Sled Pull
50m
TL;DR
The Hyrox sled pull is a 50m hand-over-hand pull of a weighted sled — 103 kg for Open Men, 78 kg for Open Women — with the rope being roughly 12.5m long, so each athlete completes approximately 4 pulls (out and back, twice). You sit back into a low squat position and pull the rope through hand-over-hand while walking or shuffling backward. Grip endurance is the primary limiter for most athletes.
No Sled? Best Substitutes for Hyrox Sled Pull Training
1. Heavy rope pull (cable machine)
Anchor a rope to the lowest cable pulley and pull hand-over-hand from a squat position. This is the closest gym substitute — it replicates the exact movement pattern and trains the same muscles (lats, biceps, rear delts, hip extensors) under a similar loading curve.
2. Seated cable row (wide grip)
Use a rope or wide-bar attachment on a cable row machine. Keep your torso upright, drive elbows back, and focus on long full pulls. Less specific than the rope pull but builds the pulling endurance needed across 4 lengths of rope.
3. Lat pulldown (underhand grip)
An underhand lat pulldown trains the lats and biceps through a similar range of motion. Do high-rep sets (20–25 reps) at moderate weight to build muscular endurance rather than max strength — the sled pull is a 50m sustained effort, not a 1-rep max.
4. Banded face pulls
Anchor a resistance band at head height and pull both ends toward your face while spreading your arms wide. Trains rear deltoids, external rotators, and traps — all of which stabilise your shoulder position during the sled pull and prevent the shoulder rounding that kills efficiency.
5. Farmers carry (heavy, short distance)
Loading the grip under heavy carry conditions builds the hand and forearm endurance that fails first on the sled pull rope. Programme 3 x 60m farmers carry at pro weight as grip training. The carry taxes the same grip musculature without requiring specialised equipment.
Hyrox Sled Pull Race Day Strategy
The sled pull is station 3 — you arrive with your SkiErg shoulders and sled push legs already warmed up. Grip is the primary limiter for most athletes. Strategy: enter the pull station and immediately set your body position before you grab the rope — hips low, back foot planted. Pull at a rhythm you can sustain for all 4 lengths without stopping. Most athletes try to pull as fast as possible on the first length and lose grip on lengths 3 and 4. A slightly slower, more controlled first two lengths that preserve your grip will result in a faster overall time than a sprint start that forces you to pause and re-engage. Breathe out on each pull — do not hold your breath, as this accelerates forearm pump. If your grip starts to fail, do not let the rope go slack. Instead, shorten your pull range slightly and focus on planting your back foot firmly on each stroke to transfer more load from the hands into the legs. After the pull, shake out your hands before the next run to clear lactic acid from your forearms ahead of the farmers carry later in the race.
Median Race Times (real data, 82,000+ athletes)
Overview
Pulling a weighted sled 50 meters toward you using a rope while moving backward. Men 103kg, women 78kg.
Hyrox Sled Pull Weights
| Division | Weight / Format |
|---|---|
| Open Men | 103 kg / 227 lb |
| Open Women | 78 kg / 172 lb |
| Pro Men | 153 kg / 337 lb |
| Pro Women | 103 kg / 227 lb |
| Doubles Men | 103 kg / 227 lb (one partner pulls per length) |
| Doubles Women | 78 kg / 172 lb |
| Doubles Mixed | 103 kg for male partner's lengths, 78 kg for female partner's lengths |
Step-by-Step Technique
- 1
Start in a deep hip-hinge position — hips back, knees bent, back flat — and grab the rope with both hands shoulder-width apart.
- 2
Begin pulling hand-over-hand by driving your elbows back and down, not upward; long full pulls cover more rope per rep than short choppy ones.
- 3
As you pull, shuffle backward with short steps — your feet should move continuously, not stay planted while you row with your arms.
- 4
Plant your back foot wide each pull to transfer power from your legs into the rope — the sled pull is a full-body movement, not just an arm exercise.
- 5
Keep tension in the rope at all times; a slack rope wastes precious time re-engaging the sled and breaks your rhythm.
