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Episode Show Notes
Tom Rowland, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast and dedicated CrossFit athlete, shares his unique birthday tradition of completing five consecutive CrossFit HERO workouts to honor fallen service members while celebrating turning 53 years old. This Physical Friday episode reveals why Tom intentionally chooses physical challenges that "nobody is going to come to your party" for, how he's previously completed triple Murph workouts (three miles of running, 300 pull-ups, 600 push-ups, and 900 squats in one day), and why he's about to embark on a birthday challenge he himself admits is "not a good idea even for me." If you've ever wondered what drives someone to celebrate another year on the planet with intentional suffering, this solo episode pulls back the curtain on mental toughness, tribute workouts, and the intersection of physical challenge and meaningful remembrance.
What Are CrossFit HERO Workouts?
CrossFit HERO and tribute workouts are challenging workouts posted at crossfit.com since 2005 meant to honor the memories of CrossFit service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and exemplary members of the CrossFit community who are no longer with us. The most well-known is Murph, named for Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was part of Operation Red Wing.
Who is Tom Rowland?
Tom Rowland is the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast and a dedicated CrossFit athlete who has completed extreme birthday challenges including triple Murph workouts. He turns 53 this year and uses Physical Friday episodes to share fitness experiments and mental toughness challenges with his audience.
This episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast is brought to you by Star brite. The same commitment to excellence that drives Tom's birthday challenges applies to maintaining your boat and gear. Star brite delivers marine care products that help anglers and outdoor enthusiasts keep their equipment in peak condition.
The Summer of Five-Day Challenges
Tom kicks off this episode by explaining the overarching theme of the entire summer: five-day physical and nutritional challenges designed to help listeners experiment with their own bodies and minds. The approach is inspired by Bruce Lee's philosophy to "absorb what is useful, discard the rest, add in what is uniquely your own." From drinking a gallon of water daily to ensuring eight hours of sleep for five consecutive nights, each challenge comes with a simple instruction: keep a journal, notice how you feel, and make informed decisions about what works for your body. Tom specifically calls out the Joe Hippen Steel stretching program as "incredibly popular" with listeners still texting him about the benefits weeks later. The methodology is simple: try something consistently for five days, give it a real chance, and then decide whether it becomes part of your routine or gets discarded. Tom explains the full five-day challenge philosophy at 00:01:00.
Why This Week Is Different
Tom makes a critical distinction: this particular Physical Friday isn't like the others. While previous challenges were designed to be beneficial experiments that anyone could adopt, this week's challenge is "probably not going to be beneficial to anyone including me." He reveals that every year on his birthday, he selects a physical challenge to complete, and in past years he's done things like triple Murph—running three miles total, completing 300 pull-ups, 600 push-ups, and 900 squats in one day. He recounts telling his daughter about celebrating his birthday this way, and her puzzled response: "But dad, no one is going to come to your party." Tom admits she was "kind of right" but some people did join him anyway. This year, as he turns 53, he's chosen something different, something he describes as both a mental and physical challenge rather than a nutritional experiment. The moment Tom reveals why this challenge is different starts at 00:02:30.
Hear Tom explain his extreme birthday tradition and why even his daughter thought it was a bad idea
Five HERO Workouts in Five Days
Tom announces his birthday challenge: one CrossFit HERO workout for five consecutive days. He makes it clear this approach is "not really suggested" and if listeners want to send him a birthday text at 305-930-7346 without participating, he's "perfectly fine with this." He explains that CrossFit has hundreds of HERO and tribute workouts available at crossfit.com, each one named for a service member who made the ultimate sacrifice or an exemplary CrossFit community member no longer with us. Tom emphasizes two key motivations: paying tribute to those people and confronting workouts that are intentionally difficult and challenging. He admits that some of these workouts are "literally outside of my capabilities" and require scaling, but when he chooses to do a HERO workout, he tries to do it as written because "it is supposed to be challenging and supposed to be hard." His plan is to start Monday and complete one each day through Friday, finishing by Tuesday if you start on Friday, or by the following Friday if you begin on Monday. Tom breaks down the full five-day HERO workout challenge at 00:05:15.
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SubscribeThe Mindset Community Text Thread
Tom closes the episode by inviting listeners to join his text community at 305-930-7346, the same number where birthday wishes are welcome. He specifically mentions the Mindset community feature: text the word "mindset" (M-I-N-D-S-E-T) and every Monday at 9:10 AM, you'll receive "in 400 characters or less a little quote and a little commentary on that quote." Tom notes this text series has been "very popular" with a lot of people joining, and he hopes listeners are getting something valuable from it. He signs off with a slightly ominous but playful note: "We'll see you next week if I make it. I'll be 53 by then and have five hero workouts under my belt." It's a fitting end to an episode about intentional challenge, meaningful tribute, and the intersection of birthday celebration with physical suffering. Tom's invitation to the Mindset text community happens at 00:08:45.
Don't miss this one.
Tom's raw honesty about why he celebrates birthdays this way is worth hearing.
Key Takeaways
- Tom has spent the entire summer creating five-day physical and nutritional challenges based on Bruce Lee's philosophy to absorb what's useful, discard the rest, and add what's uniquely your own.
