull-Ups to Ring Rows (or jumping pull-ups, however this might be a lot of volume for your legs), and scale the Push-Ups to Kneeling Push-Ups or Banded Push-Ups! Elevated Push-Ups to a box would work as well, however elevated Push-Ups to a bar on the rig are not recommended since the rig will be needed for everyone’s Pull-Ups! Additionally, you may want to set up a target for your squats, to ensure that you hit a standardized depth the entire workout. Finally, for those dealing with injuries that make running difficult/painful/impossible, your coach can help you scale to a different cardio option to maintain the stimulus of the workout.
- Scale the Numbers! If you’re really worried about the sheer volume of this workout, that’s fine, you can scale the numbers down to meet your needs! A quick guideline on this: the workout should be completed in the 45-minute range. Yes, there will be a lot of variance, but think of that as a general time domain to shoot for. You may scale the run to 800m or 1200m instead of the full mile. You may reduce the number of reps by completing, say, 10 or 15 rounds of 5-10-15 instead of the standard 20 rounds. Again, work with a coach to figure out the best options for you!
- Complete Partner Murph! This is my (Karen) absolute favorite way to scale this workout. Here’s how you do it: you and your partner run the first mile together. Then, you alternate rounds of 5-10-15 until all reps are completed. Or you can do any other version of partitioned (or non-partitioned) reps, just alternating between partners. Finish by completing the last mile run together. This scaling option allows you to have a buddy the whole time (which is the big plus in my book!) You will complete half of the reps of Pull-ups, Push-ups, and Squats, and all of the running. This scaling option also provides built-in rest between rounds so that you can move through each round quickly, keeping the intensity of each round up!
Whichever option you choose to go with, know that the important thing about completing the Memorial Day Murph Challenge is this: that you came together with the community to push yourself through the pain of a workout, as a way to honor those who have sacrificed everything so that you are able to do so!