Training Tips
- 1
Sit back into a low squat position
- 2
Pull hand-over-hand in a smooth rhythm
- 3
Dig your heels into the ground
- 4
Keep your center of gravity low
Top 5 Mistakes (and Fixes)
✕Mistake 1: Pulling too upright
Fix: Drop into a deep low-back-leg-back position; let your bodyweight do the work and transfer force from your legs through your back into the rope.
✕Mistake 2: Short choppy pulls
Fix: Take long full pulls — fewer reps, more rope per pull means less accumulated fatigue and faster overall distance.
✕Mistake 3: Letting the sled drift sideways
Fix: Plant feet wide and pull straight back; redirecting the sled wastes time and energy.
✕Mistake 4: Skipping grip training
Fix: Add farmer carries, dead hangs, and rope climbs to your weekly training — grip failure is the #1 limiter on the sled pull.
✕Mistake 5: Pulling on race day with new gloves
Fix: Train without gloves or with the exact pair you plan to race in — glove texture affects rope feel and your pull rhythm.
Common Mistakes
- ✕
Standing upright while pulling - sit LOW
- ✕
Pulling with arms only - use your legs and back
- ✕
Letting the rope go slack between pulls
4-Week Training Progression
| Week | Session |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 5 × 25m rope sled pulls at 60% race weight, 90s rest. Focus on hip position and long strokes. |
| Week 2 | 4 × 50m sled pulls at 80% race weight, 90s rest. Note where grip starts to fail. |
| Week 3 | 3 × 50m sled pulls at race weight, 2min rest. Aim for unbroken grip throughout. |
| Week 4 (peak) | 1 × full station at race weight after a 1km run — simulate the race sequence. |
Grip Training for Hyrox Sled Pull
Grip is the number-one failure point for the Hyrox sled pull. Most athletes do not train it specifically, and it shows on lengths 3 and 4. The good news: grip endurance responds quickly to direct training, often within 4–6 weeks. Programme two grip-specific sessions per week: dead hangs from a pull-up bar (3 sets to 60–90% of maximum hold time, twice per week) build static grip endurance that directly transfers to sustained rope pulling. Farmers carries at or above race weight (2 x 24 kg men, 2 x 16 kg women) for 3 sets of 60m build dynamic grip under load. Fat-grip training — wrapping a towel around a barbell or using thick-bar attachments — forces the hand to work harder per rep and accelerates grip strength gains. Finally, rope climbs or rope pull simulations (if your gym has a rope) are the most sport-specific grip exercise you can do. Start with 3-minute cumulative rope pulling sessions and build to 8 minutes. In your final 4 weeks before race day, end every upper-body session with 1 round of: farmers carry 60m + dead hang to failure + 50m rope pull simulation. This sequence mimics the grip demands of the full race in a single finisher.
Sample Workout
4x50m sled pull at race weight + 200m run after each. Rest 90s.
Equipment
The Sled + rope is what you'll use on race day. If you're training seriously, having access to race-day equipment makes a real difference in your preparation.
[AFFILIATE:pulling-sled](URL)
Frequently Asked Questions
How heavy is the Hyrox sled pull?
The Hyrox sled pull weight is 103 kg for Open Men, 78 kg for Open Women, 153 kg for Pro Men, and 103 kg for Pro Women. Doubles divisions use the same per-rep weight as their gender's Open category.
How long is the Hyrox sled pull?
The sled pull station is 50 metres total — but because the rope is around 12.5m, athletes complete approximately 4 hand-over-hand pulls back-and-forth to cover the full distance.
What is the best technique for the Hyrox sled pull?
Sit low, drive through your heels, and pull hand-over-hand with long full strokes. Keep your hips behind the rope, your back leg planted, and shift weight back into each pull — not upward.
How do I train for the sled pull at home?
Use a weight sled with a rope, a heavy resistance band anchored to a rig, or a low-cable row station. Focus on the hand-over-hand motion and the seated low-back position rather than just weight. Dead hangs and rope climbs will also build the grip endurance you need.