HYROX Sled Push: Weights, Technique & Training

If you’re training for a HYROX event, the sled push is one of those stations that can either propel you toward a personal best or leave you struggling for the rest of the race. As the second functional workout in a HYROX race, the sled push demands a mix of strength, power, endurance, and smart strategy.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the HYROX sled push – including technique, official weights and distance, and how to train for race day. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro athlete, optimising your approach to this challenging station can shave minutes off your total time. 

Sled Push Troubles

There are a few reasons that the sled push has been known to cause problems for HYROX competitors:

– The flooring (i.e., turf) on which you need to push the sled was presumably manufactured in a factory in Hell. It is especially difficult to push (or pull) a sled on.  It is much more resistant than the flooring found in most gyms, and makes the sled feel MUCH heavier than it actually is. Speaking from personal experience, when training at my gym I need to add an additional 40kg to the sled for it to feel reasonably similar to HYROX race weight (but that will change from gym to gym).

– In some cases, the turf can bunch up a little whilst you are pushing it, thus adding even more resistance.

– The competitor hasn’t trained compromised sled pushing.  Pushing a heavy sled for 50 meters is one thing.  Pushing a heavy sled for 50 meters, having already run a total of 2km, and skied for 1km, is quite another.  You are transitioning from what has, up to that point, been a largely aerobic event, into something that requires a lot more strength and muscular endurance.  This can feel very strange if you haven’t sufficiently trained for it.

– The competitor pushes themselves too hard on the sled push and ruins their legs for the rest of the race.  If you push it quickly, but then collapse on the floor for 5 minutes, that won’t help your finishing time!

The sled push seems to be one of the more important stations to get right at HYROX.  This is because there is a large variability in the range of times we see athletes achieve on the exercise. The times on some other stations – such as the Ski Erg, for example – are relatively concentrated in comparison.  This wide variability suggests that, if you get it right, there is time to be made up here relative to the other competitors. 

HYROX Sled Push Standards

At HYROX, you must cover 50 meters in total with the sled push.  This is split up as 4 lengths of 12.5 meters.

It is the second functional station in a HYROX race.  By the time you reach it you will have run 1km, then completed 1km on the Ski Erg, then run another 1km (plus any time in the “Roxzone”).

When you enter the sled push zone, you must use the lane assigned to you by a judge.  Both the sled and participant must be completely behind the line prior to beginning.  You then push the sled the length of your lane, past the line, walk around the sled, and push it back again.  This process is then repeated so you cover 50m in total.  You can rest at any time during this process if you wish.

Here is a HYROX video covering the sled push standards:

Sled Push Penalties

A racer’s first infringement will result in a formal warning.

A second infringement will result in a 15-second penalty.

Each subsequent infringement will incur an additional 15-second penalty – no further warnings will be issued.

A penalty of 3 minutes will be applied for each missing lane.

HYROX Sled Push Technique

The best HYROX sled push technique allows you to keep the sled moving without exhausting your legs for the remaining six runs and stations. Your body position, hand placement and stride length all affect how efficiently you transfer force into the sled.

Body Position

Lean your body forwards and use your bodyweight to help drive the sled. Your torso will normally need to be relatively low, particularly when getting the sled moving from a stationary position.

If you remain too upright, it can become harder to transfer force horizontally into the sled. However, dropping too low can restrict your stride and make it difficult to maintain momentum. Experiment in training to find a position that allows you to keep driving through your legs while maintaining a strong and controlled posture.

Hand and Arm Position

There are three common ways to position your hands and arms:

• Arms extended with your hands high on the poles

• Elbows bent with your hands around the middle of the poles

• Arms and forearms pressed further down the poles

There is no single position that works best for everybody. Personally, I find that pressing my arms further down the poles gives me the most leverage, particularly when the sled feels heavy. Other athletes prefer bent or straight arms.

Your preferred position may also change during the 50 metres. Moving between positions can alter which muscles are working hardest and help you manage fatigue.

Stride Length and Foot Placement

Short, quick steps can help you generate momentum when starting each length or when the sled is moving slowly. Once it begins moving more freely, you may find that slightly longer strides allow you to cover ground more efficiently.

Avoid reaching too far forwards with each step. This can reduce your traction and make your feet more likely to slip. Focus on driving the ground backwards and keeping your steps underneath your body.

Your footwear matters here. Test your race shoes while pushing a heavy sled to make sure they provide enough grip and hold your feet securely.

Practise Different Techniques

Do not assume that one body position or stride pattern will be best throughout the entire station. Practise changing your hand position, body angle and stride length while the sled is moving.

You should also test your technique when fatigued. A position that feels effective during an isolated sled session may feel very different after two kilometres of running and the SkiErg.

The fastest technique is not necessarily the one that gets you through one length quickest. It is the one that allows you to complete all 50 metres efficiently and still run well afterwards.

The images below show three common arm positions…

Rox Lyfe coach Paul Gillingham briefly discusses different sled push techniques in the below video…

How to Improve Your HYROX Sled Push

To improve your HYROX sled push, you need more than general leg strength. Your training should include heavy sled work, practice at race weight, compromised sessions and single-leg strength exercises.

Train With a Heavy Sled

Heavy sled pushes help build the strength required to get the sled moving and maintain momentum when the turf creates more resistance than expected.

One example session is:

• 6 x 20-metre sled pushes
• Use more than your HYROX race weight
• Start one push every 90 seconds

The correct training weight will depend on your sled and the surface. A gym sled can feel much easier than the same stated weight at a HYROX event, so focus on the effort and resistance rather than trying to match the official weight exactly.

