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Get in Shape in 2025 with the Murph Challenge

Company News |

Want to Get in Shape in 2025?

Every year, people make the same New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. While some start the journey on January 1, most will quit by the end of January. If you are looking to get into shape and are willing to commit, I’ve found a workout that will deliver results. Check out what the Murph Challenge can offer.

Most exercise regimens fail because people don’t have a goal, don’t have the time, don’t have the equipment, don’t want to pay for a gym membership, or don’t have a support structure to keep them motivated.

It is hard, but I do think the Murph Challenge can address all of those challenges.

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What is the Murph Challenge?

If you are not familiar with the Murph Challenge, it’s a CrossFit workout named after a fallen soldier named Lt. Michael Murphy. While it is a challenging set of exercises, you can modify it to fit your health and skill level.

The timed Murph Challenge exercise circuit is as follows:

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pull ups
  • 200 push ups
  • 300 air squats
  • 1 mile run
  • And you do all of this with a 20lb weight vest on.

Before you curse out loud and stop reading this article, hear me out. You can work up to this. You don’t need to come out of the gate swinging. The regimen is well balanced with cardio and calisthenics, so do what feels right and slowly add on.

I personally don’t do the Murph year-round to avoid injury and burnout. In fact, I take parts of the Murph and include them in my regular workout over the course of a year. Starting in February of each year, I ramp up my training to prepare for the challenge on Memorial Day.

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So Why Do I Think the Murph Is So Great?

“If you are looking for a workout that will build muscle, increase cardio endurance, and lose body fat, check out the Murph Challenge.”

I’ve been lifting weights off and on and playing sports since I was a teenager. Once I passed 50, my body didn’t respond as well as it used to, and I felt I needed to mix it up a bit, so I gave the Murph Challenge a try. I found that I really enjoyed the balance of both calisthenics and cardio, which I wasn’t getting by lifting alone.

Here is a list of the reasons I think the Murph is an excellent set of exercises for the beginner as well as the experienced fitness gurus:

  • Exercise progression. You can modify the workout to be more challenging as you get into better shape. Start by doing a partial Murph with no weight or substitute exercises that work better for you. Try to beat your time, do more reps, run longer, add more weight, etc.
  • Gain muscle from calisthenics. You will get ripped if you do this for any period of time, and it works the entire body.
  • Increases cardiovascular. Your energy levels will increase, and you will burn more calories!
  • No membership due. It’s free to run on a track or do the calisthenics at your house or a park.
  • No equipment is needed.* You don’t need any exercise equipment to start.
  • Don’t need a trainer. There’s no fancy exercise that requires you to move heavy weights or perform gymnastics. These exercises are the ones you learned in grade school.
  • Sleep better. You will have more energy during the day and sleep like a baby at night.
  • Community support. Most CrossFit gyms incorporate the Murph into their programs, and have yearly events that bring people together to post their scores and share their Murph journeys. Also, your company might want to get involved. Lydon Solutions has been participating in the challenge since 2022.
  • Less than 1 hour workout. You can knock out the workout in less than 1 hour, and as you get better, less than 40 minutes.
  • Yearly Murph Challenge Competition. Every year, you can sign up to challenge yourself and compete with others.
  • Honor Lt. Michael Murphy. It’s called a hero workout for a reason. I encourage you to learn more about this fallen military hero who the challenge is named after.
  • Support Lt. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation. If you participate in the actual Murph Challenge event, proceeds go to this foundation to help military families.

Disclaimer

  • Consult a physician before any strenuous exercise.
  • Your diet will affect your weight loss and muscle gain, so try to eat healthily.
  • Don’t over-exercise, and make sure to rest when your body needs it
  • Work out first thing in the early morning to start off your day and get it out of the way. I’ve found this is the best approach to consistency.
  • Make it a habit
  • *If you progress, you will need a weight vest.

So, did I convince you enough to give it at least a try? What do you have to lose? If you are curious and want to try the official Murph Challenge this Memorial Day, I would recommend starting to train now. The most challenging areas are the pullups and running, so focus on those areas well before you take on the challenge.

If you have any questions or want to share your experience, you can reach out through LinkedIn.

We’ll see you on Memorial Day! Good luck!

Lydon Solutions Reaches the 15-Year Mark!

Company News |

Lydon Solutions has reached a significant milestone of 15 years in business as an IT services and product company supporting the construction industry!

When you take a step back and think about it, you realize it’s a significant milestone for any business considering:

  • One-third of all new businesses exit in the first two years.
  • Half exit in the first five years.
  • Only one-quarter of businesses survive to 15 years.

Many factors are involved in sustaining a business for this long. Still, I believe the most important thing is having a great team that drives innovation, provides second-to-none customer service, and is committed to delivering the best products and services possible.

