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Hero WODs: workouts with a name

CrossFit Wilanów

Every now and then the weekly programme shows a Hero WOD. Below we explain what that means, where it comes from, what some of these workouts look like, and whether you can do one when you are starting out.

What a Hero WOD is

A Hero WOD is a workout named in honour of someone who died. According to CrossFit.com, they honour members of the CrossFit community who fell in service, and people who did a great deal for that community. The workouts usually have a simple structure but are demanding, and the name reminds you who you are doing it for. Before class it is worth taking a moment to read the short story of the person we remember that day.

CrossFit has published these workouts since 2005. The first, “J.T.”, appeared on 6 July 2005 and honoured Jeff Taylor, a US Navy petty officer killed in Afghanistan. The third was “Murph” (18 August 2005), dedicated to Michael Murphy, who was also killed in Afghanistan in 2005.

Where they come from, and what they are not

CrossFit did not start as a programme for the police. The first workout of the day was posted on CrossFit.com on 10 February 2001, and the training grew out of CrossFit Santa Cruz in California. Police officers, soldiers and firefighters are groups for whom, according to the Level 1 guide, fitness is especially important, and who used the method. In 2005 the Level 1 course was created, partly because the Jacksonville police in Florida asked for training for their SWAT teams. Hero WODs are a separate tradition: a tribute to particular people, not part of the original programme.

The numbers in a workout sometimes refer to the date of death. In Manion, 400 m is the fourth month, 29 squats the day and 7 rounds the year 2007. That is not a rule, though. Do not look for a date in every Hero WOD.

Three examples

Below are the full workouts with a short note on the people they honour. Weights are given as ♂ / ♀, in pounds as CrossFit publishes them, with kilograms in brackets. The coach sets the time cap in class.

Manion

In honour of 1st Lt. Travis Manion, 26, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, an officer with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marine Corps, based at Camp Pendleton, California. He was killed by sniper fire on 29 April 2007 in Anbar province, Iraq, while fighting off an ambush.

7 rounds for time:

  • 400 m run
  • 29 back squats, 135 / 95 lb (61 / 43 kg)

Randy

In honour of Randy Simmons, 51, a 27-year veteran of the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) and a member of its SWAT team. He was killed in the line of duty on 7 February 2008, leaving his wife and two children.

For time:

  • 75 power snatches, 75 / 55 lb (34 / 25 kg)

Zembiec

In honour of Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, 34, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a US Marine Corps officer assigned to Headquarters Battalion at Henderson Hall, Arlington. He was killed on 11 May 2007 in a firefight in Baghdad, leaving his wife Pamela, his daughter Fallyn, his parents Donald and Jo Ann and his brother John.

5 rounds for time:

  • 11 back squats, 185 / 125 lb (84 / 57 kg)
  • 7 strict burpee pull-ups: each rep a push-up without bouncing, a jump to a bar about 30 cm above your standing reach, and a pull-up without kipping
  • 400 m run

The full list of Hero WODs is on CrossFit.com.

Is a Hero WOD for beginners?

It is demanding, but scaling works the same way as in any other workout: the coach changes the weight, the movement or the number of reps. A good example is DT, which CrossFit has published since 2009.

DT

In honour of Timothy P. Davis, 28, a US Air Force staff sergeant. He was killed on 20 February 2009 when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device while supporting operations in Afghanistan. He left his wife Megan and his one-year-old son T.J.

5 rounds for time:

  • 12 deadlifts
  • 9 hang power cleans
  • 6 push jerks

CrossFit gives three load levels (♂ / ♀): Rx 155 / 105 lb (70 / 48 kg), intermediate 95 / 65 lb (43 / 30 kg) and beginner 45 / 35 lb (20 / 16 kg). In class the coach chooses your weight, and if needed the number of rounds or reps too, so that the workout ends with good technique rather than a fight with the barbell.

A Hero WOD with no equipment

Murph, the best-known Hero WOD, is in its full version a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and another 1-mile run. At home, without a pull-up bar or a barbell, you can do a simplified version we call “Mini Murph” (our own simplification, not an official workout):

  • 1 km run
  • 100 push-ups
  • 200 air squats
  • 1 km run

Make it yours: push-ups on your knees, breaks every 10 reps, a shorter distance. The point is for it to stay a challenge, not the numbers.

Sources

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