US Trends

when is murph workout

Murph is traditionally done on Memorial Day in the United States each year, usually as a special “Memorial Day Murph” event at CrossFit gyms and on military bases.

Quick Scoop: When Is the Murph Workout?

  • The classic Murph workout is most commonly performed on Memorial Day , the last Monday in May.
  • Many gyms treat it as an annual hero workout to honor Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy, often running it as a big community event that morning.
  • Official “Murph Challenge” campaigns sometimes publish a specific date (e.g., May 26, 2025) but it still lines up with Memorial Day each year.

So if you’re wondering “when is Murph workout?” in a typical year:
→ Plan on Memorial Day (last Monday in May) , usually in the morning at most CrossFit boxes and many military-affiliated gyms.

What the Murph Workout Is

Murph is a hero WOD (workout of the day) done in honor of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005.

A standard Rx version is:

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pull‑ups
  • 200 push‑ups
  • 300 air squats
  • 1 mile run
    Often with a 20 lb (9 kg) vest for men and 14 lb (6–7 kg) for women in the official challenge.

People and gyms may also use:

  • Scaled options (ring rows, banded pull‑ups, knee push‑ups, reduced reps).
  • Partitioned reps (e.g., 20 rounds of 5 pull‑ups, 10 push‑ups, 15 squats) instead of all pull‑ups, then all push‑ups, then all squats.

How People Prep For It

Because Murph is long and high‑volume, many athletes follow short prep blocks leading into Memorial Day.

Common prep ideas:

  1. Progressive run volume
    • Gradually increase total weekly running distance (e.g., 600–1200 m chunks inside workouts) to get ready for the two 1‑mile runs.
  1. Grease-the-groove calisthenics
    • Multiple small sets of pull‑ups, push‑ups, and air squats throughout the week to build volume without crushing recovery.
  1. Practice Murph-style intervals
    • For example, 5–10 rounds of 5 pull‑ups, 10 push‑ups, 15 squats with short runs (200–400 m) before and after.
  1. Test half Murph
    • 800 m run, 50 pull‑ups, 100 push‑ups, 150 squats, 800 m run (with or without a vest) a week or two out to gauge pacing.

A simple 2–3 week “mini cycle” is common: some gyms highlight Murph prep in class programming as Memorial Day approaches so that members don’t walk in cold.

If Your Gym’s Date/Time Isn’t Clear

Most boxes and fitness communities treat Murph like a mini‑event. Typical patterns:

  • Memorial Day morning heats , like 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m.
  • Sign‑up sheet or class reservation for a specific heat.
  • Optional donation to veteran or military charities, especially if they tie into the official Murph Challenge campaign.

To know exactly when your Murph workout is:

  1. Check your gym’s class schedule for Memorial Day.
  2. Look at announcements, email, or socials in early–mid May.
  3. Ask a coach; many gyms already have it locked in as a yearly tradition.

Forum / Trending Angle

In fitness forums and CrossFit communities, “when is Murph workout” starts trending every spring as Memorial Day comes into view.

You’ll often see posts like:

“When is your box doing Murph this year?”
“Anyone else doing Murph on Memorial Day weekend or pushing it to the following Monday?”

There’s some variation:

  • Some communities run it exactly on Memorial Day , often rain or shine.
  • Others push it to the surrounding weekend so more people can attend, especially if the gym is closed on the federal holiday.
  • Hardcore fans repeat Murph multiple times per year as a personal benchmark, not just on Memorial Day.

TL;DR: The Murph workout is traditionally done on Memorial Day (last Monday in May) , usually as a special hero WOD event at gyms and bases, with some communities shifting it to the closest weekend or repeating it as a personal benchmark.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.