Hyrox sled push: technique, weights and how to train it (with or without a sled)

The Hyrox sled push is 50 m of pushing a weighted sled, split into four lengths of 12.5 m, and it's the heaviest load in the race: 102 kg to 202 kg including the sled, depending on division. It's station two, straight after the SkiErg and the second kilometer, which is exactly when your legs are least interested in grinding.

Most people lose time here through position, not strength. Below: the official standard, the weights for every division, the technique that actually moves a heavy sled, how to pace four lengths, and how to train it with or without a sled. If you'd rather have it programmed and adjusted when the sled is clearly your weak spot, that's a Hyrox coach that adapts.

What is the Hyrox sled push?

The sled push is the second of the eight hyrox stations. You run 1 km, enter the Roxzone, get assigned a lane by a judge, and push the sled down and back until you've covered four lengths of 12.5 m. Then you run another kilometer and pull a sled.

Because it arrives so early, the sled push is where a lot of first-timers discover they started too fast. Your heart rate is high from the SkiErg and two runs, and now you need maximal leg drive for a minute or several. That's why it belongs in a Hyrox program you can follow from week one, not as a race-week surprise. If the overall format of a Hyrox race is still new to you, start there: eight 1 km runs, eight stations, fixed order.

The official sled push standard

These rules come from the current 26/27 singles rulebook, section 8.2:

• ›You use the lane you're given. A judge assigns your sled lane, and using it is mandatory.
• ›Start behind the line. Both sled and racer must be completely behind the white line before you start.
• ›Stay in your lane. Sled and racer stay within the designated lane and can't interfere with a neighboring lane in any way.
• ›The whole sled crosses the line. The sled must pass the 12.5 m mark entirely before you change direction.
• ›Four lengths and done. The station is complete once you've done 4 x 12.5 m and the entire sled has passed the final line.

The penalty protocol is the same as most stations: the first infringement is a formal warning, the second is a 15-second penalty, and each one after that is another 15 seconds with no further warnings.

Notice what the rulebook doesn't specify: arm position, hand placement, or body angle. Pushing with locked arms, bent arms, or your shoulder against the poles is your choice. The only things judged are the lane and the lines.

Sled push Hyrox weight by division

The sled push Hyrox weight changes with your division. These loads, which include the sled itself, are from the 26/27 singles rulebook. The pound figures are rounded conversions.

Women Pro pushes the same sled as Men Open. The full set of Hyrox station weights, including the sled pull, carry, sandbag and wall ball, is broken out by division in its own post.

One caveat that matters more than the table: the number on the sled is only part of how heavy it feels. Floor surface and friction change the effort, so the same nominal load can feel very different at your gym and at the venue. Train at race weight and a little above where you can.

Sled push technique

A heavy sled isn't moved by your arms. It's moved by your legs driving into the floor, with your arms and trunk acting as a rigid link between your legs and the sled. Everything about good technique comes back to that.

Body position

• ›Get low. A lower body angle points more of your leg drive horizontally into the sled. Most people push too upright.
• ›Arms: pick one and keep it. Locked arms with hands high on the poles, or bent arms with your chest closer to the sled. Both work. What doesn't work is switching between them, because every switch loses tension.
• ›Brace your trunk. If your hips sag or your back rounds, force leaks before it reaches the sled.
• ›Head neutral. Look at the floor a meter or two ahead, not up at the end of the lane.

Footwork

• ›Short, powerful steps. Drive through the balls of your feet. Long strides look strong and move the sled less.
• ›Keep it moving. Getting a stopped sled going again costs far more than keeping a slow one rolling. A slow, steady grind beats a sprint-stop-sprint pattern.
• ›Push through the line. The whole sled has to cross the 12.5 m mark, so don't ease off at the tape. Finish the length, then turn.

The turn

At the end of each length you move to the other side of the sled and push it back. Make the turn quick and deliberate: walk around, set your hands, get low, and start driving. Standing up straight to catch your breath at every end adds up across four lengths.

How to pace the sled push

The pacing question here isn't "how fast". It's "how do I avoid stopping". Stops are expensive because the sled has to be restarted from nothing.