Practice at Race Weight

You should also practice with your approximate race weight. Use these sessions to improve your technique, test different hand positions and learn how hard you can push without exhausting your legs.

Include complete 50-metre efforts where possible, to get used to an actual race distance effort.

Include Compromised Sled Pushes

A sled push feels very different after running and completing another station. Compromised training helps prepare you to push effectively while your heart rate is elevated and your legs are already tired.

A simple session could be:

• Run 500 metres slightly faster than your expected HYROX race pace
• Complete a 30-metre sled push at race weight
• Repeat for four rounds
• Take no planned rest between the run and sled push

Start with fewer rounds or additional recovery if required. The objective is to maintain good technique under fatigue, rather than allowing every round to become slower and less controlled.

You can read more in my guide to compromised HYROX training.

Build Single-Leg Strength

The sled push is effectively a series of forceful single-leg drives. Exercises such as walking lunges, reverse lunges, reverse Zercher lunges, step-ups and Bulgarian split squats can therefore help develop the strength required.

These exercises should support your sled training rather than replace it. Whenever possible, continue practising with a real sled so you can develop the specific technique, footwear grip and pacing required on race day.

Sled Push Alternatives

If you don’t have a sled to train with, then, in addition to the single leg training mentioned above, there are a few options worth considering:

Treadmill

With the treadmill switched off, place your hands on the console in front of you and drive your legs so that the treadmill belt starts to turn over.  Because the treadmill is not switched on, the belt provides resistance and helps to replicate the feeling of a sled push.  Place the treadmill on an incline first to further increase resistance, if desired.

Plate / Kettlebell Push

If you have a floor with enough space and resistance, you can place one hand on each side of either a weighted plate or kettlebell on the floor, in a bent forwards position, and drive your legs to move the weight.

This can be a great alternative to a normal sled push, though adding (or reducing) resistance week by week can be difficult.

Car Push

Perhaps a little unconventional this one, but if you have access to a car, you could place it in neutral and push it like you would with a sled push.  Having a friend inside the car to steer, or brake, if necessary, will help here.  Hopefully this goes without saying but be super careful if you decide to do this.  You certainly don’t want to push it up a slope, somehow slip, and have the car roll back on to you, or end up pushing the car into something or someone.  Do this at your own risk!

Mountain Climbers

The positioning of your body with mountain climbers is very similar to that in a sled push, making it a useful alternative that you can perform pretty much anywhere.  They certainly help to raise your heart rate whilst also engaging your core. That said they don’t put much resistance on your legs, so aren’t a perfect alternative but may be something to incorporate into your training as needed.

Uphill Sprints / Parachute Sprints

Sprinting uphill requires greater amounts of force than normal running, so will have some carry over benefit for a sled push.  If training for HYROX, the sprints can also act as part of your overall running training.

The same can be said with parachute sprints. The parachutes can be bought relatively inexpensively (here’s a good example ) and can be done pretty much anywhere (you don’t even need to find a hill like with the hill sprints!)

Broad Jumps

Broad jumps hit many of the same muscles as a sled push (quads, calves, glutes), and really help to develop your explosive power.  Again, they can be done pretty much anywhere, and will obviously have a very nice carry over benefit to your burpee broad jumps performance in HYROX as well.

Footwear

The correct footwear is very important for HYROX. If you get this area wrong it can drastically increase your time.  Inappropriate footwear for the sled push is a particularly common problem.

The main issue is that people wear footwear that causes their feet to slip when pushing the heavy sled.  This ‘slipping’ could be either the bottom of the footwear slipping on the carpet, or the footwear not being tight enough around the ankle, causing the foot itself to slip out of the trainer.  This latter example is something I’ve personally experienced (fortunately only in training).  Heel lock lacing is something that can sometimes help to resolve this issue.

Be sure to test out your footwear on the sled push in a training session, prior to actually competing in a HYROX event, if possible.  Read this article for more information on the best footwear for HYROX.

Extra Race Day Tips

Leg Strides

I mentioned above about training the sled push with different stride lengths and speeds.  You may have decided by race day that you have a definite preference (in which case you should probably go with that) but if not, using a variety may make sense on race day.  For example, you may do the first length with longer strides, the second length with shorter strides, the third length with longer strides again and then finish with shorter strides. This can help to reduce fatigue in the legs as you hit slightly different muscles with the different stride types.

It’s possible that you may also find, by finishing on the shorter strides, the transition into the run slightly easier / more natural (though don’t get me wrong, it can still feel pretty rough!). This will come down to personal preference and is something to test in training if you get a chance.

Pacing

it’s important to remember that the sled push is just the second station in an eight-station event.  By the time you reach it you’ll likely be only 20% (ish) into your total race time.  If you ruin yourself on the sled push, there is a LONG way still to go.

Bearing this in mind you likely don’t want to get the 50 meters done as quickly as you possibly can. Of course, you don’t want to go too slow, but pushing to your max, and leaving yourself struggling to walk immediately afterwards is not a good tactic. There are no prizes for being the quickest over the sled push! Basically, if you need to have a short rest then do so.   I find that pausing mid way through each length (so pausing atleast every 6.25m) is the best approach for me at Open weights, and sometimes 2 short breaks per length at Pro weight.

Mastering the sled push in HYROX isn’t just about brute force; it’s about smart technique, targeted training, and strategic pacing. By following this guide, you’ll turn this intimidating station into a competitive advantage. Start incorporating these tips today, and watch your HYROX times improve.

To find out more about our coaching programmes to help you smash your next HYROX, visit this page or check out our 12 week training plans (for individuals or doubles).