Strength Lifts for HYROX Sleds
How Basic Gym Lifts Help Your Sled Push and Sled Pull
The sled push and sled pull are two of the hardest stations in HYROX. They’re also two of the most stressful if you don’t have regular access to a sled. The good news is this: you don’t need to push a sled every week to get better at sleds.
What you do need is the right kind of strength.
This article explains which basic gym lifts actually help your HYROX sled push and sled pull, why they matter, and how to train them so they carry over on race day.
First: What the HYROX Sleds Really Test
The sled push is not about speed. It’s about leg drive, staying low, and not falling apart when your legs are burning. Most people fail the sled push because their quads give out or their posture collapses.
The sled pull is about constant pulling under fatigue. It’s grip, back, arms, and legs all working together while your heart rate is already high.
Neither station is a one-rep max. Both are about sustaining effort.
That’s why certain strength lifts help far more than others.
Squats: Your Best Friend for the Sled Push
If you want to get better at sled push, you need strong quads. Squats build that better than almost anything else.
Back squats, front squats, and safety bar squats all help. They don’t look like sled pushing, but they build the leg strength that lets you keep driving when the sled feels glued to the floor.
Front squats tend to carry over especially well because they force you to stay upright and braced, which matters when fatigue hits.
How to train them:
You don’t need max lifts. Use moderate to heavy weight and do real work sets. Think 5–10 reps, controlled, with short rest. The goal is strong legs that don’t quit, not a powerlifting total.
If your legs shake halfway through the sled push, squats are part of the solution.
Deadlifts: More Helpful for the Sled Pull
Deadlifts are more effective for the sled pull than the push.
The sled pull taxes your glutes, hamstrings, and back for an extended period. Deadlifts make those muscles stronger, so pulling the rope feels less overwhelming.
Trap bar deadlifts tend to be the most useful because they’re easier to recover from and let you train with more volume.
How to train them:
Skip constant max attempts. Use moderate weight, higher reps, and controlled tempo. Sets of 6–12 reps work well. You want strength that lasts longer than a single pull.
Deadlifts raise your potential, but they don’t replace actual pulling work.
Rows: One of the Most Important Lifts for Sled Pull
If you struggle with the sled pull, rows should be a staple in your training.
Rows train your upper back, arms, and grip in a way that closely mirrors the pull. They also let you build endurance without destroying your legs.
Barbell, dumbbell, and cable rows all work. Chest-supported rows are especially useful if your lower back gets tired easily.
How to train them:
Go higher rep. Think 10–20 reps per set. Keep tension the whole time. Don’t rush through them. Rows build the engine that keeps the rope moving when your arms want to quit.
For many athletes, better rows equal a faster sled pull almost immediately.
Bench Press: Not Obvious, But Still Helpful
Bench press doesn’t move a sled, but it helps you hold position during the sled push.
When you’re pushing, your arms and shoulders aren’t doing the work; they’re keeping you connected to the sled. If your shoulders fatigue, your posture breaks down, and your legs can’t do their job.
Bench press strengthens that system.
How to train it:
You don’t need to chase heavy singles. Moderate weight, smooth reps, and 8–15 reps per set work well. The incline or close-grip bench often feels more useful than competition-style benching.
Think of bench press as posture insurance, not a performance flex.
Lunges: More Important Than You Think
Sleds aren’t perfectly even. Fatigue exposes side-to-side weaknesses fast. Lunges build single-leg strength and durability that shows up late in races.
Walking lunges, split squats, and rear-foot elevated split squats all help.
How to train them:
Use challenging weight, longer sets, and shorter rest intervals. Keep moving forward. If lunges feel easy, you’re probably underloading them.
Strong single legs make sleds feel more controlled and less chaotic.
What About Overhead Press?
Overhead pressing plays a small support role. It helps shoulder strength and posture, but isn’t a priority for sled performance.
Include it if you like it, but don’t expect it to move the needle on sleds the way squats, rows, and lunges will.
The Big Takeaway for HYROX Athletes
You don’t need to overthink sled training.
If you:
• Squat regularly
• Row with volume
• Deadlift smart, not maximal
• Lunge consistently
• Maintain basic pressing strength
You are building the strength base needed for sleds.
Strength training builds the foundation. Conditioning and sled-style work teach you how to use it when you’re tired.
That’s the combination that carries over on race day.
You don’t need a ton of sled work to be good at sleds; you do need to be consistent in your strength work.
—JG
