Memorial Day - Murph

It’s easy to forget what Memorial Day actually means while you’re sitting by the pool, drinking beer and looking ahead at summer vacation—but the day signifies much more than just a three-day weekend.

Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance for everyone who has died serving in the American armed forces. The holiday, originally known as Decoration Day, started after the Civil War to honor the Union and Confederate dead.

It’s unclear exactly where the holiday originated—Charleston, S.C., Waterloo, N.Y., Columbus, Ga. and other towns all claim to be the birthplace of the holiday. The event in Charleston that may have precipitated the holiday offers poignant evidence of a country struggling to rebuild itself after a bloody war: 257 Union soldiers died in prison in Charleston during the Civil War and were buried in unmarked graves, and the town’s black residents organized a May Day ceremony in which they landscaped a burial ground to properly honor the soldiers.

In the years following the Civil War, Memorial Day celebrations were scattered and, perhaps unsurprisingly, took root differently in the North and South. It wasn’t until after World War II that the holiday gained a strong following and national identity, and it wasn’t officially named Memorial Day until 1967.

The final event that cemented the modern culture of Memorial Day in America was in 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Holiday Act, designating Memorial Day as the last Monday in May rather than May 30, as it had previously been observed. This ensured a three-day weekend and gave the day its current status as the unofficial beginning of summer, mixing serious reflection with more lighthearted fun.

So in honor of our Fallen, we will tackle the Hero Wod called Murph

1 mile run
100 pullups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

*this can be done by yourself
- with a vest
- with a partner
- in teams of 3 or 4...WHATEVER!

Here are some do's and don'ts

-DON’T sprint the first mile. “Imagine trying to PR your mile, then having to finish a 10K race,” not a fun idea
- DON’T sprint the first five rounds of body weight work. Start steady and move faster each round as possible
- DON’T wear the weight vest your first time out. It's just common sense. Your first time should just be Rx or scaled depending on how long you have been doing CrossFit.
- DO break up the sets. Pro CrossFitters might tackle all 100 pullups at once, but first-timers and most other Humans should try to do supersets of each exercise to avoid fatiguing so fast.
- DON’T go all out on each rep. With this much volume, not every squat needs to be as fast as possible. (That said, form is key. Don't sacrifice quality for speed!)

Here are some rep scheme suggestions:
-5-10-15
The 5-10-15 scheme is probably the most common pattern people succeed with. This mirrors the rep scheme of the CrossFit benchmark workout Cindy:
20 rounds of
5 pullups
10 pushups (If you are new to Murph, be smart and shake out your arms after five reps, from the very beinging).
15 squats

5-5-5-15
If pushups are  challenging for you consider following:
20 rounds of
5 pushups
5 pullups
5 pushups
15 squats

5-5-5-10-5
Similar to the 5-5-5-15
20 rounds of
5 pullups
5 squats
5 pushups
10 squats
5 pushups

So have fun and remember... we can do this today because of what they did yesterday!