So, you crushed the Murph. Or maybe it crushed you. Either way, if you’re currently walking like a baby deer or Googling “why am I so sore after the Murph,” you’re not alone. This memorial hero workout, once named “Body Armor”, then updated to “The Murph” to honor the creator: U.S Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, is brutal. Soreness is expected, but injury shouldn’t be. 

🇺🇸Sore After The Murph

Working with high-level tactical athletes in military special operations, one thing is clear: don’t expect much from them in the weight room the week after the Murph.

Their nervous systems are fried, legs trashed, and lats feel like they’re glued to their ribs. Yes, we coach them through recovery, prioritizing sleep performance, nutrition, zone 2 cardio, and soft tissue work to manage short-term symptoms. But here’s the truth:

💪Preparation > Recovery

You can keep plunging into ice baths, sitting in compression boots, sweating it out in saunas, or foam rolling yourself into oblivion year after year. Or if you want to feel less sore after The Murph next year, it’s time to lean into foundational principles of human performance: specificity and progressive overload.

🏃🏻‍♂️Progressive Overload

Your body responds well to stress, such as working out, when the stressor is applied gradually and progressively. Too much too soon is a recipe for soreness and injury risk. Load management research by world-renowned sports scientist Dr. Tim Gabbett, Ph.D, shows that when you double the workload, your chance of injury increases 20%. If you increase the workload by more than double, the risk of injury elevates with it.

So take a hard look at your weekly training leading up to the Murph and ask these questions:

• What was my daily/weekly air squat, push-up, pull-up, and running volume?
• What intensity did I complete this volume at?

Upon reflection, we often find that athletes either lacked the necessary training volume to handle the Murph or accumulated plenty of volume that simply wasn’t specific to the workout. Both scenarios help explain the extreme soreness they experience afterward.

👉Specificity

“I train 6 days per week, Murph is mostly a bodyweight workout, how could I not be prepared?” Simple, 300 squats after a mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups is A LOT different than a 5×5 back squat strength session and volume of only 150 squat variations in a week. To perform well on and not be incredibly sore after the Murph, you need to use the principle of specificity (training specifically for the demands of the task). 

💪Simple Prep Strategy

Figure out how you want to complete the Murph: non-partioned, Cindy Style (20 rounds), 10 rounds, 5 rounds etc. Then use a 5 to 6-week ramp-up of the style you will use on gameday, building the volume percentage with a slight deload the week before. 

Example:

• Week 1: 50% of total Murph Volume: .5 mile run, 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 150 air squats, .5 mile run.
• Week 2: 65% of total Murph Volume: .65 mile run, 65 pull-ups, 130 push-ups, 195 air squats, .65 mile run
• Week 3: 85% of total Murph Volume: .85 mile run, 85 pull-ups, 170 push-ups, 255 air squats, .85 mile run
• Week 4: 100%: Full Murph as you would complete it on gameday – get an idea of the pacing you want to use on gameday.
• Week 5: deload 30-50%
• Week 6: Perform

Final Thoughts:

Honoring a hero like Lt. Michael Murphy means showing up with more than just effort; it means showing up with intention. Recovery tools have their place, but preparation is the game-changer. Train smart, train specific, and respect the workload ahead of time. So next year, instead of crawling off the gym floor, you might just finish strong and still feel your legs the next day.

Author: 

Dr. Dillon Caswell, PT, DPT, SCS

Hope Evangelist | Top-Selling Author & Speaker | Human Performance Expert