HYROX® sled push: technique, pacing and how to train it

How heavy is the sled push?

The sled push is 50 m, done as four lengths of 12.5 m. The load includes the sled itself and depends on your division: 102 kg for Open women, 152 kg for Open men and Pro women, and 202 kg for Pro men in the standards Tuffr uses, which match the organiser's 2026/27 rulebook as we compared them on 6 November 2026.

The surface changes how a load feels. The same sled is harder to push on carpet or a staging platform than on a smooth floor, so the number on the table is a floor, not a promise of how it will feel on the day. The full list of loads is in our stations and weights guide.

What are the sled push rules?

A judge gives you a lane and a sled. You and the sled start fully behind the line, you stay in your lane, and the whole sled must cross each 12.5 m line before you turn it around. The station is over when the sled has crossed the final line. Details change by season, so read the rulebook.

• You cannot choose your lane or sled. The judge assigns both.
• Stopping just short of a line costs more time than it saves, because the sled has to be pushed over it anyway.
• In doubles you share the 50 m, and the waiting partner stays behind the working one until the sled is across the line.
• In the current 2026/27 Singles rulebook a first infringement, such as leaving your lane, brings a formal warning and each later one adds 15 seconds. Missing a whole lane is a disqualification for an incomplete station; an earlier version of the same season gave 3 minutes per lane instead.

Our guide to rules and penalties explains how judges count lengths and what a no-rep looks like. The official rulebooks are linked from the organiser's rulebook page, listed in the sources below.

What is the best sled push technique?

Stay low with your weight over or close to the centre of the sled, keep a flat back and a braced core, and take short, quick steps as if you were running up a steep hill. Coaches teach two hand positions. Try both in training and pick one before race day.

• Start like a sprint start: lean in, brace and take firm first steps to get the sled moving.
• Keep your head and torso in line with the centre of the sled and your spine neutral.
• Push forward, not up or down. Force that goes into the floor or the posts does not move the sled.
• Use short steps and push through the toes. Long strides lose traction and make the sled feel heavier.
• Keep breathing. Count steps per length if it helps you stay in rhythm.

Do I push the sled with my legs or my arms?

Mostly with your legs. The drive comes from hips, knees and ankles, and your arms and shoulders pass that force into the sled. Straight arms held high waste energy and add no forward push, so keep them slightly bent or hugging the posts and let your body weight do the work.

Strong legs help, but body position decides how much of that strength reaches the sled, so build both. Our strength training guide covers where lifting fits in the week. These are the lifts the coaching guides we read pair with sled work:

• Front squat, hack squat or leg press for heavy, controlled leg drive.
• Split squats and other single-leg work, because each step is a single-leg push.
• Trap bar deadlift for the hips and the braced position.

How should I pace the sled push?

Push steadily and keep the sled moving, because starting a heavy sled again from a stop costs more than holding it at pace. Aim for a hard but controlled effort, about 7 out of 10 (our recommendation), so that you can still run the next kilometre well. Do not sprint the first length.

• Treat each 12.5 m length as one piece and count your steps to keep the rhythm.
• Use the turn at each line to take a breath, not to rest. A few seconds is enough.
• The sled comes after the SkiErg, so you start it with fairly fresh legs. That is the moment people go out too hard, and it shows in the next run.
• Practise the hand-off from sled to run in training. Compromised running explains how the first minutes after a station feel and how to settle them.

For the effort of the whole race, see our guide to pacing strategy, and use the fitness race time calculator to see what a realistic station time looks like next to your run pace.

What are the most common sled push mistakes?

Most mistakes come from too much upright posture, too much stride and too much effort in the first length. Each makes a heavy sled feel heavier. They are easy to find on video and easy to fix with a few sessions of focused practice at a lighter load.

• Standing too upright, which moves your weight off the sled.
• Long, lunging strides instead of short, quick ones.
• Straight arms held high, or elbows flared wide with the shoulders doing the work.
• Rounding the lower back instead of keeping a neutral spine.
• Going out too hard and fading by the third length.
• Holding your breath under load.
• Wearing shoes that slip on the surface.

How can I train the sled push without a sled?

A sled is best, but you can train the same pattern without one. A powered-off treadmill push, a loaded plate pushed on a smooth floor and heavy leg work cover most of it. None copies the race exactly, so use a real sled for a few key sessions when you can reach one.

What does a sled push training session look like?

Pair the sled with running, because the race does. The session below is our recommendation for one sled-focused day a week in the build phase. Start lighter than race load, add load over several weeks and keep one or two repetitions in reserve on every push.

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with easy jogging, then 2 pushes of 12.5 m with a light load.
2. Technique block: 4 × 12.5 m at about 70 percent of your race load with 30 seconds' rest. Focus on the low position and short steps.
3. Main block: 4 rounds of 400 m at race pace, then 25 m of push at race load, then 90 seconds of rest. Keep the sled moving.
4. Strength finisher: 3 sets of 8 split squats per leg, slow on the way down.
5. Cool down with 5 minutes of easy walking and note the load and how the last push felt.

No sled? Replace step 2 with dead treadmill pushes and step 3 with 25 m plate pushes after each 400 m. Add a second push-focused session only if you recover well, and place sled days away from your hardest run day. Our weekly training structure guide shows where.