- Every year on his birthday, Tom chooses an extreme physical challenge—in past years he's completed triple Murph workouts involving three miles of running, 300 pull-ups, 600 push-ups, and 900 squats in one day.
- This year at age 53, Tom is doing five consecutive CrossFit HERO workouts—one per day for five days—to honor fallen service members, even though he admits it's "probably not going to be beneficial to anyone including me."
- CrossFit HERO workouts have been posted at crossfit.com since 2005 to memorialize service members and community members who made the ultimate sacrifice—there are now hundreds of these tribute workouts available.
- Tom's daughter once asked him "But dad, no one is going to come to your party" when he explained his birthday challenge tradition, and he admits she was kind of right.
- The Mindset text community sends out a quote and commentary every Monday at 9:10 AM in 400 characters or less—text "mindset" to 305-930-7346 to join.
- Tom emphasizes that if you choose to attempt this challenge, you're doing so at your own risk and on your own volition—he's not advocating that others follow this particular birthday tradition.
Final Thoughts from Tom
I've got to be honest with you—this is one of those episodes where I'm laying out exactly what I'm about to do, fully aware it might not be the smartest decision I've ever made. But that's kind of the point. Birthdays aren't just about cake and candles for me. They're about marking another year on this planet with something that demands everything I've got, something that connects me to people who gave everything they had.
The five-day challenge format we've been running all summer has been incredible. I've heard from so many of you about the Joe Hippen Steel stretches, the hydration experiments, the sleep protocols. Those are designed for you to adopt and keep. This one? This is personal. But I'm sharing it because maybe there's something in here about how we choose to challenge ourselves, how we pay tribute to others, and why sometimes the best birthday present is just showing up and doing something hard.
If you want to text me happy birthday at 305-930-7346, I'd love to hear from you. If you want to join the Mindset community and get those Monday morning messages, text "mindset" to that same number. And if you decide to tackle a HERO workout or two this week, I salute you. Either way, this one's worth listening to the whole thing. I'll see you next week—if I make it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CrossFit Murph workout?
Murph is a CrossFit HERO workout named for Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL from Operation Red Wing. The workout consists of running one mile, completing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats, then running another mile. Tom has previously done triple Murph on his birthday, multiplying all those numbers by three.
Where can I find CrossFit HERO workouts?
CrossFit HERO and tribute workouts are posted at crossfit.com, where they've been available since 2005. There are hundreds of workouts honoring fallen service members and exemplary CrossFit community members who are no longer with us. Each workout includes information about who the workout is named for and why.
What are Tom Rowland's five-day summer challenges?
Tom has been running five-day physical and nutritional challenges throughout the summer, including drinking a gallon of water daily, getting eight hours of sleep for five consecutive nights, and completing the Joe Hippen Steel stretching program. The philosophy is to try something consistently for five days, keep a journal, and decide what works for your body based on the Bruce Lee principle of absorbing what's useful and discarding the rest.
How old is Tom Rowland turning on this birthday?
Tom Rowland is turning 53 years old. He mentions that by the time listeners hear the next week's episode, he'll be 53 and will have five HERO workouts under his belt, assuming he makes it through the challenge.
How do I join Tom's Mindset text community?
Text the word "mindset" (M-I-N-D-S-E-T) to 305-930-7346. Every Monday at 9:10 AM, you'll receive a quote and commentary in 400 characters or less. Tom says this community has been very popular with many people joining and getting value from the Monday morning messages.
Related Episodes
Tom mentions this as one of the most popular five-day challenges of the summer, with listeners still texting about the benefits weeks later.
One of the summer's five-day nutritional challenges Tom references in this episode.
Another summer challenge focused on recovery and performance through consistent sleep.
Tom references Bruce Lee's principle of absorbing what's useful, discarding the rest, and adding what's uniquely your own throughout this episode.
Sponsors
The same commitment to excellence that drives Tom's birthday challenges applies to maintaining your boat and gear. Star brite delivers marine care products trusted by serious anglers.
SHOP STAR BRITETrusted marine hardware and accessories for anglers who demand reliability on the water.
SHOP DANCOPremium supplements to fuel your training and recovery. The nutrition behind Tom's physical challenges.
SHOP 1ST PHORMPerformance nutrition designed for hunters and outdoor athletes who push their limits.
SHOP MTN OPSMilitary-grade gear built for the toughest challenges. Perfect for athletes embracing discomfort.
SHOP GORUCKBruce Lee - Philosopher and martial artist whose principle "absorb what is useful, discard the rest, add in what is uniquely your own" guides Tom's challenge philosophy
Joe Hippen Steel - Creator of the popular stretching program that became one of the summer's most successful five-day challenges
Lieutenant Michael Murphy - Navy SEAL from Operation Red Wing, for whom the Murph CrossFit workout is named
Get the Tom Rowland Podcast Knot Guide - essential fishing knots every angler should know.
Tom Rowland
Tom Rowland is the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast and a dedicated CrossFit athlete who has completed extreme birthday challenges including triple Murph workouts. He turns 53 this year and uses his solo Physical Friday episodes to share fitness experiments, mental toughness challenges, and the disciplines that transfer across fishing and outdoor pursuits. Tom has built a text community at 305-930-7346 where he shares Monday morning mindset messages and connects directly with listeners about their own physical challenges.
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