How to Sled push: Form, Muscles and Mistakes

What it is

A movement in which you push a weighted sled across the floor. Because it is almost entirely concentric — there is no lowering phase — it builds legs and conditioning with very little muscle damage, so it can be trained hard and often without wrecking the next session.

Muscles worked

Primary: Quadriceps, Glutes. Secondary: Calves, Hamstrings, Core, Shoulders.

How to perform it

Load the sled and take a grip on the high or low handles, with arms straight.
Set your body at a forward lean with a flat back, hips low for a low push or higher for an upright push.
Drive one leg at a time into the floor with powerful, deliberate steps, keeping the arms locked.
Continue for the set distance or time without letting the torso collapse or the steps become short and choppy.

Common form faults

Bending the arms and letting the chest sink towards the handles. Keep the arms straight and locked; they are struts, not levers.
Short, choppy, high-frequency steps. Take longer, more forceful strides. Choppy steps mean the sled is too light for a power emphasis or too heavy for a conditioning one.
Rounding the lower back on a heavy push. Reduce the load and brace; the back should stay flat with the lean coming from the hips and ankles.

Programming

Programmed by distance or time. Heavy and short trains leg drive and strength; lighter and longer is excellent conditioning. Its near-total lack of an eccentric means it produces very little soreness, making it ideal in-season or alongside a heavy programme.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the sled cause so little soreness?

Delayed soreness comes largely from eccentric — lengthening — contractions, and a sled push has almost none. That is why it can be used hard, frequently, without compromising other training.

No sled at my gym. What else?

A treadmill with the motor off, pushed by hand, gives a close approximation. Failing that, heavy walking lunges or a leg press taken to high reps cover some of the same ground.