DEUCE Gym hosts Memorial Day Murph event

DEUCE Gym said on May 19 that it would open its Memorial Day “Murph” workout to the public at 110 Lincoln Boulevard, placing a local gym event inside a broader annual ritual that mixes fitness with military remembrance. The gym said the workout is “scaled for all fitness levels,” a standard feature of Murph events that draw both experienced CrossFit athletes and first-timers. Men’s Journal, in a May 19 explainer, revisited the history behind the workout and its link to Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Across Louisiana, state and local organizers are also posting Memorial Day ceremonies and observances for the May 20-25 period. ### Why is a Los Angeles gym hosting Murph on Memorial Day? DEUCE Gym said the event is meant to honor “American service men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” using language that matches the gym’s Memorial Day Murph posts from prior years. The venue listed for the gathering is 110 Lincoln Boulevard, and the gym said the session is open to the public. (deucegym.com) The Murph Challenge’s own host locator says the tradition will take place across the United States on May 25, 2026. That places DEUCE’s event within a nationwide calendar of gym-hosted and community-hosted workouts tied to Memorial Day. ### What exactly is the Murph workout? Men’s Journal said Murph is one of the most widely attempted Memorial Day workouts and traced it to Lt. (deucegym.com) Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan in 2005. The article described the routine as a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and another 1-mile run. (themurphchallenge.com) CrossFit, in a May 12 feature, said the workout was originally called “Body Armor” before it became known as Murph. CrossFit also described the event as a yearly Memorial Day tradition carried out in gyms around the world. ### Why is Lt. Michael Murphy central to the event? Men’s Journal said the workout is tied to Murphy’s service and death during Operation Red Wings. (mensjournal.com) The article framed the routine as a memorial practice rather than simply a fitness benchmark. Wikipedia’s entry on Murphy, which reflects widely documented biographical details, says he died on June 28, 2005, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, and was later awarded the Medal of Honor. (crossfit.com) That background is the basis for the annual Memorial Day observance built around the workout. ### How are gyms making the workout accessible? DEUCE Gym said its event is “scaled for all fitness levels,” signaling that participants are not required to complete the workout in its full traditional form. (mensjournal.com) That approach is common at public Murph events, where organizers often allow partitioned reps, assistance on pull-ups, or completion without a weighted vest. (en.wikipedia.org) Operation Military Kids, in a 2026 guide, said Murph is commonly modified depending on experience and physical capacity. That reflects how organizers present the event as both a tribute and a participatory community workout. ### What else is happening around Memorial Day this week? The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs said it is running a week of Memorial Day observances from May 20 through May 25, including a statewide ruck to the Capitol, a Garden of Flags installation in Baton Rouge, and ceremonies at veterans homes and cemeteries. (deucegym.com) Secretary Charlton Meginley said in the department’s announcement that Memorial Day is “sacred.” (operationmilitarykids.org) Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s Memorial Day proclamation declared Monday, May 25, 2026, a legal holiday in the state and directed that U.S. flags on state buildings be flown at half-staff until noon. Those observances run alongside gym-based Murph events rather than replacing them. ### What comes next for people looking to join? (vetaffairs.la.gov) May 25, 2026, is the date listed by The Murph Challenge for this year’s nationwide event, and DEUCE Gym has directed participants to 110 Lincoln Boulevard for its public workout. Louisiana’s state-sponsored Memorial Day events continue through May 25, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs and statewide event listings. (themurphchallenge.com) (gov.louisiana.gov)