Intermediate

Sled Rope High Pull

This variation turns the arm-over-arm sled pull into an upright-row pattern, driving the elbows high on each grab to build the upper traps and lateral delts under conditioning fatigue. The fast, punchy pulls also train grip and add a power element to a sled circuit. Keep the elbows leading and the pace brisk.

Equipment
Rope, Sled
Body part
Shoulder, Traps
Type
Cardio, Strength
Browse by movement
Shoulder Raise
Muscles worked
Target
Trapezius Upper, Deltoid Middle, Deltoid Anterior
Secondary
Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head, Trapezius Middle
Tertiary
Brachioradialis, Erector Spinae, Deltoid Posterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Attach a rope to the sled and face it holding one end in each hand.

  2. 2

    Set an athletic stance with knees soft and core braced.

  3. 3

    Pull one hand up high toward your chin, driving the elbow above the wrist.

  4. 4

    Reach forward quickly with the other hand and rip it up the same way.

  5. 5

    Keep alternating fast, stepping back to maintain tension as the sled slides in.

  6. 6

    Breathe steadily and keep the pulls sharp and high the whole set.

Tips

  • Drive the elbow higher than the hand on each pull to load the traps.
  • Stay in your stance and avoid rocking the torso to cheat the pull.
  • Keep the cadence quick so the traps and delts stay under continuous tension.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The reach forward turns into a step toward the sled, which gives back the tension you built a moment earlier before the next pull has even started.
  • Both hands haul at once like a tug of war, and the alternating rhythm that keeps the traps working without a break disappears.
  • The wrists curl up as each elbow drives, so the forearms fail first and the round ends on grip rather than on the traps.
  • Once the rounds add up the knees straighten and the stance disappears, leaving the low back to absorb each pull instead of the hips.

Frequently asked

How long should a round of sled rope high pulls be?
Set the sled 15 to 20 meters out and treat pulling it all the way in as one round. Four to six rounds, resting as long as it takes to walk the sled back and lay the rope out, is a full session of this. Load it light enough that the rope never stops moving, and add rounds before you add plates, since a heavy sled forces the elbows down and turns the drill into a row.
What can I do instead of sled rope high pulls if there is no sled?
Run a rope over a pull-up bar with a loaded bag on the other end and pull it up hand over hand with high elbows; the continuous alternating load is the part you are copying. A single-arm cable high pull alternated for time is the machine version, though you give up most of the grip work the rope brings.
What are sled rope high pulls good for?
They build trap, side-delt and grip endurance while the heart rate stays high, and because nothing gets lowered they leave very little soreness behind, which suits finishers and in-season conditioning. They are a poor choice for building trap size, since the load stays light and continuous, and they need both an open lane and a floor the sled will actually slide on.

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