Why You Should Be Using a Sled As Part Of Your Training

 

 

If you are looking for an exercise that will give you a lot of bang for you buck, then look no further than the sled push/pull.

Also known as a “prowler,” the sled is a pretty simple tool. It’s a large sled that you can easily load with weight, and it’s meant to slide across turf.There are several versions of the sled. Perhaps the most common one you’ll see includes two posts for handles (which can also be loaded with weight).

The most basic sled push engages a host of muscles. To do a basic sled push, you face the sled, and grasp its handles. Then lean forward slightly. Maintain tension in your back muscles as you do this, and aim to maintain a neutral spine. You don’t want to round your back, but you also don’t want to overarch it, either.

From there, you drive the sled forward, either with arms extended or arms bent.To push the sled forward, you’ll have to really drive with your hamstrings and glutes. Meanwhile, your core will be working overtime, too. Your core will be responsible for transferring all that power from your hamstrings and glutes (and your calves too!) through your torso and into your arms and into the sled. That means your abs, spinal extensors, and obliques will have to put in serious work.

Your upper back muscles will also engage, too, working to keep your upper back straight. That’s lat, trap and rhomboid work. And if you’re doing this with straight arms, you may feel your triceps and deltoid muscles turning on, too.