Sled Pull Training Playbook
The race's grip-killer. Done wrong, it destroys forearms for everything that follows.
Race standards
| Division | Specification |
|---|---|
| Open Men | 103kg sled |
| Open Women | 78kg sled |
| Pro Men | 153kg sled |
| Pro Women | 103kg sled |
Distance: 50m
What good looks like
Peer benchmark times by performance level and division. Shown as total time at the station.
| Division | Elite | Competitive | Average | Beginner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Men | 2:13 | 2:36 | 2:50 | 3:33 |
| Open Women | 2:13 | 2:36 | 2:50 | 3:33 |
| Pro Men | 2:39 | 3:08 | 3:24 | 4:15 |
| Pro Women | 2:39 | 3:08 | 3:24 | 4:15 |
Top 3 limiters
The biggest reasons athletes are slow at this station. Fix these in order.
Pulling with bent arms
Starting each pull from a bent elbow position uses biceps and forearms. Always start arms straight, drive the hips back, then let the arms finish the rep.
Narrow stance
Feet too close together collapses the back. Wide athletic stance — feet wider than shoulder-width, knees bent — keeps the back flat and recruits glutes.
Running the rope
Walking backwards with the rope instead of pulling hand-over-hand is a no-rep risk and wastes 5–10 seconds. Stand still, pull the sled to you.
Key sessions
The 4 sessions that build sled pull fitness most efficiently. Layer these into the recommended training plan below — at minimum one per week.
Sled volume
45 minAfter warm-up: 4×25 m sled push at race weight (152 kg M / 102 kg W) with 90 s rest, 4×25 m sled pull at race weight (103 kg M / 78 kg W) with 90 s rest. Builds technique under fatigue.
Upper-body & pull strength
55 minStrict pull-ups 4×AMRAP, bent-over row 4×8, push press 4×5, lat pull-down 3×10, biceps curl 2×12, face pulls 3×15. Strengthens posterior chain for sled pull, row, and ski.
Carry & grip circuit
35 minAfter warm-up, 4 rounds of: 50 m heavy farmer carry (race weight + 4 kg per hand) → 30 s dead hang → 60 s rest. Finish with 2×40 m suitcase carry per side. Targets the grip endurance that fails on station 6 of a real race.
2 km row test
20 min10 min progressive warm-up, then 2 km on the Concept2 RowErg as a single hard effort. Track the time monthly. Sub-7:30 men / sub-8:15 women correlates with sub-90 Hyrox row splits at race pace. Cool-down 5 min easy.
Drill tips
Grip rotation
Alternate which hand leads each set in training so neither forearm fatigues faster than the other on race day.
Reset stance every 2 m
As the sled approaches, step back and re-establish the wide stance. Don't shuffle your feet inwards — bad position kills the next pull.
Pre-fatigued pulls
Add 4×25 m sled pulls after a heavy lat session once a week. Builds the grip-while-tired durability that race day demands.
Common no-reps
- Crossing the athlete's line before sled is fully in zone
- Running with the rope instead of pulling hand-over-hand
Combine with these training plans
The plans below already weave the key sessions into a balanced week-by-week build. Pick the one that matches your goal time or schedule.
12-Week Hyrox Training Plan
The complete 12-week build to a Hyrox race. The longest plan most amateurs benefit from — anything more becomes diminishing returns.
Sub-1:30 Hyrox Training Plan
Break 1 hour 30 minutes — top 25-30% of Open Men. The first true 'good time' threshold most Hyrox athletes target.
Read more
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