The Terminal List Star Chris Pratt Repeatedly Did CrossFit’s Murph to Prepare for Gritty Series
Chris Pratt’s new series, “The Terminal List,” hit Amazon on July 30 and put him in the shoes of a Navy SEAL. In order to truly prepare for this role, Pratt did some intense training which included repeated attempts at The Murph Challenge.
The details: Former Navy SEAL Jared Shaw, who plays Ernest “Boozer” Vickers, told Men’s Health for the cover story that Pratt had to be in “combat shape” to play the show’s main character. He needed to be able to drag a body, sprint while in full kit, seamlessly switch weapons platforms, and do close quarters combat while wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.
- Shaw noted that Pratt did Murph several times over the course of training to prepare for this role. The actor also made Men’s Health writer Mickey Rapkin do it as well as part of the cover story interview process.
An annual tradition: Tackling The Murph Challenge numerous times is not something that Pratt did solely for his role as a Navy SEAL. He has done the Hero workout over the years with a variety of companions, including John Krasinski from Amazon’s “Jack Ryan” series.
- Sometimes Pratt works out in a group, other times he does Murph in a hotel gym while on the road. One attempt took place in a farmhouse in Georgia as Pratt filmed “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
- The 2019 iteration of the Murph Challenge took place at Unbreakable Performance. Pratt joined forces with Shaw, NFL insider Jay Glazer, former Green Beret Nate Boyer, multiple retired NFL players, and many others as they all tested themselves.
Other CrossFit workouts: The Men’s Health cover is not the first time that Pratt has discussed his workout routine and the use of CrossFit-style movements. He also discussed this during a 2017 interview with Men’s Fitness.
- Pratt, who was promoting “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” at the time, took part in a cover shoot that featured him upside down on a plyo box. Pratt also detailed some of the movements that he had relied on since wrapping the superhero film and easing back on straight-up weightlifting.
- The article noted that Pratt opted for “more straight conditioning, like high-intensity interval training and CrossFit-style moves.” This included CrossFit, Tabata workouts, hot yoga, and workouts featuring medicine balls and battle ropes.
Made for the role: “The Terminal List” is an Amazon series based on the book of the same name. Written by former Navy SEAL Jack Carr, “The Terminal List” follows Reece as he copes with the death of his entire team and exacts revenge on those responsible.
- Carr has stated numerous times since releasing “The Terminal List” that he wrote the book with Pratt as the only person he would want to see portray Reece in a series or film.
- The Amazon series covers the first book, but there is room for more episodes. Carr has written four others that follow Reece and the consequences of his actions, which would put Pratt back in Reece’s shoes and force him to continue this training style.
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