While there are days when you want to pack it in, there are always moments that keep you coming back and restore your focus. Also, working with my wife is a rare opportunity, and working from home helps balance my professional and personal lives.

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Manage Your Construction Projects in Microsoft 365

Construction Viz is a powerful and flexible construction project management solution optimized for YOU and your workflow. For maximum flexibility, the solution is available in the cloud, on-premise, or as à la carte apps for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft 365. Learn More >

Observations for Other Entrepreneurs Based On 15 Years in Business

As the years pass, you tend to take stock of ideas and lessons that have helped you on the journey. Here is a short list of observations that might help other entrepreneurs or those who are looking to get the most out of their careers:

Innovation. To compete, companies and individuals need to embrace technology. Technology is changing faster than ever, and if you don’t leverage it to your advantage, your competition surely will, especially with the emergence of AI in all aspects of the technology and business worlds.

Solve problems. If you are in the consulting space, everything comes down to whether or not you can solve your client’s problems. Some higher-end consulting companies provide great PowerPoint presentations, and they do win work but don’t keep work. If you want to stay around long-term, listen to the client and solve their problems.

Diet and Exercise. There is an enormous amount of stress in our daily lives, much less starting and managing a company. It’s easy to get off track with bad habits, and you are no good to anybody if you can’t operate at 100%. The best thing I have found is to stick to a healthy diet and set a regular exercise routine. Working out in the morning ensures you get it done and provides peace of mind that you have accomplished something every day.

Cycles. When you start a company and have some success, you will naively think it will never end. Unfortunately, your company might end up in a bit of a slump. A life tip my dad always said to me was, “Keep a level head through the ups and downs. Don’t get too high, and don’t get too low.” Business cycles can and will inevitably occur, and you have to ride the waves and always be mindful of why you took this path in the first place. Make sure to plan for the worst and save for the downturns.

Enjoy the ride. While it is often hard to see the forest through the trees, every once in a while, take a step back and admire what the team has accomplished. To think we started the company by building custom SharePoint sites for construction and now have a product, Construction Viz for Microsoft 365, built on React as a progressive web app that stands up against some of the largest PMIS solutions available, is crazy to me. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We have accomplished a lot, and I’m very proud to work with a fantastic, hard-working team.

Thanks for continuing to read our posts and articles and subscribing to our Lydon Solutions and LinkedIn newsletters.

Team recognition 2014
Construction Viz 1.0
Teambuilding 2018

Murph 2023 – We took the challenge!

Company News |

Lydon Solutions participated in the Murph Challenge this Memorial Day 2023 for the second time. For those unfamiliar with the Murph challenge, it’s an international CrossFit hero workout with proceeds benefitting the Lt. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation. The Murph Challenge is a great way to challenge yourself, give back to our vets, and remember a fallen hero.

The “Murph” Workout
The “Murph” Workout

The Murph Challenge 2023 results for the Lydon Solutions team

This year, some of us started training months in advance to get the best time possible. Unfortunately for me, my time slipped to 38.20 from 38. Areas for improvement next year are better pull-up technique, more cardio training, and dropping some body weight. The last mile was brutal 😊. If you are interested in and want to learn more, check out our Murph tips and tricks.

Photos of some of our team:

Jeff Lydon - President
Andrew Much - Product Manager
Danny Nava - Sr. Developer

Contractor Access Has Never Been Easier with Lydon Solutions’ Microsoft 365 Contractor Portal

Company News |

One of the most challenging issues many clients face is finding a secure and simple way to share project information with external contractors.

The issue becomes even more pressing with many construction organizations moving to Microsoft 365 and wanting to keep their information within their Microsoft 365 tenant. Read on to discover how the Lydon Solutions’ Contractor Portal solves this issue and more.

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The old ways of sharing project information with contractors

Organizations using Microsoft 365 have three ways to share project information with external contractors. Each method comes with pros and cons:

  1. Guest access – You could add guest users to your tenant and share Microsoft SharePoint sites and even Power Apps with contractors.
    • Pro – This method enables you to grant contractors access to SharePoint sites and other applications such as Power Apps.
    • Con – Setting up a guest user takes a few steps, which can be administratively cumbersome with large numbers of contractors.
  2. Share files and folders – You could share the records directly on a per folder or file basis with specific external contractors or even anonymous users.
    • Pro – Easy to share files and folders.
    • Con – Isolated to specific files or folders, not applications. This method becomes administratively cumbersome with many file locations.
  3. Licensing a user – You could provide Microsoft 365 user licenses for contractors.
    • Pro – Contractors can access just about anything based on their permissions.
    • Con – There is a monthly cost per user depending on the Microsoft 365 plan. Also, access management can be challenging if the proper permissions controls aren’t in place.

