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Writer's pictureChalk Fitness

Christmas Eve Murph

Every year on Christmas Eve the Chalk community get together to take on the infamous workout 'Murph'.


The Murph Challenge

For time: 1 Mile Run 100 Pull-ups 200 Push-ups 300 Air Squats 1 Mile Run


What are the best ways to scale Murph?

This workout isn't just for the pros, so don’t be intimidated. It's a great chance to set a benchmark, test your fitness and compare your performance year on year.


The best way to approach Murph is to have a clear game plan of what version of this workout you will be doing before you show up.Every athlete is different, so you should pick a version that is suitable for your current level of fitness. That being said, this workout should challenge you. The best part about a hero workout is that it is designed to seem impossible. It pushes you to your limits.



If you're looking for a fast time, here's the top 3 ways to break up the gymnastics:

  • 25 Rounds: 4 Pull-Ups, 8 Push-Ups, 12 Air Squats

  • 20 Rounds: 5 Pull Ups, 10 Push Ups, 15 Air Squats

  • 10 Rounds: 10 Pull-ups, 20 Push-Ups, 30 Air Squats

Going unbroken is cool, but intensity gives us the best results. We recommend that most athletes choose smaller sets and do more rounds. The push ups are usually the toughest part for most athletes and small sets will keep you from hitting a wall on the push ups so you don’t have to take long rest breaks waiting for your arms to refresh.


If you need to modify the workout, here's 3 strategies:

  1. Do it with a partner. You and the other person can run together and do the full mile or cut it down to 1200m or 800m each. For the other exercises, you can alternate rounds or alternate exercises and hit the cumulative totals as a team of 2.

  2. Reduce the gymnastic volume. If you're not training +4 days per week consistently, we recommend reducing the volume to 50-70% to manage onset muscle soreness.

  3. Scale individual movements as needed. You can do ring rows instead of pull-ups, box or knee push-ups instead of traditional push-ups, etc.

If you are just starting with us or had time off recently, you should definitely scale the Murph workout. We recommend talking to a coach at Chalk to ensure you a safe, but challenging workout this Christmas eve.


Team Murph

1 mile Run together 100 Pull-ups 200 Push-ups 300 Squats 1 mile Run together


The most popular option. Still a VERY tough WOD. Both Partners will run both miles together. They will split reps; even split not required. Only one partner works at a time. If one partner returns from run first, they can begin working on their first round. Typically performing 5-10-15 for 20 rounds format, partners can alternate movements or full rounds to move quickest.


Sign-up, take on the challenge, and work up a sweat! with the Chalk community. We look forward to taking the Murph test with you!

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