How far should you push the sled when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 4 to 6 pushes of 15 to 20 yards at a light to moderate load, resting until your breathing settles between pushes. Add distance or a round before you add weight, since a heavier sled changes your body angle and technique more than extra yardage does.

What can you do instead of the sled push without a sled?

Pushing a loaded shopping cart, a car in neutral with a spotter, or a heavy piece of furniture across a smooth floor trains a similar low, driving push pattern. Without anything to push, a set of walking lunges or a hill sprint targets similar leg drive.

What is the sled push good for?

Loaded heavy it builds raw leg strength and drive with almost no eccentric stress on the joints, and loaded light and moved fast it becomes brutal conditioning, which makes it useful for athletes and general trainees alike. It is a poor choice if you have a knee that cannot tolerate a deep, sustained forward lean, since the position stays loaded the entire push.

Intermediate

Sled Push

The sled push is a rare conditioning tool that builds leg power and drive while barely stressing the joints, since there is no eccentric to absorb. Loaded heavy it is strength work; loaded light and moved fast it becomes brutal cardio for the quads, glutes, and calves. It is a favorite finisher for athletes and general trainees alike.

Equipment: Sled
Body part: Glutes, Quads
Type: Cardio, Functional
Browse by muscle: Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Gluteus Maximus
Browse by movement: Carry

How to do it

1
Grip the sled posts, either high for a taller angle or low for more drive.
2
Set your arms nearly straight and lean into the sled with a braced core.
3
Drive one foot hard into the ground and extend the leg fully to push off.
4
Take powerful, choppy steps, staying low and leaning forward.
5
Keep the sled moving continuously rather than stopping and restarting.
6
Push for the set distance, then rest and reload as needed.

Tips

Lean into the sled with straight arms so the legs, not the arms, do the driving.
Fully extend each leg on push-off to get maximum drive per step.
Keep the steps short and powerful; overstriding kills your momentum.

Variations

Common mistakes

Standing too upright behind the sled instead of leaning into it lets the sled's resistance pull you backward instead of your weight helping drive it forward.
The push stalls into a stop-and-start rhythm between steps instead of one continuous drive, and restarting a stopped sled from a dead stop takes far more effort than keeping it rolling.
Gripping high on the posts when the sled is loaded heavy raises the body angle and trades away the extra drive the low grip is there to provide.
The core brace loosens halfway through the push, letting the low back round forward as fatigue sets in and the sled starts to feel heavier.

Frequently asked

How far should you push the sled when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 4 to 6 pushes of 15 to 20 yards at a light to moderate load, resting until your breathing settles between pushes. Add distance or a round before you add weight, since a heavier sled changes your body angle and technique more than extra yardage does.
What can you do instead of the sled push without a sled?: Pushing a loaded shopping cart, a car in neutral with a spotter, or a heavy piece of furniture across a smooth floor trains a similar low, driving push pattern. Without anything to push, a set of walking lunges or a hill sprint targets similar leg drive.
What is the sled push good for?: Loaded heavy it builds raw leg strength and drive with almost no eccentric stress on the joints, and loaded light and moved fast it becomes brutal conditioning, which makes it useful for athletes and general trainees alike. It is a poor choice if you have a knee that cannot tolerate a deep, sustained forward lean, since the position stays loaded the entire push.

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