There's a moment in almost every first HYROX race when someone puts their hands on the sled, pushes with everything they've got and the sled doesn't move. It's not a lack of strength. It's position.
The sled push and sled pull are the second and third HYROX stations, right after the SkiErg. They come early in the race, while you still have energy, so it's very easy to spend more there than you should. The legs that come off the sled are the same ones that will run another five kilometres and do the other five stations.
Here you'll find the official rules, the sled weight for each division, the technique that gets it moving and the mistakes that cost the most time.
What the sled push and sled pull are
Both stations use a sled on a 12.5 m lane, but they ask very different things of your body.
- Sled push: you push the sled over 50 metres, split into four 12.5 m lengths. You reach the end of the lane, switch sides and push it back.
- Sled pull: you stand still in a marked area at the end of the lane and pull the sled towards you with a rope, hand over hand. It's also 50 metres in four 12.5 m segments: when the sled arrives, you run to the other end of the lane and pull again.
The push is mostly legs, with the torso transferring the force. The pull is back, arms and grip, with the legs and hips helping. If you want to see how these two fit into the eight, the guide to the HYROX stations walks through the whole race, station by station.
How much the sled weighs in each division
The official rulebook for the 26/27 season gives the weights including the sled. In other words, the number is the total you'll move, not just the plates on top.
| Station | Women Open | Open men | Pro women | Men Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sled push (50 m) | 102 kg | 152 kg | 152 kg | 202 kg |
| Sled pull (50 m) | 78 kg | 103 kg | 103 kg | 153 kg |
Pro women move the same weight as Open men, at both stations. And the sled pull is lighter than the push, which doesn't make it easier: pulling with your arms tires you in a different way.
The weights for every station, and how to choose between Open and Pro, are explained in the article on the official HYROX weights. Here we'll stick to the sled.
The rules that cost you time, according to the rulebook
Some people lose time on the sled because they don't know the rules, and that's the easiest time to save. These are the rules from the official 26/27 individual rulebook.
On the sled push
- The lane is assigned by a judge, and you must use it.
- You and the sled must be completely inside your starting area before you begin.
- You and the sled have to stay in your lane, without interfering with the one next to you.
- The whole sled has to cross the 12.5 m mark before you change direction. If any part falls short, you can't turn yet.
On the sled pull
- You start with the sled and yourself completely behind the white line.
- You're always standing. Pulling while seated or kneeling is not allowed.
- You stay inside the marked work area at the end of the lane, which the rulebook calls the Racers Box, and you can't step on the solid front or back line while holding the rope.
- The rope stays inside your lane. It can go out the back, but it can't get in the way of the lane next to you.
- The whole sled must cross the 12.5 m line, and only then do you run to the other side and pull it back.
What happens when you break a rule
At both stations the protocol is the same: the first fault gets a warning, the second a 15-second penalty, and every fault after that adds another 15 seconds, with no further warnings. Leaving a segment unfinished is more serious: in the penalty table of the 26/27 rulebook it counts as an incomplete station, with disqualification.
A useful detail: chalk is allowed on the sled pull (and on the farmer’s carry), but only what the organisers put at the station. Bringing your own or using it at other stations gets you a penalty.
The rest of what happens at the venue, from the entry arches to the roxzone, is in the article on how a HYROX race works.
Sled push technique: low, short and without stopping
The hardest part is not keeping the sled moving, it is getting it moving again after you stop. Everything that follows serves that idea.
Choose your arm position to suit your body. With straight arms, the force from your legs goes straight into the sled, but your shoulders and core work harder. With bent arms, your chest stays close to the handles and your torso almost parallel to the floor, which gives stability to anyone with less upper-body strength. Try both and stick with the one that lets you push longer without stopping.
Drop your hips and lean your body. If you're too upright, the force goes upwards instead of forwards. The line from your feet to your hands should be almost a straight diagonal.
Short, quick steps. Long strides look more efficient but aren't: you lose your base and the sled slows down between each one. Think about pushing the floor back with the front of your foot, step after step.
Look down, slightly ahead of your feet. It helps keep your back neutral and stops you lifting your trunk when fatigue kicks in.
At the turn, don't rest standing up. When the sled crosses the mark, turn around, set your hands and go. The seconds you spend standing still catching your breath at the end of each length add up four times.
Sled pull technique: legs first, arms second
The most common mistake on the sled pull is pulling with your arms only. By the second segment your forearms are already pumped, and the rope starts slipping through your hands.
Use your whole body. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and lean your weight back with each pull, as if sitting on a chair that isn't there. Your legs and hips provide the drive, your arms finish the movement.
Hand over hand, with rhythm. Long, steady pulls pay off more than short, frantic tugs, and a strong start that dies halfway isn't worth it.
Step back inside the area. You can move backwards while you pull, as long as you stay inside the Racers Box and don't step on the front or back line with the rope in your hands. This is where you gain length on every pull, and it's where most people get a warning for stepping on the line without noticing.
Manage the rope. Let it fall behind you, not at your feet, where it gets tangled around your legs.
Run to the other side. When the sled crosses the line, the transition to the other end of the lane also counts towards your time. This is no time to walk.
The five most costly mistakes on the sled
- Going straight from the SkiErg into the sled. The SkiErg tires your arms and torso, and the push that follows needs a solid torso. The first metres of the sled are done with control, not anger.
- Stopping mid-segment. If you really have to stop, do it at the end, once the sled has crossed the mark. Starting again in the middle of the lane is the most costly part.
- Upright torso on the push. The force goes to the wrong place and the sled slows down.
- Pulling only with your arms on the pull. It works on the first segment and makes you pay on the third.
- Forgetting the race goes on. After the sled pull there are still five stations and five kilometres of running to go. A sled done at 100% rarely pays off over the rest of the race.
How to train the sled, even before you think about racing
You don't only train the sled on the sled.
Base strength. Squats, deadlifts, lunges and rows give you the strength you then apply on the sled. In our CrossFit classes in Figueira da Foz these movements come up week after week, with your technique corrected by the coach.
Technique with light load. At first, the goal is to find the position, not to move race weight. A load that lets you push and pull without stopping is the right load to learn with.
Sled with running. The strangest feeling in HYROX is running on heavy legs after the sled. Training sled segments followed by running gets your body used to that transition, which will come up in the race.
Progression in phases. Technique first, then volume, and only then the weight for your division. The HYROX training plan shows how this is organised over the weeks.
If your upper body is your weak point, it's also worth reading the SkiErg tips, since that's the station that comes right before and the one that most tires the arms that will then pull the rope.
Quick questions
Does the HYROX weight include the sled?
Yes. The official rules state the sled push and sled pull weights with the sled included.
Can I do the sled pull sitting down?
No. The rulebook says you must be standing at all times, and pulling while seated or kneeling isn't allowed.
Which is harder, the push or the pull?
It depends on where your strength lies. People with strong legs usually suffer more on the pull; those with a strong back and grip suffer more on the push. Training is how you find out which one is yours.
Training the sled at Revolution
At Revolution, in Buarcos, the sled is part of the HYROX classes and also shows up in CrossFit workouts. We have six sleds, which lets us work push and pull in a group, with the coach correcting everyone's position. If you want to know what a session is like from the inside, the article on what a HYROX class is like tells you everything, from the warm-up to the end.
You don't need to have done HYROX before. The first class is free and requires no experience. See the class timetable, the prices and, if you have any questions, talk to us.
Will you try the sled in a class this week?
