My brother and I were talking the other day about our current workout splits, and I don’t remember exactly how, but “Murph” came up. Murph is originally a CrossFit “Hero” WOD (Workout of the Day) to honor Navy Lieutenant and Congressional Medal of Honor winner Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005 at the age of 29. My CrossFit days have long past, but I’ve always loved Murph. We’re both at a bit of a turning point in our lives, and we wanted to do something challenging that would help drive change. We decided we’re going to do Murph every day. For 100 days.
Murph is a 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 air squats, and ends with another 1 mile run. I can’t think of a better overall bodyweight exercise. Before you chalk this decision up to insanity, I’ll tell you this - it isn’t new. In 2020 Graham Dessert decided to do Murph every day for an entire year, and since then other people have been following suit. If you go on YouTube you’ll find a long list of 30-day Murph challenges from a variety of vloggers. What I’m trying to say is it’s not some far-fetched concept - it’s been done before. But now for the important part - why in the hell would I want to do this? Let’s go through the list:
Word is Bond
Doing Murph every day for 100 days is an excellent exercise of commitment. I’ve committed to doing it every day for 100 days straight - no days off, rain or shine. And now that I’ve spoken it into existence, I have to do it. That’s the code by which I live today. Throughout most of my life I was the guy who said he was going to do things and didn’t follow through. I never want want to be that guy again. If I say it, I’m going to do it, no matter how hesitant or afraid I am. Which brings me to my next point.
Overcoming Fear
I’m 3 days in and I’m already seeing the fear bubble up. Questions come to mind like, “What if I get sick from overtraining or dehydration?” “What if something happens in a day and I can’t do it until 2 a.m.?” “Will I lose all the progress I’ve made thus far?” The thing about fear is it’s all based on what might happen in the future. Right now, I feel great. My schedule is fine, and I’m continually making progress. If something comes up during this process, I will get creative and find a solution because there’s always a solution (although sometimes it’s hard to find). The point is, there’s nothing to fear today, so all I have to do is take it one day at a time, one Murph at a time.
Emotional Stability
I’ve recently had to let go of something that was was very important to me. In past situations when I’ve had to let go of something, I’ve spent weeks, month, even years wallowing in self-pity. Rather than sitting around all day listening to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi on repeat, I’ll do Murph. I find the most effective path for emotional healing for me is movement, and this is a perfect vehicle for that (let’s be honest, I’m still going to listen to “Someone You Loved” on repeat all day, but at least now I’ll have a 45 min. reprieve).
Breaking Barriers
Given the output level required to do Murph, I’m 3 days in and I’m already uncomfortable. It’s a long workout (45 - 50 min for me), and it’s taxing. It’s definitely above the level of comfort for me in terms of what I think is appropriate for a daily activity. But that’s the whole point - I want to prove to myself I can do this. It’s insane, and that’s good. I need to do insane things every now and then in order to show myself “insane” is completely relative. My limitations are all in my head, and this is a good opportunity to prove that.
Fuel for Creativity
This is not going to be easy. I’m still going to continue my normal workout routine, which is pretty insane to begin with. I’m just going to add Murph every day as a “cherry-on-top”. I anticipate I’m going to be pushed to places I haven’t been before, and that gets me excited. I want to write about it. I want to write about the pains, the struggles, and the successes. This is a great way to raise the stakes, to get some skin in the game, and to report back on my experiences. We’ll see how it goes.
Today is day 3 of 100. I’ve got a long way to go. If you’re interested in following my journey, you can follow me on Instagram (@modern.bronze) where I’ll be posting every day.
And if you feel so inclined to join me for any given Murph, the invitation is always open.
I’ll conclude with a quote from one of my favorite authors:
“The whole life of the individual is nothing but the process of giving birth to himself; indeed, we should be fully born when we die - although it is the tragic fate of most individuals to die before they are born.” ― Erich Fromm, The Sane Society