How Lydon Solutions’ Microsoft 365 Contractor Portal solves the problem

With the Lydon Solutions Microsoft 365 Contractor Portal, we have solved the access challenges for contractors while providing a means to securely receive and share information within your Microsoft 365 tenant.

Our new Contractor Portal reduces the administrative burden of adding new contractors by allowing them to self-register, including the option to register with their secure social accounts (e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, and LiveID).

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If you need more control over registration, you can send invitations to specific contractors, ensuring only known entities have access. Two-factor authentication provides additional security if required.

The new Lydon Solutions’ Microsoft 365 Contractor Portal is your one-stop shop for managing external contractor access in your Microsoft 365 tenant, providing secure file sharing, and delivering Microsoft 365 Power Platform solutions such as RFIs, Submittals, Invoices, POs, and other contractor-related processes.

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Lydon Solutions has been delivering Microsoft-based IT solutions to the construction industry for over 14 years. To learn more about Lydon Solutions’ Contractor Portal or if you need help with your Microsoft 365 environment, you can request a free one-hour consultation request here. For a turnkey PMIS solution for Microsoft 365, check out Construction Viz here.

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We Completed the 2022 Murph Challenge

Company News |

I shared a blog post in early April of this year about the Murph Challenge that some of the team here at Lydon Solutions were training to complete.

The origin of the Murph Challenge

The Murph Challenge is considered an exceptionally tough workout in the CrossFit community, where people from all over the world compete and post their times. The event honors LT. Michael Murphy with proceeds benefitting the LT. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation.

You can learn more at the Murph Challenge website.

What is the Murph Challenge?

The Murph is a timed workout that will test your physical limits. It involves:

  • 1-mile run
  • 100 pull-ups
  • 200 push-ups
  • 300 air squats
  • Another 1-mile run

This workout is especially hard because participants perform all the exercises in a 20 lb. weighted vest! After completing the workout, you can post your time to the Official Worldwide Leaderboard.

Challenge accepted and completed

Although this event is crazy hard, some of our team members completed the 2022 Murph Challenge and posted our times on the official leaderboard.

I thought my 38 minutes was pretty good, but Andy Much and Travis Landers killed it!

We’re looking forward to the next challenge for our team and getting ready for next year’s Murph. I would highly recommend trying this event if you want a serious physical challenge.

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Pictures of Andy, Travis, and myself relieved after the 2022 Murph Challenge 🙂

Are you ready for the Murph Challenge?

Company News |

Lydon Solutions is inviting you to take part in The Murph Challenge this Memorial Day and do something great for your health and, at the same time, help support our vets!

What is the Murph Challenge?

The Murph Challenge is considered a hero workout in the CrossFit community. It's an exceptionally tough workout where people from all over the world compete and post their times.

The event honors LT. Michael Murphy with proceeds benefitting the LT. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation.

Who was LT Michael Murphy?

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Michael Murphy was a Navy Seal killed in Afghanistan in 2005 and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his sacrifice. LT. Murphy risked his own life to save the lives of his teammates. If you are not familiar with his legacy, a Hollywood movie called Lone Survivor tells his heroic story, starring Mark Wahlberg and Taylor Kitsch as LT. Murphy.

What is the Murph Challenge?

The Murph is a timed workout that will test your physical limits. It involves:

  • 1-mile run
  • 100 pull-ups
  • 200 push-ups
  • 300 air squats
  • Another 1-mile run

This workout is especially hard because participants perform all the exercises in a 20 lb. weighted vest! After completing the workout, you can post your time to the Official Worldwide Leaderboard.

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Tips to prepare for Murph

While this is no shortcut to completing a Murph, a few tips might help your training.

  • Give yourself enough time to prepare. Even if you are in good shape, the workout is strenuous.
  • Thoroughly stretch before and after each training session.
  • Stay adequately hydrated and consider a pre-workout to keep your energy levels up.
  • If you are new to the calisthenics portion of the workout, practice without the weight vest to familiarize your body with the movements and the pacing.
  • Once you are comfortable with the exercises, introduce the weighted vest slowly, like on casual walks, to get your body used to the extra weight and the overall feel.
  • Splitting the workout into manageable sets might help you complete the challenge. Typical partitioning would be twenty sets of five pull-ups, ten push-ups, and twenty air squats.
  • Hole hand grips are an excellent investment to prevent hand injuries from the bar when doing pull-ups.
  • Learn how to do kipping CrossFit pull-ups, which can be easier than traditional pull-ups.

Ready to take the challenge?

While this workout is incredibly challenging, the opportunity to test our grit and support our vets was something we at Lydon Solutions felt compelled to do. We hope you, your friends, and your co-workers will accept the challenge with us and support this great cause!

Visit themurphchallenge.com to register and find out more about LT. Murphy and the Foundation.