Sled Pull
Walking backward while dragging a loaded sled by straps or handles, staying in a quarter squat so your quads do most of the work.
- Primary muscles
- Quads, Glutes
- Secondary
- Calves, Hamstrings, Upper back, Forearm flexors
- Logged as
- Session: time, plus what the machine shows, such as distance and calories
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
Backward sled pulls work your quads with no lowering phase, so they cause little soreness and are easy on the knees, which makes them popular for conditioning and for finishing a leg session. You can push them as hard intervals or keep them steady. Progress is easy to see: the same number of lengths with a heavier sled is a clear step forward. Keep the straps taut and your steps short.
How to do it
Load the sled, enter the load and the length of your lane, and hold the straps or handles attached to it with straight arms.
Sit back into a quarter squat and walk backwards with short steps, pushing the floor away through the balls of your feet.
Keep your chest up, your arms straight and the straps taut; look over your shoulder now and then to stay in your lane.
Tap once for every length you finish. A heavier sled for the same lengths counts as progress.
Common mistakes
Bending the arms
Pulling with bent arms turns it into a row. Keep your arms straight and let your legs move the sled.
Standing tall
Upright steps take the work away from your quads. Sit back into a quarter squat.
Taking long steps
Long strides lose traction and jerk the sled. Take short steps and push through the balls of your feet.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
