Traditionally, the Sprint Sled could be viewed as a sprint power and explosive acceleration tool, allowing athletes to focus their attention on linear explosiveness, acceleration technique and starting strength. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of application and veritable training options. Essentially, the sprint sled allows for the loading of a variety of movement and locomotive patterns that can challenge the body in multiple planes and ranges. This can focus training into areas of rotational power, core strength and stability, loaded movement conditioning as well as the traditional power, speed and acceleration elements.
Sprint Sled - Lateral Step
Purpose
- Hip abduction exercise that builds strength in the glutes and lateral hip for hip strength and stability.
- Builds fundamental lower body strength in the frontal plane to enhance performance for changing direction or cutting when running.
Execution
- Use the hip harness with this exercise, making sure it has been secured correctly to the sled.
- Place the hip harness sideways and in a position just above the hip, so the leg on the same side as the sled can abduct freely without restriction.
- Move into a position so that the sled is either directly to your right or to your left, so that all the slack has been taken out of the strap that connects you to the sled.
- Adopt a bent knee hip hinge position, much the same as a feet together or feet on hip width deadlift position. Place your arm closest to the sled, back and under the strap at the hip, and the opposite arm bent with the hand under the chin.
- With a good neutral alignment, breathe in and lean your body away from the direction of the sled, pushing and driving the leg closest to the sled into the ground.
- Drive hard against the weight of the sled as you travel laterally, keeping balance and alignment, swinging the arms through and back.
- Land strongly and with control onto the opposite leg and breathe out, aiming to stack your shoulder, hip, knee and ankle over the top of each other, keeping your feet parallel and facing forward. Ensure that you extend and fully straighten the driving leg.
- Lean your weight onto the landed leg, keeping your shoulders and hips horizontal, and recover the opposite leg back and to a narrow stance again, swinging the arms back and into the starting position.
- Without altering your position, perform another repetition.
Tech Points
- Use a load that allows you to move balanced, correctly and smoothly.
- Aim to keep your hips and shoulder horizontal throughout the exercise.
- Ensure you maintain neutral alignment during the exercise.
- Slow the movement down to create balance and stability when moving.
Sprint Sled - Rotational Press
Purpose
- Full body, rotational core strength and single arm pressing exercise.
- A great, integrated core exercise that connects the body to the ground, generating rotational power through the hips, strengthening the grip and building strength in the shoulders, chest and arms.
Execution
- Connect a climbing rope to the sled and line it up in the direction you wish to travel.
- Stand parallel and towards the end of the rope, away from the sled, in a wider than shoulder width stance.
- Grip the rope horizontally across the chest in a tight grip, much the same as the ideal bench press position, and position the hands just wider than shoulder width.
- Adopt an athletic ready position, by lowering your center of gravity and bending your knees and hips whilst keeping a good neutral spine. Pack the shoulders into the body by engaging the lats.
- Take a breath in, hold the body tight, and begin rotating away from the direction of the sled.
- To initiate rotation, drive through the leg closest to the direction of the sled, aiming to generate power and movement at the hips, hold the body tight whilst turning the torso with the hips.
- As you rotate to 30 degrees of your original position, begin to press with the same side arm as the driving leg.
- Continue to rotate by driving through the leg and hip, turning the opposite foot to the direction you wish to face and pivoting onto the ball of the driving foot.
- Maintain good alignment as you rotate around and press, looking up though the eyebrows to keep the head in a neutral position.
- Continue to connect the body down and into the floor, rotating to a full 90 degrees from your initial position and pressing out into full extension.
- Once you have reached full extension and rotation, ensure the hips and shoulder are level and strongly connected.
- Take a couple of steps, taking the slack out of the rope, and repositioning the body back into the start position for another repetition.
Tech Points
- Rotation only occurs at the hips with this exercise, so aim to connect the torso to the hips, and rotate around a central axis.
- Aim to drive the driving leg into the ground, pivoting strongly on the ball of the foot.
- The opposite arm is used to stabilise the rope and help with the direction of the pull. Resist the temptation to push with that arm.
- Stay low and use your hip and leg to generate rotation and power.
- Hold the rope in a strong grip and aim to rotate first before beginning the press.
- Aim to slowly accelerate as you drag the weight, finishing by punching out in a controlled manner. The sled should generate momentum and slide toward you at the end of the movement.
Sprint Sled - Rotational Pull to Push
Purpose
- Full body rotational power and strength exercise that adds both elements of horizontal pulling and pressing.
- Teaches the body to integrate the kinetic chain from the ground up, and how to generate rotational stability through the midline.
Execution
- Connect a climbing rope to the sled and line it up in the direction you wish to travel.
- Move to the end of the rope, positioning yourself to face the sled.
- Reach down and pick the rope up in two hands, gripping it tightly with one hand in front of the other, just in front of the end cap.
- Move into a position so your arms are held straight, your feet are in a shoulder width stance, and you are sitting back onto your heels with bent knees and hips so the weight of the sled is holding you upright. The weight of the sled will dictate how much you lean back on the rope.
- Whichever hand sits behind the other on the rope, will ultimately dictate which way you turn. I.e. if the left hand sits behind the right, you will turn left. If the right hand sits behind the left, your will turn right.
- To initiate the pull, take a breath in, pack the shoulders and engage the trunk and lean back a little more, pushing through the legs to begin dragging the sled.
