The “Murph workout” is something that is known for putting your mental and physical strength to the test. Many engage in the workout every year to pay tribute to a fallen hero, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a Navy Seal. This was the Lieutenant’s favorite workout plan and he often referred to it as the “Body Armor” workout. This time, the legend of the bodybuilding community, Arnold Schwarzenegger, delved into this workout technique.

Arnie made the Murph workout his workout of the week. Earlier, CrossFit introduced the workout back in 2005 and, since then has performed in Lieutenant Murphy’s honor. Let’s take a look at the workout and how the Austrian Oak and fitness coach, BJ Ward, modified it.

A soul-crushing and never-wracking workout 

In the latest edition of Arnie’s newsletter, the Arnold’s Pump Club, he shared the grueling “Murphy” workout, paying tribute to the Navy Lieutenant. The “Murph” workout is not as easy to tackle as one might think. It consists of some grueling exercises that could prove to be difficult for many.  

First, the individual needs to start with a mile-long run, and after completing it, they need to move on to the next step, which is a hundred pull-ups without any breaks. This is a high-intensity workout that also focuses on the volume of the workout. 

Back in the day, these two steps were not enough to satisfy the Navy Seal, so he added more. After the pull-ups, one needs to do two hundred push-ups, and after that, you need to do a total of three hundred air squats. The last step is the most gruesome of all: after doing squats, you need to go for another mile-long run.

The Austrian Oak wrote, “It’s as grueling as it looks. If you have significant fitness experience, give it a try.” There is also a modified version of this workout devised by Born Fitness Head Coach BJ Ward. Let’s take a look at the changes the head coach made.

Modified “Murph” by the BJ Ward to make it more comfortable

The modified “Murph” workout by Head Coach Ward starts with a half-mile run followed by fifty pull-ups or a hundred inverted rows. The next step will be a hundred push-ups, moving on to a hundred and fifty air squats. A half-mile run will end the workout. The head coach simply halved the reps to make it easier for those who were just starting on their fitness journeys.

The Austrian Oak wrote, “Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a run. The goal here is time; you want to complete the entire workout as quickly as possible.” He shared that a typical block is around 100 m x 200 m, and doing two rounds is roughly 800 m or half a mile. Arnie concluded, encouraging everyone to do the workout, and “Give it a try.“

The workout may be soul-crushing and not an easy obstacle to overcome; that’s why Ward found the modified “Murph” workout. As the Terminator suggests, if you have significant experience, you need to go for the Murph workout. However, you can still choose between the two. Let us know in the comments about which version you will pick.