Murph, the ideal wod to use in your Cross Training vest

Murph is the most famous weighted vest Cross Training wod in the world. This Hero wod, a format in which some of the toughest workouts are named after fallen soldiers in their honor, is among the 10 most famous wods and has been included in the CrossFit Games on more than one occasion and in different modalities (individual, teams…)

The weighted cross training vest

It comes from the beginnings of this sport as a training widely practiced by the military and security forces. These types of units must wear a “bulletproof” vest with ballistic plates, with the weight that this entails, and in the WODs we use very similar vests, but with plates that simply function as ballast.
Tactical vests or plate carriers , whose names, as you can see, come from the terminology of the defense sector, are increasingly ergonomic and take comfort into account, since there are very long wods with them and in which more rhythmic, impact or even upside-down movements are performed... such as running, kipping pull-ups, jumping or handstands, among others.

And at the end of the day, all these weighted vests have the sole function of making things a little more difficult for us than they already are.

The tactical vest

It has evolved as we said, with padded shoulder pads, systems more comfortable fastening (easy to put on and take off) thanks to the velcro.
The weighted vest we use in Cross Training has a plate on the front and another on the back. These plates are usually made of laser-cut steel to prevent cuts and have rounded corners to cause minimal injuries to athletes during use and handling. They come in different weights to suit male or female athletes and fit perfectly into the vest to prevent them from moving and hindering exercises such as running or pull-ups.

The Hero Wood Murph

This wod includes running a little over 3 kilometres (1600 metres at the start and another 1600 m at the end), and between those runs 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats. As you can see, it's already hard enough. Now add 9 kilos (6 kg in the case of women) distributed between, and never better said, chest and back in a weighted vest.

How to survive Murph

• Adjust it to your body: Spend, or rather, invest time in adjusting all the parts of the vest to your body. Shoulder pads, waist... and do exercises with it on, such as running, push-ups, pull-ups or squats. You don't need to add weight yet, the key is to feel comfortable with it.
• Add the plates or weights : Once you have adjusted, add some weight. If you have the option to start climbing, this is best. The change to carrying almost 10 additional kilos is very hard. If you have no choice but to add the official weight, take it easy.
• Train with it: Go for a walk or a light jog with the vest on and check that the adjustments hold the vest correctly to your body. That it doesn't bounce on your chest or back or that it doesn't constrict you too much. Remember that you don't breathe the same way during a light run as you do during a WOD after 300 repetitions and a mile and a half of running.
• During the wod: Make sure everything is in place before you start. Warm up lightly with the vest if it's summer, as it's very hot. During the run and during squats, you can place your hands on the vest's shoulder straps or on its sides to rest and let the air pass through, relieving the weight on your chest.
• The first 1600 metres: If you are used to running, have good endurance and good technique, go ahead. You can push a little, but don't force yourself, because there is still a long way to go. If running is not your thing, relax and jog, because the fun hasn't even started yet.
• Pull-ups: There are 100 of them, if you know how to do butterfly, that will be your salvation. If not, go easy, short rounds with short rests. Believe me, it is not the worst part of the wod. Get yourself some calluses, they won’t prevent you from getting calluses, but they will delay their appearance and could even prevent your hands from “breaking”. If you are going to use magnesium, remember that excessive use will dry out your hands, making it easier for calluses to form, so use it wisely.
• The worst thing about Murph, the dips on the floor: What? Aren't the pull-ups? Not at all, the dips are the biggest limiting factor in this wod, if you make a mistake when choosing the number of repetitions you will pay dearly for it. Whatever you do, always leave 2 or 4 repetitions in the back pocket. If you reach the limit you will end up doing them one at a time, and reaching 200 will be hell.
• Squats, grit your teeth: There's no way around it, place your hands on your vest or wherever you want and start working, more or less long sets with short rests. Pam, pam, don't think, one and another, and another... You can use knee pads , they will alleviate the moment a little, but they are not essential. Keep a cool head and move on.
• The last 1600 meters: It's done, you've done it, all that's left is to run if you still have the strength or jog if you're exhausted, which would be normal. Grab your vest to take it off your chest and run to the finish line, don't stop, you've already done the worst, this is a walk! But no more walking, we're still in the wod!

Finally, you should know that weighted and tactical vests often come with a velcro surface so you can personalize it with your favorite patches . This is a source of motivation so don't hesitate to customize it!