Same sled, different test

Part 4 of the Station Masterclass. Previously: running, the SkiErg, and the sled push.

Today: the sled pull, the same sled, same concept as the push, but using your arms, back, and most importantly, your grip. If the sled push is the strength test, the sled pull is the grip test. Get this one wrong and the next three stations all suffer.

The full 8-part series

New parts drop every 2nd day over 14 days. Bookmark the Station Masterclass hub to follow along.

Part 1, Running: The 8km You Can’t Ignore
Part 2, SkiErg: How Not to Blow Your Race in the First 4 Minutes
Part 3, Sled Push: The Station That Stops First-Timers Cold
Part 4, Sled Pull: Stance, Rope, and the Hand-Over-Hand Mistake (you’re here)
Part 5, Burpee Broad Jumps: The Race-Maker Station
Part 6, Rowing: How to Recover Without Losing Time
Part 7, Farmers Carry + Sandbag Lunges: Grip, Legs, and the Point Where You’re Allowed to Cry
Part 8, Wall Balls: The Final Boss

What the station actually is

After the sled push and Run 3, you arrive at the sled pull. You stand at the end of a lane, a long rope attached to a weighted sled ~15m away from you. You pull the rope hand over hand until the sled crosses a marked finish line at your feet. Then you push the sled back to the start, and repeat until you’ve completed two full lanes (total = 50m of pulling).

Race-day weights (sled-only, lighter than the push):

Category	Men	Women
Open	78 kg	48 kg
Pro	118 kg	78 kg

Approximate times (Men’s Open):

Elite: 1:15–1:30
Competitive: 1:45–2:30
Average: 2:30–3:30
Beginner: 3:30–5:00+

The beginner gap here is 2+ minutes, almost entirely explained by grip endurance and stance.

The setup most first-timers get wrong

Before we get into technique, understand the geography:

The sled starts about 15m away from your pull zone.
You stand in a small box (roughly 1m long) marked on the floor, you can’t step forward out of it.
The rope is thick (3–4 cm diameter). You don’t wear it around your body, you hand-over-hand it.
The sled, once it reaches you, has to be pushed back to the start by hand. You walk 15m, push the sled to the starting line, walk 15m back, and begin pulling lane 2.

Most beginner time is lost in two places: inefficient pulling (80% of the problem) and chaotic push-back resets (the other 20%).

Technique: the 6 cues that matter

1. Wide stance, low hips

Your base needs to be stable. Feet slightly wider than shoulder width, toes pointing forward or slightly out, hips low in a partial squat. From this position you can generate force with your legs and back simultaneously.

Narrow stance = you tip forward and get pulled out of the box. Wide stance = you stay planted.

2. Lean back, drive with the legs

The sled pull is a leg-and-back movement, not an arm movement. Think of it as a horizontal deadlift:

Weight shifted slightly back over your heels
Knees bent, hips low
Torso leaned back so you’re using your body weight as counterbalance
Arms straight at the start of each pull, pulling with the elbows, not the biceps

If your biceps and forearms are the first things screaming, you’re pulling with your arms. Reset and drive with your legs.

3. Full pulls, not half pulls

Every pull should bring your hand from full extension (arm out in front, shoulder stretched) all the way to your hip. Pulls that stop at your chest waste movement and force more reps than necessary.

Target: roughly 8–12 full pulls to bring the sled 15m. If you’re doing 20 short grabs, you’re leaving 30% of each pull on the table.

4. Smooth, continuous hand-over-hand rhythm

This is the specific technique that separates experienced athletes from first-timers. The rhythm:

Left hand pulls to hip
As left hand reaches hip, right hand is already reaching forward
Right hand grabs rope at full extension, pulls to hip
As right hand reaches hip, left hand reaches forward
Continuous, no pause between pulls

You’re always in contact with the rope. Always pulling with at least one hand. Never both hands at the same time, never both hands off the rope.

Watch an elite athlete on YouTube, their hand-over-hand looks almost like a dance. That smoothness is what you’re after.

5. Let the rope drop between your legs

Where does the pulled rope go? Between your legs, behind you. Some athletes try to pile it to the side, that pile gets tangled with the remaining rope and costs time. Let it fall naturally behind you as you pull.

6. On the push-back reset: jog, don’t sprint

When the sled reaches you, your job is to push it 15m back to the start line. Most beginners sprint this, then arrive at the start gasping and have to rest before starting lane 2.

Instead: jog the 15m out, push the sled back at a brisk walk, jog the 15m back to the box. You’ll be 5–10 seconds slower in the reset, but you’ll save 30+ seconds by not needing to recover before starting the second pull.

Pacing: the two-lane strategy

The sled pull is basically two 15m efforts with a reset in between.

Lane 1

You’re fresh enough that technique is easy. Don’t go all-out, you have another full lane to do. Target: complete lane 1 in about 40–50% of your total station time, leaving the rest for lane 2 and the reset.

