Pulling sleds is a powerhouse training tool that delivers a range of benefits for athletes, from improving strength and power to aiding in rehabilitation and injury prevention. Often used by football players, sprinters, and other athletes in high-intensity sports, sled training can significantly enhance an athlete's performance both on the field and in the gym. Notably, sled dragging can also serve as a powerful mechanism for improving key lifts like the squat and deadlift due to its biomechanical similarities and overall conditioning effects.
In todays post, we’ll explore how sled pulls can enhance strength, assist with rehab and prehab, and specifically boost performance in foundational lifts like squats and deadlifts.
The Strength Benefits of Pulling Sleds
Pulling sleds offers a unique form of resistance training, combining elements of cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and explosive power development. The resistance encountered while dragging a sled mimics the act of pulling or driving against a force, similar to pushing or pulling a heavy load during squats or deadlifts. Here’s how it builds strength:
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Increased Posterior Chain Activation: The most overused term in fitness "Posterior Chain", used by fitness "gurus" social media wide. SMH ... Anyway, it applies here so ... One of the primary benefits of sled pulls is the activation of the posterior chain—muscles like the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. These muscles play a vital role in power and strength movements, especially in the squat and deadlift. When you pull a sled, these muscles are engaged to a high degree to extend the hips and stabilize the pelvis.
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Core Stability: Sled dragging requires substantial core engagement to maintain proper posture and ensure force is transferred effectively. As the sled pulls against the athlete, the core stabilizers (including the abdominals and obliques) work overtime to prevent slouching or swaying. This carries over directly to better control and stability during squats and deadlifts, both of which require strong core engagement for proper technique.
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Hip and Knee Drive: Pulling a sled promotes proper hip and knee drive, both essential components of heavy squats and deadlifts. The act of accelerating and decelerating a sled with each stride mimics the explosive force produced when lifting heavy weights, improving the athlete’s ability to push through the hips in squats and deadlifts.
Rehab and Prehab Benefits of Pulling Sleds
Beyond strength building, sled pulls are a valuable tool for both rehabilitation and prehabilitation (injury prevention). Here's how sled training supports athletes recovering from injury and minimizing future risks:
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Low-Impact Conditioning: Unlike running, which can be taxing on the joints, sled pulling is low-impact while still delivering a challenging workout. This makes it ideal for athletes recovering from joint injuries, particularly those involving the knees, hips, and lower back. The controlled, non-jarring movement helps to maintain cardiovascular conditioning without exacerbating stress on the body.
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Strengthening Key Stabilizers: For athletes recovering from injury, especially in the knees or lower back, pulling sleds can help rebuild strength in key stabilizer muscles. These muscles are often weakened during an injury and need to be re-engaged to support dynamic movements like squatting and deadlifting. Sled pulls help recruit muscles that provide stability during lifting motions, thus promoting healing and preventing future injury.
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Range of Motion: Pulling sleds requires athletes to maintain proper posture and execute controlled movements, which can help improve joint mobility. This is especially beneficial for those recovering from tight or stiff muscles due to injury. The movement can increase blood flow to the hips, knees, and lower back, improving flexibility and the ability to squat and deadlift with better form and less discomfort.
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Building Endurance for Repetitive Lifting Movements: When rehabbing from an injury, it’s important to build endurance without placing too much load on the body. Sled dragging provides an excellent means of doing so. The endurance component helps athletes recondition the muscles and cardiovascular system, making it easier to perform high-repetition sets in the squat or deadlift once fully recovered.
Biomechanical Aspects: How Sled Pulling Improves Squats and Deadlifts
Pulling sleds is more than just a cardio workout; it has direct biomechanical benefits that translate into improvements in the squat and deadlift. This is one of the many reasons the MMBC has incredible Squat and Deadlift numbers. Here’s how:
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Hip Extension and Glute Activation: The action of pulling a sled forces the athlete to extend the hips powerfully. This mimics the action of the hip drive used in squats and deadlifts. Proper hip extension is essential for both lifts, as it helps generate the force required to rise from a deep squat position or to finish the lockout of a deadlift. By training the glutes and hamstrings to fire more efficiently, sled pulling helps athletes gain better control over these crucial lifting movements.
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Improved Posterior Chain Strength for Better Deadlifts: Deadlifts rely heavily on the posterior chain, and sled pulling directly targets this area. As the athlete drags a sled, the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back are recruited to maintain posture and drive the movement. This translates into improved force production in the deadlift, as athletes develop the ability to generate more power through their hips and lower back. It also helps prevent overuse injuries by balancing the front-to-back muscle ratio, a common issue in lifters who neglect posterior chain training.
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Transfer of Force and Stance Control in Squats: Squats demand a controlled transfer of force from the feet through the knees, hips, and lower back. Pulling a sled can improve an athlete’s ability to produce and control force while maintaining a stable stance. This directly affects squat depth and posture. By reinforcing the biomechanics of pushing against resistance while keeping the body aligned, sled training can improve an athlete’s ability to squat with better technique and greater force output.
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Speed and Explosiveness: Pulling sleds, particularly for shorter distances with heavier loads, mimics the force production and acceleration patterns seen in a dynamic squat or deadlift. Athletes can improve their explosiveness out of the hole (for squats) or from the floor (for deadlifts). The sprint-like movement that sled pulling offers helps develop the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which contribute to an explosive start in both lifts.
Pulling sleds is more than just a tool for improving conditioning—it offers profound strength benefits, rehab advantages, and biomechanical improvements that can directly enhance key athletic movements like squats and deadlifts. Through targeted activation of the posterior chain, improved core stability, and better force transfer, sled pulling helps athletes of all levels boost performance while mitigating the risk of injury.
By incorporating sled training into your workout routine, you can enhance your strength base, reduce the likelihood of injuries, and lay a stronger foundation for improving your squat and deadlift numbers. Whether you’re rehabbing from an injury, preventing one, or aiming to take your lifting to the next level, sled pulls are an absolute must-add to your programming.