CrossFit Programming at Blue Eagle in May

Every rep in May is pointed at the same target: Monday, May 25, 9 am, “Memorial Day Murph.”

That is not an exaggeration. Blue Eagle Fitness May programming is Phase 2 of our 2026 annual plan, and the entire phase carries a single name: Prepare for Murph. Every strength decision, every benchmark, every long conditioning piece from April and May month exists to put you in the best possible position to perform on Memorial Day in honor of Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy.

Here is your full look at what we built, why we built it this way, and what you can expect when you show up.

What is Murph, and why does Blue Eagle Fitness do it every year?

Murph is a Hero workout performed on Memorial Day each year to honor Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, New York, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during Operation Red Wings, making him the first Navy SEAL to receive that distinction since the Vietnam War.

The workout is: a one-mile run, then 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats (partitioned any way you choose across 20 rounds of 5-10-15), followed by another one-mile run.

A hero workout is not just a workout. It is a reminder of what people are actually capable of when something matters enough.

At Blue Eagle Fitness, Murph is a community event. Every scaling option is available so every athlete can participate. You do not need a vest. You do not need to be Rx. You need to show up and move in honor of someone who gave everything.

How does May programming prepare you for Murph?

The month is designed to build your Murph-specific capacity across three areas: pulling and pressing strength, aerobic endurance, and mental toughness under sustained effort. Every major training decision in May connects back to one or more of those three pillars.

Strength: Back Box Squat, Pendlay Row, and Close-Grip Bench Press

Murph has 100 pull-ups and 200 push-ups in it. That is not a conditioning problem at the start. It is a strength problem. Athletes who arrive at Murph undertrained on pulling and pressing volume will hit a wall somewhere around round 8 and spend the back half surviving instead of competing.

Our three strength anchors in May address this directly. The Pendlay Row, programmed on wave loading across the month, is a full reset between every rep: bar to the floor, load the hips, retract the shoulders, pull to the base of the ribs.

Three appearances in May mean your upper back and lats are going to be significantly stronger by the 25th. The Close-Grip Bench Press on Wendler builds your pressing durability through the triceps and front deltoids, the exact muscles that break down in the push-up volume of Murph.

And the Back Box Squat, done through a 6-rep scheme, builds the quad and hip strength to keep your 300 air squats looking like squats instead of a slow collapse.

Conditioning: Volume, variety, and time under aerobic load

If you look at the weekly structure, you will see a deliberate pattern. Mondays carry recovery or moderate efforts to protect Tuesday strength. Thursdays and Saturdays carry the long, higher-output pieces: 25-plus minute AMRAPs, 30-minute EMOMs, and partner workouts.

These are not random. They are building the aerobic base and the mental endurance required to stay composed for 45 to 75 minutes on Murph day.

The May 23 workout is a 30-minute EMOM rotating through sled pushes, kettlebell swings, sled pulls, suitcase carries, and walking lunges with built-in rest every sixth minute. That is a direct simulation of the sustained effort Murph demands, just with different tools.

3 benchmarks in May that tell you where you stand

Three test days are woven into May's programming. Each one gives you real data heading into Memorial Day.

1. Cindy (May 7)

Cindy is an AMRAP 20 of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats. Sound familiar? It should. Cindy is Murph at speed, without the runs and without the vest. Your score on Cindy is one of the clearest indicators of your Murph readiness. If you can sustain 15-plus rounds of Cindy, you have the movement capacity to attack Murph with confidence. If you are grinding through rounds 12 and 13, the last three weeks of May programming are exactly what you need.

2. 1,000-Meter Row VO2 Max Test (May 11)

What is a VO2 max test? VO2 max is your body's maximum capacity to consume and use oxygen during sustained exercise. Research consistently identifies it as one of the strongest predictors of athletic longevity and long-term health. A higher VO2 max means you recover faster between rounds, your heart rate drops more quickly when you pause to rest, and you can sustain hard output for longer.

The 1,000-meter row is a max-effort test of that engine. Drive through the legs, keep the chain level, find a split time you can sustain, and hold it. The number you post on May 11 tells us whether your aerobic base is ready to carry you through two miles of running on Murph day.

3. Murph (May 25)

This is what the month is for. One mile of running, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and one more mile. Partitioned as 20 rounds of 5-10-15. Time cap of 75 minutes. Every scaling level available. Blue Eagle Fitness will run this as a community event, and we encourage every athlete, regardless of experience, to participate.

Murph is on the Blue Eagle Fitness website with the full workout description, scaling options, and the story of Lieutenant Murphy:

What else is in the May programming?

Beyond the Murph build, May's programming covers the full spectrum of functional fitness.

Olympic lifting appears three times across the month: a Power Clean day on May 2, a full Snatch technique session on May 19 working through power snatch, snatch balance, and squat snatch, and a Positional Squat Clean session on May 13. These are not added for variety. Hip drive, bar path, and timing under the bar all transfer directly into the explosive power you need to stay efficient through Murph's pull-up and push-up volume.

May 12 is a dedicated leg strength and hypertrophy day built around a pause back squat followed by the 6-12-24 leg circuit: back squats from the rack at 70 percent, kettlebell goblet squats, and curtsey lunges, repeated for five rounds. High lactate, high volume, and a deliberate stimulus for muscle growth that supports the joint integrity you need for two miles and 300 squats.

May 15 is a full upper-body hypertrophy session: strict barbell pressing with a two-second negative, banded pull-aparts, dumbbell side raises, and chest-supported reverse flyes. Lighter loads, controlled tempos, and deliberate muscle tension. This type of training builds the shoulder resilience and muscular endurance that keeps your Murph push-ups looking like push-ups in the final rounds.

Recovery is built into the program deliberately on May 4, 19, 26, and 30. These are not rest days you can replace with extra hard training. They are programmed for a reason: adaptation happens between sessions, not during them, and arriving at Murph day undertired beats arriving beat up.

"Champions are built in the recovery. The work is the easy part." — Ben Bergeron

What does it take to do Murph at Blue Eagle Fitness?

You need to show up. That is the honest answer. Blue Eagle Fitness programs four scaling levels for Murph so every athlete can participate meaningfully. The L3 version replaces pull-ups and push-ups with box push-ups and kettlebell swings paired with running, which protects newer athletes while keeping the spirit of the workout intact.

If you have been training consistently through April and May, the programming will have done its job. Your pulling strength will be up. Your aerobic base will be ready. Your legs will have been tested. The only thing left is to decide how hard you want to go and to honor the name on the workout.

Ready to prepare for Murph with us?

May programming at Blue Eagle Fitness is some of the most purposeful training of the year. Every lift, every benchmark, and every long conditioning effort is pointed at one moment: Memorial Day morning, May 25, in honor of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy.

If you are not a member yet, May is a great time to start. You will not just be starting a fitness program. You will be joining a community that trains hard, shows up for each other, and does something meaningful together at the end of the month.