The reset

This is the recovery zone. Jog at 70% effort. Breathe deliberately. Do not stop, but do not sprint either. Think of it as a built-in rest period the race is giving you.

Lane 2

Grip is where this lane is won or lost. By now your forearms are burning. Your form will try to break down. Stay tight:

Wide stance, still
Legs, still
Full pulls, still
Hand-over-hand rhythm, still

You’re fighting to keep lane 2 looking like lane 1. If you can do that, you’re faster than 80% of first-timers.

The 5 biggest sled pull mistakes

1. Narrow stance. You’ll get yanked forward, lose power, and fail to generate any leg drive. Fix: wider than shoulder width, locked in.

2. Arm-pulling. Your biceps fail at 15 metres, leaving 35 metres you can’t finish cleanly. Fix: legs + back, arms are connectors.

3. Half pulls. Short quick grabs feel fast but cost reps. Fix: full extension to full hip contact, every pull.

4. Sprinting the reset. You save 5 seconds and lose 30 seconds recovering. Fix: jog out, brisk-walk the push, jog back.

5. Using gloves for the first time on race day. Every grip-heavy station punishes untested gear. Some athletes use padded gloves or tape for the pull (check event rules, most events allow gloves). Whatever you choose, train with it for 4+ sessions before race day.

How to train the sled pull

The sled pull rewards three specific adaptations: grip endurance, back strength, and technique. All three are trainable in 8 weeks.

Weekly programming

One grip-focused session per week, usually combined with pulling work. See our station training drills for a full weekly template.

Three drills that transfer

Drill A, Race-weight pull sets:

4 × 50m sled pull at race weight
2 minutes rest between sets
Focus: same time and technique on every set

If a sled isn’t available, a heavy rope-pull attached to a weight stack on a cable machine is a reasonable substitute for technique work, though it doesn’t replicate the full race demand.

Drill B, Grip endurance complex:

30 seconds dead hang from a pull-up bar
Immediately: 20 heavy rope-pulls (to chest)
Immediately: 30 seconds farmers hold with heavy dumbbells
Rest 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times.

Builds the specific grip endurance that limits most beginners. Forearms will be trashed, that’s the point.

Drill C, The Pull-then-Run:

1 × 50m sled pull at race weight
Immediately: 400m run at moderate pace
Rest 3 minutes. Repeat 4 times.

Same compromised-running logic as the push: your back and forearms are toast, you need to keep running anyway.

Grip accessories that help

If grip is genuinely your limiter, these train it directly:

Heavy farmers carries: 2 × 24 kg or 2 × 32 kg for 30–60 second holds
Plate pinches: hold two 10 kg plates smooth-side-out between fingers
Dead hangs: 3 × 45 seconds, weighted if you can do a minute unweighted
Rope climbs, if your gym has one, the most specific grip pattern there is

See our gear accessories guide for grip tools worth owning.

Race-day rep scheme

Approach. Finish Run 3 jogging into the pull zone. You want to arrive calm, not gasping.
Step into box. Feet wide. Hips low. Grab rope with both hands at full forward extension. One breath.
Lane 1 pulls (roughly 8–12 full pulls). Smooth hand-over-hand. Eyes on the sled. Don’t pull to exhaustion, you have another lane.
Reset. Sled arrives at your feet. Step forward, grab one upright, jog 15m out, push at brisk walk back to start line, jog 15m back to box. Total reset time: about 25 seconds.
Lane 2 pulls (roughly 10–14 full pulls, slightly more because you’re tired). Same technique. Fight the urge to shorten pulls. Count them if it helps.
Exit. Sled crosses the line. Walk out of the box. Shake out your hands. Jog toward Run 4 within 3 seconds.

Gear notes

Gloves: A light padded workout glove can help protect your palms. Do not use heavy lifting gloves, they ruin your feel. Test whatever you use in training 4+ times.
Chalk: Some events allow chalk at the station. Check event rules. Liquid chalk is allowed more often than block chalk.
Tape: Strategic tape on the palm or fingers can prevent blisters. Test in training.
Shoes: Same as the rest of the race, a stable cross-training/trail-hybrid shoe. See Hyrox shoes guide.

For mid-race fuelling, this station comes late enough that if you’re doing a 90-minute race, you want gel 2 ready in the next 500m, see the gel strategy guide.

What’s next

Part 5, Burpee Broad Jumps: The Race-Maker Station drops Saturday. We’ll cover the step-back burpee, why the jumps don’t need to be huge, and a rep scheme that prevents the dreaded mid-station collapse.

Follow the whole series on the Station Masterclass hub.

← Previous in series · Part 3

Hyrox Sled Push: The Station That Stops First-Timers Cold (Station Masterclass, Part 3)

Next in series · Part 5 →

Hyrox Burpee Broad Jumps: The Race-Maker Station (Station Masterclass, Part 5)

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