March 21, 2026, 5:23 pm | Read time: 6 minutes

Origin and History

The roots of sled training go back to early agrarian societies, where heavy sleds were simply used for transporting goods. Later, they were repurposed for strength competitions like the “Tractor Pulls” of the 1920s.

However, the sled only became established as a training device for sports in 2004. Strength coach Joey Batson developed the modern “Prowler” sled at Clemson University in collaboration with Williams Strength—originally designed for football players to improve their hip drive from a low position. From 2005, the device spread worldwide in the strength and athletics scene through mass production.

Techniques and Execution

Proper execution begins with a firm grip, a tense core, and a neutral spine.

Straight-Arm Technique (High Grip)

Arms extended, body at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Well-suited for beginners, but it can put more strain on the shoulders and lower back.

Bent-Arm Technique (Mid Grip)

Arms bent, torso almost parallel to the ground. Allows for tremendous power output with heavy loads, but fatigues the upper body muscles faster.

Full-Contact Technique/The Wheelbarrow

Forearms rest directly on the bars, and hands grasp the poles. Your own body weight is used as a lever, enabling optimal power transfer. Considered the most effective and safest method for advanced users.

Hyrox Tips

The sled push is already the second station in Hyrox—acting wisely here lays the foundation for a strong race. The technique that has proven successful for most athletes is the Full-Contact Technique/Wheelbarrow.

Start as explosively as possible to get the sled moving right away—yet keep an eye on your lactate levels. It’s only the second discipline, so you shouldn’t exhaust yourself completely.

Another point many beginners underestimate: The competition weight feels heavier than in training. Many athletes report that the sled glides much more sluggishly over the competition carpet than usual—a good preparation for this is to occasionally set the training weight slightly higher than the planned competition weight.

Muscles Engaged

Main Muscles

• Quadriceps: Main driver for knee extension
• Gluteus Maximus: key power generator for hip extension
• Hamstrings: support hip extension and stabilize the knee joint
• Calf Muscles: under constant tension when pushing off the forefoot

Auxiliary Muscles

• Core Muscles: keep the upper body stable and ensure that the power from the legs is directly transferred to the sled
• Shoulders, Triceps, and Chest: stabilize the upper body statically
• Hip Flexors and Adductors: support step mechanics and secure the knee with each ground contact

Impact on Sprint Performance and Jump Power

Sprint Performance

A high horizontal impulse force is needed for the crucial acceleration phase in sprinting. This force is excellently trained with the sled push, as the body assumes a forward-leaning posture with the typical push-off—exactly like in a real sprint. The exercise is superior to another popular exercise among sprinters, the squat, because while the force in the squat is vertical, it acts horizontally in the sled push—and thus is much more sprint-specific.

Studies also show that heavy loads of 50 to 75 percent of body weight improve sprint times over short distances more effectively than unweighted sprints.¹ Notably, the “priming” effect also occurs: Just two short, powerful sled sessions over 15 meters can lead to faster sprints the next day.^{2, 3}

“Priming” Effect

The term “priming” originally comes from psychology and describes how a previous stimulus unconsciously influences our perception or behavior.

An everyday example: If you think intensely about a red car, you will suddenly notice red cars everywhere in traffic—even though objectively nothing has changed.

In sports, this principle transfers to the body: A targeted, short load before the actual competition or training “sensitizes” the nervous system for the upcoming performance, making the body more readily available.

Jump Power

Although the sled push is horizontal, there is a significant transfer to vertical jump power. The reason lies in the so-called triple extension—the simultaneous extension of the hip, knee, and ankle—which is intensely trained during the sled push and forms the basis of every explosive jump.

The often underestimated gluteal muscles are also specifically strengthened, playing the most crucial role in jumping, which many underestimate. Furthermore, the previously described “priming” effect also applies to jump power.

More on the topic

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Faster Recovery

Excentric Phase and Concentric Phase

Muscles work in two ways. They can contract and shorten—such as when lifting a weight in a bicep curl—or they can contract and lengthen, meaning they give way in a controlled manner—for example, when slowly lowering the same weight. The former is called the concentric phase, and the latter is known as the eccentric phase. The eccentric phase is the main trigger for muscle soreness and muscle damage because the muscle fibers are stretched under high tension.

In the sled push, the eccentric phase is almost absent.⁴ You push the sled forward, the muscles shorten—done. There is no controlled “giving way.” As a result, the strain on the muscles is significantly gentler, even though the intensity remains high. The body recovers faster, allowing for more frequent and higher volume training.

The Body is Protected

Sled exercises are particularly joint-friendly—and for several reasons. Unlike the squat, where the heavy weight rests directly on the spine, the force in the sled push is horizontal, relieving the lower back muscles by 75 percent.⁵

Additionally, as described in the previous section, the eccentric phase is largely absent, meaning joints and tendons are significantly less stressed. There is also a practical safety advantage: Since the resistance is based on friction, the sled stops immediately when you stop pushing—an uncontrolled drop of the weight, as in free exercises, is not possible.

Finally, the sled push mimics the sprint movement without its joint-straining impacts. You push off powerfully from the ground instead of landing hard. The muscles work in a sprint-specific manner, but the joints are significantly protected.