Mermorial Day ‘Murph has been a tradition at Diablo for all 20 years.
Join us on Monday for our 20th! ‘Murph! Heats start at 6AM – last heat
If you can remember why you started, then you will know why you must continue.”
Chris Burkmenn.
HEROES
Every year, thousands of CrossFit affiliates around the world perform ‘Murph on or around Memorial Day. On the surface, it’s just a brutally long workout: 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, 1 mile run – usually with a 20 lb vest. But. CrossFit Hero workouts were never intended to be “just workouts.” They are rituals. They are reminders. They are opportunities to suffer voluntarily in honor of people who suffered involuntarily in service to others.
CrossFit Hero workouts are named after fallen military members, law enforcement officers, and first responders. And. they force us to attach meaning to effort. In a fitness industry obsessed with aesthetics and comfort, Hero workouts remind us that fitness can also represent gratitude, resilience, discipline, sacrifice, and service.
Michael P. Murphy, aka “Murph”, was awarded the Medal of Honor after sacrificing his life in Afghanistan to save his teammates. The workout was originally one of his favorite training sessions, called “Body Armor.” CrossFit renamed it “Murph” after his death in his honor.
What makes Murph important is not simply the volume or the pain. It’s the choice. Nobody is forcing us to continue when our hands tear, our push ups fail, our legs fatigue, our heart rate spikes, or our mind starts bargaining. Somewhere in the middle of Murph, everyone has a conversation with themselves: “slow down” or, ”It’s ok to stop” or, “you’ve done enough.” And then, most of us keep going anyway.
That’s why Murph becomes a metaphor for life. Life rarely rewards people for intensity over 5 minutes. It rewards consistency under difficulty. Parenting, marriage, business ownership, leadership, coaching, recovering from setbacks, caring for aging parents, rebuilding after failure – all of it looks a lot more like Murph than a sprint. And, to get through it, you break it into chunks, you keep moving, you lean on others, and you realize you’re capable of more than you thought.
Murph also reveals something powerful about community. Alone, it can feel impossible. Together, it becomes meaningful and serves as a reminder that humans are built to endure hardship better together than apart.
I hope to see on on Monday for ‘Murph!
#itsup2us
NORCAL CLASSIC & MASTERS MADNESS
- NORCAL CLASSIC CROSSFIT SEMIFINALS, May 29-31, Sacramento. – The NorCal Classic 2025 was an epic affiliate outing – a lot like the ol’ days. This year, the top 2 men and women in the Elite category will receive an invitation to the CrossFit Games in July! In addition, several Diablo athletes will be competing in the age-group, intermediate and scaled divisions. Diablo will have an awesome camp set-up inside the venue – just bring your chair – and come celebrate our athletes and watch the best of the best compete for a chance to go to the Games. Spectator tickets and parking passes can be purchased here.
- MASTERS MADNESS – In-House & Online Team Competition, Thu, June 4 – Sun, June 7th. Teams of 4 athletes (MM,FF). 4 workouts, based upon the CrossFit Games SemiFinals Team Workouts. Age Groups: 40-49; 50-59; 60+. 1 judge, no video. Register your team on Competition Corner now (onlly $30 per team) – This is gonna be fun!
SOFTBALL & DOGGOS
Kristina has been a member of Diablo CrossFit for almost 10 years. You’ll find her in the Strong Room working on her Olympic Lifts. She’s a former All Pac 10, All American Softball Pitcher with the University of California Bears and was inducted into the Cal Hall of Fame in 2018. She’s also Dog Mom to Queen Laefa, Cane Corso, and Best in Breed at Westminister 2020.
This was a very fun discussion ’bout Softball, Pitching and Cane Corsos!
PROGRAMMING THIS WEEK:
- Mon: ‘MURPH
- Tue: BIKE-ROW-SKI: 6x 40s On / 20s Off for calories – Bike, Row, Ski
- Wed: Push Press. Metcon: DB HPC-S2OH-CARRY – Amrap 8m: 10DB PC, 6DB S2OH, 100m FC
- Thu: Sandbag Get Ups. L-Sits, Planks, Inversion
- Fri: Hang Clean. Sprint: 4x200m
- Sat: BIKE-PULLUPS-SDHP-PISTOLS – Amrap 18m: 12/18c Bike, 4 Weighted Pull Ups, 16SDHP, 12 Pistols
- Sun: BMU-SNATCH-DUs – 5RFT: 5 BMUs, 7 Power Snatch, 35 DUs #75/115 M55+: 3 BMUs
CRAIG’S LIST
- Instagram: @dr.williamwallace – Very cool post about how different components of your fitness peak at different points in your life!
- Instagram: @dangarnutrition – Muscle & meabolic responses to resistance exercise in healthy adults – A randomized controlled trial. Ok, this was NOT what I have believed for 50 years… turns out the best time of day to lift weights is… any time.
- Instagram: @wodscience – One of the largest (and coolest) studies ever performed in exercise science concluded that ~47% of the variability in training response could statistically be explained by genetics. But before blaming your mother for your low VO₂max…
Craig