• ›Arrive under control. The run before the sled push is not the place to bank time. Run it at a pace that leaves your legs some drive.
• ›Lengths one and two are not a sprint. Go out at a pace you could hold for all four. If you have to stop mid-length, you went too hard.
• ›Take short rests at the ends, not in the middle. If you need a breather, take it while you walk around the sled, not halfway down the lane.
• ›Plan for the run after. Your legs will be heavy for the first few hundred meters of run three. Settle into pace rather than chasing the time you lost.

Common no-reps and penalties

The sled push has few movement standards, so the infringements are about lines and lanes:

• ›Turning before the whole sled crosses the 12.5 m mark. This is the classic one. The front of the sled crossing isn't enough.
• ›Starting with the sled or your feet over the line. Set up fully behind it.
• ›Drifting into the next lane. Heavy sleds wander. Keep yours, and yourself, inside your lane.
• ›Using a lane you weren't assigned. Wait for the judge.

Each costs you a warning first, then 15 seconds each time. Cheap to avoid, expensive to collect.

How to train the Hyrox sled push

Build the legs first

The sled push is a strength station. Squats, split squats, step-ups, lunges and deadlift variations, built steadily over weeks, are what make 152 kg feel like a push instead of a wall. A short list of leg and hip exercises for runners covers most of what you need, and it fits around your running instead of fighting it.

Keep the heavy leg sessions away from your hardest runs. A brutal sled day before intervals ruins both.

Then train the sled itself

If your gym has a sled or prowler:

• ›Technique work, fresh. Several lengths at race weight with full rest, focusing on body angle and steady steps.
• ›Overload. A few lengths a little heavier than race weight, so race day feels lighter by comparison.
• ›Under fatigue. Run 1 km, then push 4 x 12.5 m, then run again. This is what the race asks for.

A good place to start is a Hyrox workout you can do this week that pairs runs with sled lengths.

How to train the sled push without a sled

Plenty of gyms don't have one. You can still prepare well by training the same pattern: leg drive with a forward body angle.

• ›Plate pushes on turf or a smooth floor. A bumper plate with a towel or slider under it gives you the low, driving position.
• ›Wall drives. Hands on a wall, body at a sled-like angle, march or drive your knees for timed sets. No load, but it trains the position and the short steps.
• ›Heavy leg strength. Squats, split squats and step-ups do most of the work of building the force.
• ›Hill or stair sprints. Short, steep efforts train forward-leaning leg drive.
• ›Treadmill push (motor off). If your gym allows it, pushing an unpowered treadmill belt from the handles mimics the grind.

None of these is a perfect substitute, so if you can get a few sessions on a real sled before race day, do it. Learning how a heavy sled responds on a slow surface is worth the trip.

A sample sled push session

Rate the hard parts honestly. If every set is a max effort, you're testing, not training.

Where the sled push fits in your race

The sled push is the first strength test, and the first place where the run that follows feels truly different. It also sets up the rest of the day: overcook it and the sled pull, burpee broad jumps and everything after pay the bill. The stations at the back end, from the lunges to the wall ball weight and height, are where that bill arrives.

How exrsz handles the sled push

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so if your gym has no sled, the plan uses what you do have. Leg strength and running sit in one plan, it adapts each week to how you trained, and it reshuffles missed sessions instead of stacking them.

FAQ

How heavy is the Hyrox sled push?

Under the 26/27 singles rulebook, the sled push is 102 kg for Women Open, 152 kg for Men Open and Women Pro, and 202 kg for Men Pro, all including the sled.

How far is the Hyrox sled push?

50 m in total, done as four lengths of 12.5 m. The whole sled must pass the 12.5 m mark before you change direction.

Does the sled push Hyrox weight include the sled?

Yes. The rulebook lists the sled push loads as including the sled.

Should I push the sled with straight or bent arms?

The rulebook doesn't specify, so use whichever lets you stay low and keep the sled moving. Pick one position and hold it for the whole length.

How do I train for the Hyrox sled push without a sled?

Build leg strength with squats, split squats and step-ups, then train the position with plate pushes, wall drives and short hill sprints. Get a few sessions on a real sled before race day if you can.