Memorial Day is Monday and that means one thing…Murph!

If you’ve never done Murph, understand this, it is an honor.

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

Murph has a lot of reps. I won’t do the math and suggest that you don’t until its done. But respect it.
Today you should be having a look at the condition of your hands. If your callouses are raised and thick then by all means you will tear them on the pull ups. There is no glory in tearing your hands. It is not a measure of bad-assery.
Today you must take care of your hands so that they are usable on Tuesday. 

The above photo shows thick torn callouses. The photo on the bottom left shows a well groomed set of hands. We want callouses but flat is best. Get to work after your shower.
You can file them down with:
Pumice stone
Cuticle scissors
Dremmel
Callous/Corn Shavers.
I tend to pick at mine absent mindedly with my finger nails.
Dont get too aggressive. You don’t want tender hands while hopping up to the bar.

Lastly, If you are still concerned about tearing you should tape up before you hit the bar.
We have Natural Grips available in the gym for $20.
Get them today and do a few strict pull ups (or negatives) to mold them to your hand. This will break them in for Monday.

BTW– As I do not wish to reinvent the wheel, there is an excellent 4 part hand care article HERE

WOD Strategy
Let me say this. You can run a mile without stopping. You can. While completing Murph, YOU WILL. Its a mind set. If you’ve never run a mile before and you’ve been doing CrossFit for the past 4+ months, You CAN run a mile without stopping. Commit and do it.

The key to the rest of Murph is partitioning the reps. There are many ways to do it, the following are the most common.
You might think the biggest challenge is the pull up but in fact it is the push up that will break down the most.

5-10-15

The 5-10-15 scheme is probably the most common pattern people succeed with. This mirrors the rep scheme of the CrossFit benchmark workout Cindy:
20 rounds of
5 pullups
10 pushups (If you are new to Murph, be smart and shake out your arms after five reps, from the very beginning).
15 squats

5-5-5-15

If pushups are a particular challenge for you consider the following scheme
20 rounds of
5 pushups
5 pullups
5 pushups
15 squats

5-5-5-10-5

Similar to the 5-5-5-15
20 rounds of
5 pullups
5 squats
5 pushups
10 squats
5 pushups

The most important thing you can do is enjoy the experience. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Whether you do full Murph with a vest or a scaled version give it everything you’ve got. Remember, Murph died protecting his Team and his Country, all you have to do is finish a wod.