SSG Robert Miller Memorial Workout - Preparation

Rob was truly one of our nation's best and brightest. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. For those of you joining us in this tribute on April 19, I commend your warrior spirit and motivation.

It is safe to assume that most, if not all of you are in decent physical condition. To those who subscribe to warrior fitness (i.e. CrossFit, Gym Jones and other functional fitness programs), "Murph" is a workout you have either inadvertently trained for or a challenge you have already accepted as a Workout of the Day. For everyone else, the workload of a full Murph may seem devastating and impossible. Here are a few training tips which may help you complete the challenge in a respectable time while maintaining normal functional use of your legs for the days after:

-Practice Air Squats!! Air squats sound simple. They even feel easy in low numbers, that is, until the next few days when your legs ache miserably and you feel uneasy standing, walking or climbing stairs. Simply allowing the legs to adapt to high repetition air squats through a few weeks or regular training will help your event and recovery time.

-Develop a game plan. Most CrossFit workouts are designed to overload the muscle groups being trained. Attacking the workout without a partitioning plan will almost certainly lead to exhaustion and muscle failure early in the game. Partitioning the pullups, pushups and squats into manageable numbers will provide each muscle group with recovery time between sets. One of the most common partitions follows the "Cindy" WOD:
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats
(Twenty Sets)
This allows each system (leg strength, pushing and pulling) recovery time and may allow you to roll through the entire workout without prolonged rest periods. The partition can be changed as needed as the workout progresses.

-Roll at your own pace. For many people, this workout is about finishing a seemingly insurmountable physical challenge. Push yourself as hard as you can, but remember you are only competing against yourself. This does not apply to those of you who are shooting for sub 40 minute times!!!!

I hope to see you at the Memorial!!