Sled Push

intermediate · locomotion

Setup

Load the pushing sled to the desired weight. Stand behind it in an athletic stance, leaning your body forward, arms extended and gripping the handles firmly.

Execution

Brace your core, keep your back flat, and keep your shoulders ahead of your hips for the whole set.
Exhale and push the floor away with your whole foot to drive the sled forward.
Focus on extending the hips and knees powerfully with each step to work the posterior chain.
Keep the steps even and continuous, without letting the sled stop partway.
One trip is 15-20 meters, about 20-30 seconds of continuous work, with 90 seconds of rest before the next; if the load slows your steps right down, take weight off rather than lengthening the trip.
Push for the full planned distance, then release the handles, stand up and rest.

Breathing

Breathe hard and steady with your pushing rhythm, never holding your breath. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or you are pregnant, do not hold your breath at all: exhale on every step and lighten the sled. Chest tightness, dizziness or unusual shortness of breath means stopping right away.

Quick cues

Shoulders ahead of the hips.
Push the floor away with the whole foot.
Extend the hips and knees hard each step.
Steps even, no stopping partway.
Elbows locked straight the whole way.

Common faults

Fault: Standing too upright, weakening the push
Fix: Lean the body forward more, with the shoulders past the hips.
Fault: Taking overly long strides, breaking the continuous push
Fix: Shorten the steps and increase the cadence to keep the push steady.
Fault: Tensing the shoulders and neck while pushing
Fix: Relax the neck and let the power come from the legs and hips, with the arms just steering.
Fault: Loading so heavy the sled barely moves
Fix: Reduce the load to a level that still allows continuous stepping.

Equipment

sled

Muscle groups

legs, calves, glutes, chest, arms