Mni Murph or Half Murph both are the same terms but lieutenant Murphy originally named the Murph workout as Body Amor, but after his death, the CrossFit community named it as Murph WOD in his tribute. It was one of the favorite workouts of Lieutenant Murphy.
The Murph workout is now a part of Memorial Day. Each year, to pay honor and tribute to the armed forces and Lieutenant Murphy, a lot of cross Fitters take their pull-up bars and march the streets and celebrate.
Murph is not just a basic form of workout that anyone can learn, it is one of the toughest workouts and takes time for a person to get used to it. It is one of the longest workouts, with a time ranging from 40 minutes to 1 hour. Time depends on the performer’s skill and patience level.

Man is completing his task of 1 mile running in Mini Murph
Below, in this article, we have written a complete detail about the Half / Mini Murph workout. Keep reading!
- Other Names: Memorial Day WOD, Body Armor WOD
- Equipment Needed for Murph: Pull-up bar or rig, Body Armor, or Weighted Vest (optional)
- Level of the workout: Advanced, but can be modified for beginners
Advantages of Mini Murph Workout
The Murph workout provides a lot of benefits, not just physical but mental as well. Below we have listed some
- Cardiovascular Fitness.
- Muscle Strength.
- Mental Strength.
- Helps to Remember.
Let’s read all the points in details;
Cardiovascular Fitness
Mini Murph helps to build and maintain cardiovascular health. As we all know that how much proper exercise is needed to keep our body in balance. Half Murph is a form of exercise that is tough and tests the patience of those who performs it. It might be a difficult deal for those who do not have a good cardiovascular health condition.
Muscle Strength
The 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats will help to build and condition your muscle growth by providing extra strength to them. The Murph will surely test your patience when you are performing it.
Mental Strength
A workout like Mini Murph helps to build mental strength by creating willpower and dedication, if a person does not have a good mental state then the half Murph can be a rough deal for it.
Helps to Remember
Apart from contributing to fitness, Murph WOD is a commemoration of the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Whenever you feel like you cannot continue Mini Murph anymore, try to remember those soldiers.
Mini Murph Step by Step Guide
The Murph, work out of the day is listed below
- Complete a 1-mile run.
- Perform 100 pull-ups.
- Perform 200 push-ups.
- Complete 300 air squats.
- Complete another 1-mile run.
Kipping Pull-Ups
The main purpose of a kipping pull-up is to provide more pull-up volume as compared to a basic strict pull-up. The process involves one leg swing and a hip snap to move the body in an upward direction. This snap helps to get the chin over the pull-up bar.
This whole process helps to decrease the exertion and force needed to get to the upward position.
Standard Push-Ups
To achieve a successful pushup, the following steps need to be performed. First of all, lay down the face on the ground with the palms of the hands on the floor. The balls of the feet should touch the ground as well. Moving forward, from the same position, push down the body into a full plank position.
Keep the body in a straight position, do not bend the back. Now retain the elbows pointed to the toes.
Air Squat
To achieve an air squat, a person needs to stand on its heels and point the toes slightly outwards. Keep in mind that the distance of the heel should not be wider than the hips. Now the next step in an air squat is to slowly push the hip to the back and take it down.
Make sure that the crease of the hips is just below the knees. Now go on forward by maintaining the balance of your heels, and with the help of them get back to the previous standing position.
Splitting Up the Reps
For the sake of ease, a person can make some partitions in the exercise. For example, a person can create a partition in the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats. But keep in mind that whatever partition is made, the workout should start and end with a one-mile run.
Out of so many partitions, one of the most common partitions of the Murph workout is 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats.
Ways to Divide Mini Murph
We have listed below two of the most famous way to divide the Mini Murph workout, apart from the other methods
- The 5-5-5-15 method
- The 5-5-5-10-5 method
- The 5-5-5-15 method
The 5-5-5-10-5 method includes
- Twenty pounds of 5 pushups.
- Five pull-ups.
- Five push-ups.
- Fifteen air squats.
- The 5-5-5-10-5 method
The 5-5-5-10-5 method includes
- Twenty rounds of 5 pull-ups.
- Five air squats.
- Five push-ups.
- 10 air squats.
- Five push-ups.
Half Murph / Mini Murph
When a full Murph gets divided by 2, then it is known as a mini/half Murph. Since it is the small version of the original Murph, therefore it includes shorter runs, half reps for the squats, push-ups, and pull-ups.
What happens in a half Murph / Mini Murph?
- 800m Run
- 50 pull-ups
- 100 push-ups
- 150 air squats
- 800m run
A mini Murph can be done with a 20 pounds weight vest. If a person has just started mini Murph, then it is better to drop down the weight vest and examine how it goes. For a person who is not aerobically fit, then it would take some time to get used to the mini Murph.
Whether you are intending to perform the Murph or the mini Murph, always maintain a proper form in the pull-ups and push-ups. Due to the running element in the Murph, it is recommended to go for cross-training shoes instead of weight-lifting shoes.
Tips to Survive a Mini / Half Murph
Below we have listed some tips to survive a Mini Murph or Half Murph
- Keep Rehearsing.
- Stay Hydrated.
Conclusion
Concluding the whole article, the Murph workout is one of the toughest out of all workouts and needs a lot of courage and willpower to perform it. The main goal of a Murph/ Mini Murph workout is to complete the exercise as soon as possible, as time is the main factor. Murph carries a lot of health benefits, physical and mental both. It helps to relax the mind and provides help to build muscles.
Today, a lot of Crossfitters from the CrossFit community perform Murph will all of their capabilities and skills to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their precious lives.
FAQs
Yes, Murph helps to build, assist and condition muscle growth. Pull-ups, press-ups, and squats will help in building and maintaining the body physique.
If you do not use a vest, then 48 minutes is a good Murph workout time. For women, the average time for Murph’s workout is 52 minutes and for women, the average time is 48 minutes.
Indeed, Murph is difficult to do, but you do not necessarily need to be a super-fit or a cross fitter to do it.