Ryan Murdock

About Coach Murdock

Ryan Murdock is an RMAX Faculty Coach and Senior Editor of RMAX Magazine , the internet’s largest fitness and martial arts publication.

He is the creator and star of the RMAX Powered Bujinkan DVD Series and author of the RMAX Training Group Manual. He has been involved in martial arts for the past 20 years, and strength training for the past 25 years. In 2006 he was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Master Instructor of the Year.

As one of four Faculty Coaches handpicked by RMAX founder Scott Sonnon for his elite Coaching Staff, Murdock has taken a leading role in the research and development of Circular Strength Training® (CST) and RMAX FlowFighting™. He certifies CST Instructors and Coaches, conducts seminars worldwide, and works with a wide range of private clients including athletes, fighters, and international rock stars like Jim Gillette of Nitro, guitar diva Lita Ford, and Steve Kilbey of The Church.

In addition to his work with RMAX, Coach Murdock regularly puts his training to the test in some of the world’s most unforgiving places as a widely published travel writer / explorer. This pursuit has taken him to 42 countries, including Mongolia, Nicaragua, and North Korea, by Russian jeep, motorcycle, dugout canoe, horse and camel. He has a keen interest in marginal regions, in nomadic peoples, and in places where cultures meet and sometimes clash. He is an Associate Editor of Outpost Magazine, Canada’s national travel magazine. In 2006 his article "Taklamakan: The Worst Desert in the World" was nominated for a National Magazine Award in Canada. He is currently hard at work on the first in a string of projected books.

“We often discuss athletics, sports, martial arts, yoga, fitness, health, nutrition, wellness, and other disciplines on our Forum. However, what is hard to get across in text is lifestyle. How we live shapes who we are. If I were to relive my life, I'd follow it in the footsteps of men like Ryan Murdock, one of my heroes and one of my closest confidants. In his short decades on Earth he's seen more of the "real" world than 10 men have by old age. [...] He's one of the most fascinating men I've ever had the honor of training, learning from and "sharing the trail" with.” -Scott Sonnon, RMAX Founder and Director.

"Within the Faculty Coaching Staff, Coach Murdock is considered the most creative when it comes to creating exercises and exercise chains. He also has better stories than the rest of the Staff put together. One usually has to pry these stories out of him, and I'm the one standing next to him with pry bar in hand." - Joseph Wilson, RMAX Faculty Coach, two-time Hall of Fame inductee, full-time Detective for the Shelby County Sherrif's Office, Memphis, TN

"I've had the pleasure of training and conversing with Coach Murdock many times since I attended my first RMAX seminar. Its inspiring to work with Coach Murdock as he brings such a stellar combination of athletic ability, coaching skill, and such a deep conceptual understanding of RMAX principles to each session. These 3 characteristics make Ryan one of those rare people who can always help you to see improvement in the immediate term, short term, and long term. Whether its seeing him demonstrate an exercise with precision, him guiding you through personal challenges with his intuitive understanding of how to craft the best learning experience, or hearing him lay out complex training ideas in simple language so that you understand how to practically apply RMAX methodologies to your own training for your long term success, Ryan always has something unique to bring to the table to make you a better athlete." - Sean Flanagan, CST