Hero WODs are the hardest workouts in CrossFit. They are also the most meaningful. Each one carries a name, a story, and a reason to give everything you have. Here are the most well-known ones and what you need to know before you tackle them.
What a Hero WOD Is
Hero WODs are CrossFit workouts named after fallen military personnel, law enforcement officers, and first responders who died in the line of duty. CrossFit started creating them in 2005 as a way to honour the men and women who gave their lives in service. There are now more than 160 official Hero WODs on the CrossFit website.
They are deliberately hard. The intention is not just to test fitness. It is to create a shared experience of effort and discomfort that, in some small way, pays tribute to the sacrifice being honoured. When you do a Hero WOD, you know why it is difficult. That context changes how you approach it.
What makes a Hero WOD different
They are longer and harder
Hero WODs are typically more demanding than standard benchmark workouts. Expect higher volume, heavier loads, or both.
Each has a story
Every Hero WOD is named after a specific person. Reading their story before you start changes how you approach the workout.
They are not everyday workouts
Most athletes do Hero WODs occasionally, not regularly. The volume and intensity are not suitable for daily programming.
Scaling is always appropriate
Doing a Hero WOD at a weight you can actually sustain is better than chasing Rx and collapsing halfway through. Scale intelligently.
The Most Well-Known Hero WODs
Murph
In honour of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy SEAL — KIA Afghanistan, June 28, 2005
For Time
1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1 mile run
Wear a 20 lb (9 kg) vest if you have one
Lt. Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan. Outnumbered and under heavy fire on a steep mountain face, he moved into an exposed position to radio for help, knowing it would cost him his life. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. Murph was his favourite workout, which he called "Body Armor".
Strategy: Partition the middle section into 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats (the Cindy format). Aim to finish the middle section in under 45 minutes. The second mile run is always harder than it looks.
DT
In honour of SSGT Aaron "DT" Kenefick, U.S. Marine Corps — KIA Afghanistan, September 8, 2009
5 Rounds For Time
12 deadlifts (70 kg / 47.5 kg)
9 hang power cleans (70 kg / 47.5 kg)
6 push jerks (70 kg / 47.5 kg)
SSGT Kenefick was a CrossFit Level 1 trainer and competitive athlete before his deployment. He was killed during combat operations in the Ganjgal Valley of Afghanistan. His love of CrossFit inspired the community to name this barbell workout after him. DT consistently ranks as one of the most popular Hero WODs worldwide.
Strategy: The weight stays on the bar for all three movements. The deadlift feeds into the hang clean which feeds into the jerk. Unbroken cycling is the goal for the first two rounds. Break the push jerks before you have to, not after.
JT
In honour of PO1 Jeffrey Taylor, U.S. Navy SEAL — KIA Afghanistan, June 28, 2005
21-15-9 For Time
Handstand push-ups
Ring dips
Push-ups
Jeffrey Taylor was killed alongside Lt. Murphy during Operation Red Wings. JT was the first Hero WOD to appear on the CrossFit website, posted on July 6, 2005. It is a pure pressing workout with no rest between movements — three pushing patterns in decreasing volume that accumulate into a brutal shoulder test.
Strategy: This is a push-dominant workout that will destroy your shoulders fast if you go unbroken too early. Break handstand push-ups in round one. By the set of 9 you will be happy you did. Scale handstand push-ups to a box before removing them entirely.
The Seven
In honour of seven CIA officers killed at Forward Operating Base Chapman, Afghanistan, December 30, 2009
7 Rounds For Time
7 handstand push-ups
7 thrusters (60 kg / 42.5 kg)
7 knees-to-elbows
7 deadlifts (110 kg / 75 kg)
7 burpees
7 kettlebell swings (32 kg / 24 kg)
7 pull-ups
Seven CIA officers were killed by a suicide bomber who had posed as a potential informant. The workout's structure mirrors the tribute: seven officers, seven movements, seven rounds, seven reps. Everything in this workout is seven. The combination of heavy barbell work, gymnastics, and conditioning across seven rounds makes it one of the most gruelling Hero WODs in CrossFit.
Strategy: The prescribed weights are very heavy. Scale the thruster and deadlift to something you can move for all seven rounds. Pace round one as if you have six more exactly like it. The athletes who blow out in round three rarely recover.
Nate
In honour of CPO Nathan Hardy, U.S. Navy SEAL — KIA Iraq, February 4, 2008
20-Minute AMRAP
2 muscle-ups
4 handstand push-ups
8 kettlebell swings (32 kg / 24 kg)
Chief Petty Officer Nathan Hardy was killed during combat operations in Iraq. He is survived by his wife Mindi and his infant son Parker. Nate is a high-skill AMRAP that rewards athletes who have invested in their gymnastics. The muscle-up is the natural bottleneck. Athletes who cannot link reps on the rings will find the workout becomes a test of patience as much as fitness.
Strategy: Singles on muscle-ups are better than failed attempts. Set a sustainable round target in the first five minutes and hold it. The kettlebell swings are the rest within the workout if you pace them right.
How to Approach a Hero WOD
Hero WODs are not workouts to do on a whim. The volume and intensity deserve preparation and respect. A few things worth knowing before you start:
Read the story. Understanding who the workout honours changes how you move through it. The discomfort has context and that context helps when you want to stop.
Scale intelligently. Doing Murph with ring rows and knee push-ups is still Murph. Scaling exists so that every athlete can access the workout and its meaning, regardless of fitness level. Do not let ego pick a weight that collapses your form halfway through.
Do not do them back to back. Hero WODs are high-volume by design. Give yourself adequate recovery between them. Most athletes do one per month, sometimes less.
Finish what you start. The number on the clock is secondary. What matters is that you complete it. Walk when you have to. Rest when you must. But finish.
The Short Answer
Hero WODs are CrossFit's most meaningful workouts. They are harder than standard programming, named after real people who made the ultimate sacrifice, and designed to be completed with full effort and full awareness of why they are difficult.
If you have never done one, start with Murph or DT. Read the story before you start. Scale to a weight and movement standard you can sustain for the full workout. And finish it.
Gear Note
Murph will tear your hands apart without protection. One hundred pull-ups followed by a mile run is not the time to discover your grip has limits. If you are doing Murph or any gymnastics-heavy Hero WOD, grips are not optional. Check our full range of CrossFit grips.
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