Is the sled pull harder than the sled push?
It is lighter but far more demanding on grip and upper back, so athletes with weak grip often find it the harder of the two.
What Is a Sled Pull?
A weighted sled dragged towards you hand-over-hand with a rope, from inside a marked box.
In a sled pull the athlete stands inside a marked box holding a rope attached to a loaded sled, and drags the sled towards them hand over hand until it reaches the box. The sled is then walked back out to the start line and the sequence repeats.
Unlike the push, the pull is a posterior-chain and grip event. The body is leaning back against the load rather than driving into it, and the rope work means forearms and grip fatigue quickly.
It is usually performed immediately after the sled push in race formats, over the same 50-metre total distance.
Muscles worked
- Lats, upper back and rear shoulders
- Biceps and forearms through the hand-over-hand rope work
- Glutes and hamstrings holding the braced position
- Grip endurance
How it is judged
- The athlete's feet must stay inside the marked box while pulling.
- The sled must be pulled fully into the box before the athlete walks it back out.
- Competition loads are lighter than the push — commonly around 103 kg for men's open and 78 kg for women's open, including the sled.
Common questions
Do I need special gloves?
No. Most events do not permit gloves at the rope; bare hands are the norm.
Related terms
Want to do it properly, in person?
Knowing the definition is one thing. Pacing it, transitioning between stations and holding form when you're cooked is what our coaches teach in our workshops and race simulations at Fit 4 Life Club, Port Coquitlam.