Is The Sled Your HYROX Weakness? Try This Workout
Of all the stations in HYROX, the sled push and the sled drag have always seemed slightly out of place to me. Sled work is not only one of the more difficult things to practice outside of specialist gyms (although more and more gyms are integrating sled tracks, thanks in part to the rise of HYROX). But, in my opinion the weights are also considerably heavier relative to the other loaded stations such as the lunges and farmers carries. This is far from a nitpick, I think it’s great— and even vital— that at least one of the stations tests athletes’ brute strength, and a low skill piece of apparatus like the sled is the perfect tool for that job.
If you’re struggling with the sled weight, especially after 2km or 3km of running and a thousand metres worth of skiing, you need to build two things: raw strength, and the ability to apply that strength under fatigue. We’ve put together just the workout you need for both.
A combination of heavy and explosive squat work, followed by a hybrid conditioning piece, mashing up running and increasingly heavier sled drills. Factor this workout into your training, seeking to push heavier and harder each week, to turn your performance on the HYROX sled stations from pitiful to PB.
HYROX Sled Workout
Part One:
Perform a set of 5 jumps immediately before every set of squats. Add weight to squats each round, aiming for a heavy 5 reps. Rest for 1-3 minutes between rounds, taking longer as the weight builds.
A) Jump squats for maximum height x 5
Lean slightly forward as you drop into a quarter squat (A), then explode up, jumping as high as you can (B). Cushion your landing with bent legs, then sink immediately back into another squat and repeat. Aim for the maximum possible height you can achieve on each and every rep, even if that means pausing for a quick breath. We’re looking to produce power here, not simply go through the motions.
B) Build to the heaviest possible 5 rep box squat over 5-6 sets
Unrack a barbell from a squat, resting it across the meaty part of your traps. Take a few steps back until you’re straddling your box or bench (A). Push your hips back and bend at the knees, slowly squatting down until you lightly touch the bench (B). Keep your torso upright and stand up explosively.
Part Two:
Perform 5 rounds of the following circuit as quickly as possible (with good form), adding weight to sled each round, aiming to reach near to your prescribed HYROX weight, or building towards that weight one week at a time.
A1. Sled Push x 15- 20m
Grab the handles of a sled and lean in. Get low, your torso almost parallel to the ground (A). Drive the sled by marching forward, as the weight creeps up, take smaller steps to generate more power (B). Try not to lose momentum once you start a length. Begin with around 2 x 20kg plates on the sled, add additional weight each round.
A2. Sled arm-over-arm pull x 15-20m
Once you’ve covered your sled push distance, pull the sled back with a rope, standing still and pulling arm-over-arm. As sled gets heavier you make need to switch to a technique where you take a few steps backwards, dragging the sled, before stepping forward and resetting. But remember, on race day you will only have a small box to do this in, so train accordingly.
A3. Run 400m
Cover 400m as quickly as possible between each round. If you can’t get a treadmill near enough to your sled, or can’t get outside to run, sub in a legs only bike effort, or perform 30-40 burpees. Whatever you do, do it as quickly as safely possible, while focussing on your breathing to help you recover before the next round of sled work.
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