HYROX sled pull: technique, standards and how to train for it

The HYROX sled pull is the third of the race's eight stations: you pull a weighted sled 50 metres, in four 12.5 metre lengths, hand over hand with a rope while standing inside a marked box at the end of your lane. The sled weighs 78 kg for women's open, 103 kg for men's open and women's pro, and 153 kg for men's pro (all including the sled), and the best way through for most people is a low, braced stance with steady pulls driven by the legs, not just the arms.

It comes straight after the sled push, when your legs are already tired. This guide covers the standards in the official HYROX Season 26/27 singles rulebook, simple technique, first-race pacing, drills you can do without a sled, and how to fit it into a normal week.

What are the HYROX sled pull rules?

HYROX is eight 1 km runs, each followed by a workout station. The sled pull comes third, after the SkiErg and sled push and before the burpee broad jumps. Here is what the current singles rulebook asks for, in plain English.

Penalties work on a warning system: a formal warning for your first infringement, a 15-second time penalty for the second, and another 15 seconds for each one after that. Missing a whole length counts as an incomplete station and means disqualification. Gloves are allowed (grips are not) but must stay on from start to finish, and only event-supplied chalk may be used, where it is provided.

How heavy is the HYROX sled pull in each division?

In doubles, the resting partner must stay behind the one pulling and cannot touch the rope, but can talk them through it from outside the box. Relay and adaptive racers have their own rulebooks, so check yours.

How do you do the sled pull with good technique?

Think of it as a tug of war with something that never pulls back. Your legs and bodyweight start each pull, and your arms finish it.

• Step 1: Set your feet. Stand in the box with feet a little wider than shoulder-width, toes behind the front line. Bend your knees and push your hips back into a quarter squat, chest up and back flat.
• Step 2: Take up the slack. Pull the rope tight before your first real pull.
• Step 3: Reach long. Grab the rope as far forward as you comfortably can with one hand, arm straight.
• Step 4: Lean and drive. Push through your feet, lean back a little and draw that hand to your hip. Let your bodyweight move the sled, then finish with your arm.
• Step 5: Swap hands. As one hand reaches your hip, the other is already reaching forward. Hand over hand, in a steady rhythm.
• Step 6: Manage the rope. Let the pulled rope drop beside or behind you, so it never gathers around your feet.
• Step 7: Finish the length. Keep pulling until the whole sled is over the line, then move to the other end.

A simple cue: sit, reach, lean, pull. Breathe out on each pull rather than holding your breath.

Should you pull hand over hand or walk back with the rope?

• Hand over hand from a fixed stance. Your feet stay planted and your arms take turns. It is the easiest way to stay inside the box and keep the sled moving, but it asks more of your arms and grip.
• Walking back. You grab the rope with both hands, sit back and take small steps backwards, then step forward and grab again. It spares your arms, but you only have the space inside the box, and stepping on the back line while holding the rope is an infringement.

For a first race, hand over hand from a low stance works well for most people, with a small step back on the first heavy pulls of each length if it helps. Once the sled is moving, it is easier to keep it moving than to restart it, so avoid long pauses mid-length. Between lengths you run to the far end of your lane: use those few seconds to breathe and shake out your hands, not as a rest stop.

How should first-timers pace the sled pull?

You arrive after three runs, the SkiErg and the sled push (our HYROX sled push training guide explains why that station hits the legs so hard), with five runs and five stations still to come, including a farmers carry that needs your grip. Aim for steady and tidy, not a sprint.

• Start firm, not frantic. The first pulls of each length are the hardest because the sled is still. Make them strong and smooth.
• Keep a rhythm. Steady pulls you could keep going beat big efforts followed by long stops.
• Use your legs when your arms burn. Sit a little lower and lean back a little more.
• Rest standing, and briefly. Two or three breaths on your feet inside the box, then go again.
• Ease into run 4. Keep the first few hundred metres relaxed while your heart rate settles.

After that run come the burpee broad jumps, covered in our HYROX burpee broad jumps technique guide.

What are the most common sled pull mistakes?

• Standing too tall. Pulling upright turns it into an arm workout. Sit back and use your legs.
• Stepping on the back line. Easy to do when you walk back. Know where it is before you start.
• Rope drifting sideways. Rope spilling into the next lane can earn a warning.
• Changing ends too early. If the back of the sled has not fully crossed the line, the length does not count yet.
• Short, choppy pulls. They wear out your grip fast. Reach long and pull long.

What drills help if your gym has no sled?

If your gym has a sled and rope, practise the real thing, starting lighter than race weight. If not, these build the same qualities.

• Seated cable rows or dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 10 to 12 for the upper back.
• Straight-arm cable pulldowns: 3 sets of 12, to learn pulling with long arms using your back.
• Goblet squat holds or wall sits: 3 holds of 30 to 45 seconds for the low stance.
• Romanian deadlifts: 3 sets of 8 to 10, starting light, for hip drive and lean.
• Dead hangs and farmer's carries: short sets for grip.

With a sled, two sessions cover most of what you need. Technique pulls: 4 to 6 light lengths with full rest, focusing on stance and rope handling. Run then pull: 3 or 4 rounds of a steady 400 metre run straight into two lengths, so you learn the movement on tired legs.

How do you fit sled pull training into a normal week?

You do not need a dedicated sled day. Here is an example for someone training four or five days a week.

Build gradually: light technique pulls first, more weight over a few weeks, then one or two full 50 metre efforts at race weight, ideally straight after a run, in the last month before race day. If this is your first race, our first HYROX race guide for beginners covers the bigger picture.

How can Edge help you train for HYROX?

Sled work, running and strength all draw on the same legs, so they work best as one plan. Edge is a free fitness app, and Edge Pro builds a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within 24 hours, with a real coach you can message anytime. Edge Pro is £22.99 a month, £84.99 every six months or £129.99 a year after a 7-day free trial that needs a card.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.