May at Know Good CrossFit: Finish Strong, Prep with Purpose

As we head into May at Know Good CrossFit, our focus as a community is twofold: finishing strong and prepping with purpose. After a challenging winter and an energizing season of growth and momentum, this month brings with it an exciting mix of strength testing, classic CrossFit benchmarks, and intentional preparation for one of the most meaningful workouts in the CrossFit tradition: Murph.
Wrapping Up the Strength & Technique Cycle
For the past several weeks, we’ve been steadily progressing through a structured strength and technique cycle focusing on three key elements: front squats, back squats, and pull-ups. This cycle has been all about building a solid foundation improving positioning, increasing load capacity, and dialing in mechanics under pressure.
May marks the final stretch of this cycle. You’ll continue to see these movements programmed weekly, with progressions and loading designed to help you peak. We’ll be aiming to retest our front and back squat maxes as well as our pull-up progress either at the end of May or the beginning of June. Whether you’ve been chasing your first strict pull-up, a heavier squat, or more consistent form, this is your chance to see just how far you’ve come. Consistency over the last few months will begin to show in both numbers and confidence under the bar.
Spotlight on Murph
While strength is a major priority this month, the true highlight is Murph a Hero WOD that carries significant emotional and physical weight. Named in honor of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who gave his life in service to his country, Murph has become a powerful CrossFit tradition that gyms across the world perform each Memorial Day.
The workout is:
1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1 mile run
(with a 20/14 lb weight vest for RX athletes)
We’ll be completing this iconic workout on Sunday, May 26, and whether this is your first time or your tenth, we want you to feel prepared, supported, and inspired.
To that end, you’ll see us layering in movements that appear in Murph such as push-ups, running, and pull-ups throughout the weekly programming. But more intentionally, we’ll also be offering dedicated Murph Prep sessions every Saturday during Open Gym. These prep sessions are designed to help athletes at all levels learn how to scale effectively, pace wisely, and partition the reps in a way that aligns with their goals and capabilities. You don’t have to do Murph “RX” to honor the workout; showing up with purpose and effort is what it’s all about.
Benchmarks & Progress Checks
To keep things exciting and measurable, we’ve also included several CrossFit benchmark workouts throughout the month of May. You can expect to see:
Cindy – A 20-minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats (a perfect baseline for Murph)
Elizabeth – A classic test of barbell cycling and ring dips
Annie – A fast-paced combo of double-unders and sit-ups
Diane – Deadlifts and handstand push-ups to test pushing strength and coordination under fatigue
These benchmarks are strategically programmed to build capacity, test your progress, and break up the month with familiar, challenging workouts that we can track and retest in the future.
A Month That Matters
More than anything, May is about intention. Yes, we want to get stronger. Yes, we want to crush benchmarks. And yes, we want to feel ready for Murph. But even more so, we want every athlete who walks through our doors to know they’re part of something meaningful a gym where we honor hard work, value community, and move with purpose.
Whether you’re going full Murph, doing a half version, or modifying every movement to meet your personal needs, what matters most is that you show up. Every drop of sweat this month is building toward something greater.
Let’s finish what we started, prep with focus, and head into summer as the strongest, most unified version of this community yet.
See you on the floor.
– Your Know Good CrossFit Coaching Team