Murph Standards!

Hey Team,

So with the Murph challenge coming up at the end of the month, we need to consider what are "good reps" versus "no reps" in the pullups, pushups, and squats.

Good range of motion should be adhered to at all times in our WODs to ensure that we are both maximizing our fitness benefits and creating scores that can be compared over time. Since Murph is essentially a tribute to fallen and active first line defenders, it follows that we should be extra careful to ensure our range of motion and effort meets a very high standard.

The tough part with a workout like this with a high volume of reps is that we tend to get lost in the torrent of discomfort at some point... and what might "feel" like a good rep may not be. On the day of the challenge (Covid dependent) we will have judges for participants to ensure that the quality is high, but in the last few weeks leading in, we need to make sure that all of our reps are executed well to drill in good technique.

The run takes care of itself - we'll be running down the Goose towards Quadra and will do a turnaround at a half mile (800m). Back into the gym and you're good to go. It would be a great idea to practice this route once or twice to get to know the landmarks and how to negotiate the underpass/overpass near the gym. We'll have a spraypainted "8" out there soon for you to work from, but in the meantime if you have gps on your watch or phone, you can pace it out yourself.

The pullups are very challenging, especially if your max set of pullups is under 10 reps. Range of motion here is from straight arms to chin clearly over the height of the bar. Many people have had good success breaking the pullups into singles or doubles, so choose a low bar, kip, drop, and repeat! Since most people will do rounds of Cindy (5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats), doing single reps of pullups isn't a bad deal. Only consider adding a vest if your max pullups are above 20.

The pushups are probably one of the most commonly messed up movements in terms of standards. It is a faster movement, and it is pretty easy to cheat around the actual ROM. In a full "RX" pushup, the following standards apply:

CHEST touches but lower body does not. This means that the actual chest, not the belly, needs to be on the ground. The knees and thighs should not touch.
The hips travel through a full range of motion back to a "plank" position... I.e. they don't stay low to the ground at lockout.
The arms get fully straight at the top - there should be no difference in body height between a plank that is held and the top of the pushup.

To help with #1 and ensure that people get all the way down to the ground, we introduced a "chin to ground" standard a few years ago. It sounds a bit strange but it actually really works to ensure that a rep is fully legit.

Take a peek at the video below for some more info (this is from a few years back, skip to about a minute in for the details).

Lastly, the squats are the second most common poor ROM exercise in Murph. Because fatigue tends to lean us over, typically a shallow squat feels "deeper" in Murph. Try to keep your torso upright to sink your hips down below your knees on each rep. Also be sure to stand up fully for each rep (as mentioned above most people stay leaned over the whole time!). It doesn't matter if you can do them fast if you don't lock out or get full depth!

That's about it gang, a lot to think about but a lot to work towards. We want to ensure you take this challenge on with the best possible standards in order to do honour to both the workout and what it represents!

More details will come out about the event as we get closer to the date... so until then, practice your reps!!!

Coach Cam

TRAINING FRIDAY SATURDAY

WARM UP: 3 rounds:

4 t rotation planks (slow)

4 childs pose to cobra

4 cossack squat

4 pushup to downdog

SKILL Push Press 5-5-3-3-1-1, rest 2 mins

practice building up, not to a max single but a heavy one!

WOD: Nasty Girls!

3 rounds for time of: 50 Air Squats 14 Pull-ups 10 Hang Power Cleans, 135/95 lbs

Classic take on a classic workout!

FG3: scale bar weight to 75/115

FG2: jumping pullups, bar 55/75

FG1: ring rows, scale bar as needed, 30 air squats per round

CP1: 14 Chest to bar pullups + 10 ring dips per round

CP2: see full NG wod

Full Nasty Girls:

3 rounds for time of: 50 Air Squats 7 Muscle-ups 10 Hang Power Cleans, 135/95 lbs