- Once you start to move, transfer your weight to one foot, turning away from the sled by pushing through that foot and the ground, turning the body with the hips, and lifting the opposite foot toward the direction of travel.
- As you begin to turn, use the momentum you have created to pull the rope toward the chest, rotating and pulling at the same time. If you are turning to the left, your right foot will drive the turn and vice versa.
- Continue to drive through the leg, stepping the other leg around to achieve a 180 degree turn. As you turn all the way, pivot around on the driving leg so you end up on the ball of the foot and the opposite foot lands in the opposite direction.
- Keep pulling on the rope and bring it as close to the body as you can, at 90 degrees of your turn, the rope will be touching your chest. At this point, start pushing the rope in the same direction as the pull, pushing the rope away in the opposite direction to where you started.
- Maintain alignment through the rotation, keeping your hips and shoulders level, driving though the back leg and pushing the rope away.
- Finish the push, exhale and stay strong, let the sled stop sliding before you move.
- Take a couple of steps and reposition yourself into another starting position, facing the sled to start another repetition.
Tech Points
- When rotating, use the legs to drive the movement and the hips to turn the body.
- Keep your hips and shoulders in line, and prevent any twisting through the mid-section.
- Try to pivot smoothly on the driving leg as you turn, maintaining solid contact as you pivot.
- Ensure you pull the rope right into the body before you press it away from the body.
Sprint Sled - Leg Drive
Purpose
- Trains explosive horizontal propulsion and drive in the legs.
- Total body pushing pattern that builds power in the legs for the explosive acceleration, and develops strength in the torso for maintaining body position when sprinting.
Execution
- Load the sled with an appropriate amount of weight, try not to over load the sled with weight.
- Stand behind the sled, facing the direction you wish to travel.
- Reach down and place your hands on the back portion of the sled, ideally on the weight plate with the hands flat and the thumbs pointing toward the ground.
- Move into a deep lunge position, with your arms held straight, and your torso held long and tall.
- Keeping a strong neutral spine, lock your shoulders into position, and drive your feet into the ground.
- As you begin to move, transfer the power to the front leg, continuing to keep a good position with straight arms, accelerating to build speed.
- Spring off the front leg, bringing the opposite knee through and plant it solidly onto the ground.
- Prevent the hips from bouncing, continue to bound from one leg to the other, springing with each step for distance and staying strong through the torso.
Tech Points
- Really try to plant and spring from each foot fall.
- Keep the hips below the line of your shoulders for direct power transfer.
- Keep your torso tight and your shoulders packed.
- Keep the arms straight at all times.
Sprint Sled - Single Arm Drag
Purpose
- Reverse locomotive movement pattern that primarily works the quads and asymmetrically loads the body.
- Trains the grip and builds strength for stabilising the shoulder, whilst developing core stability for bracing against rotation.
Execution
- Connect a climbing rope to the sled and line it up in the direction you wish to travel.
- Stand at the end of the rope, so you face the sled.
- Loop the end of the rope, so the rope doubles over.
- Hold the doubled over rope in one hand and grip tightly.
- Move into a position so your arm is held straight and your feet are in a hip width stance.
- Lean back slightly with bent knees, and lock the shoulder tightly into the body, engaging the lat to pack it into position.
- Engage the body, lean and begin to walk backwards.
- Focus on driving through the quads, maintaining position and shoulder alignment as you walk backwards.
Tech Points
- Set your shoulder by pulling them into the body, imagine you are pulling it down towards your hips.
- Keep your shoulders and hips level, driving through the legs to create movement.
- Ensure you have a clear path when walking backwards.
- Squeeze the rope tightly to ensure your grip doesn’t slip.
- This can also be performed by holding onto the rope normally without doubling it over.
Sprint Sled - Alternating Row to Sled Push Combo
Purpose
- Alternating unilateral horizontal pulling exercise that builds strength in the grip, arms, shoulders and back.
- The added sled push creates a total body circuit that incorporates leg drive as well as shoulder and core stabilisation.
Execution
- Load the sled with an appropriate amount of weight and attach and climbing rope so it runs fully lengthened in the direction you wish to travel.
- Set a marker where the sled sits, so you know how far you need to push the sled back.
- Stand in a shoulder width stance facing the sled, and grab hold of the end of the rope just in front of the end cap.
- Move into a quarter squat position, leaning back slightly with your arm held straight.
- With a strong neutral spine, draw the rope toward you by pulling your elbow back and rotating the body slightly around a central axis.
- As your hand reaches the body, reach the other arm out straight to grasp and continue pulling the sled toward you.
- Keep pulling the sled toward you without moving from your original starting position, right until the sled is at your feet.
- Release the rope and drop down to place your hands on the sled, kicking your legs back into a split stance.
- Stay strong through your midline, locking the shoulders into position with straight arms.
- Start driving through the legs, and push the sled back to the starting position, making sure you don’t tread on the rope.
- Once you are back at the sleds starting position, stand up quickly and return to your original start position as fast as you can.
- Grab the rope and get ready for another repetition.
Tech Points
- Maintain form throughout, and only go as fast as you can maintain that form.
- When pushing the sled, ensure you step away from the rope, step and avoid the rope as you push.
- Dig your feet into the ground, and use your hips and legs to help pull the sled.