My First Day of Sled Dragging - JP Fitness Forums

Rev · 05-11-2005, 07:04 PM

So I built this sled out of old rope and a wheel and tire I found in the back of my dad's shop. I set it all up, tied off a nice harness, strapped in, and took off in a field of knee high prairie grass in a dead sprint for 75 (measured off 225 feet in distance between posts) yards, I drag the sled back to the start, I sprint back 75 yards, I drag the sled back to the start...I can't freagin breathe, my heart is about to explode out of my chest and I drag the tire back to my apartment complex and call it a day. This is way harder than any form of cardio I've ever done...I've ran long distance, done HIIT on stationary bikes and tredmills but THIS....oh my god guys. I'm going to try to work up to five intervals. All I know is an all out sprint for the distance I set up seemed like a LIFE TIME. I just got my ass WHOOPED! Welcome to sled dragging aye, I have to admit the first interval was a blast, but at the end of the second I was cardio toast.

Jerry Hill · 05-11-2005, 07:16 PM

Nice work Rev - sled sprints whip my studs and beginners all the same.

One point.
For weighted gpp specific to powerlifting you should be walking with the sled at a fast pace with submaximal effort.

As your meet draws near you should cut out the sprints completely, otherwise you may want to use them sparingly.

Jerry

OldGuy · 05-11-2005, 07:17 PM

You know that you are out of your mind.

Nice work.

CAchief · 05-11-2005, 07:38 PM

Thats awesome! Is it at your residence or a place near by? I'd do it but I think someone would call the cops

Q. · 05-11-2005, 08:56 PM

I thought I'd seen something about Karl Malone dragging a sled but this is all I found.

Secret #5
Parachute/Bungee Running Chutes. Using two small parachutes tied to a belt, Karl does sprints using wind resistance for power and strength enhancement.
Karl's Workout

Rev, that's really cool! You should post some pics one of these days if you get a chance.

nanook · 05-11-2005, 10:14 PM

Good job Rev. Sled work is the greatest. Like Jerry said, you might want to try some weighted sled work. I have a 100lb sandbag I put in my sled and then I alternate pulling and dragging it up and down my yard. I also do some hand over hand pulling. It is a great workout and you never get sore.

Chris D · 05-12-2005, 07:08 AM

I also found a tire at my place (former owners) and I got some rope this last weekend. I pulled it around the yard a bit but the wife wasn't to keen on me messing up the lawn (I agree, but I had to try it). So I'm tempted to be bringing it with me when I go to the gym and haul that sucker out to the football field and mess up their field. What do you think? I've got some pictures somewhere of the tire...little extra weight as well (rocks so far!).

Chris D.

Southpaw · 05-12-2005, 10:19 AM

Rev -

Any idea on how much your sled weighs?

Rev · 05-12-2005, 10:36 AM

My dad and I guessed 50lbs by the feel of it although I have not officially weighed it. It's the only halfway normal wheel and tire we had, all the rest are seven foot high tractor tires! I will definatelly start to add weight to the sled, especially when I use it strictly for GPP whenever I'm not trying to cut my body fat down lower. So I didn't add weight to my sled because A) It was the first time I've pulled a sled period and B) I was doing HIIT with it, not GPP, so I wasn't dragging it around at a walking pace the whole time I was interval sprinting as hard as I could with it and at my current condition to sprint 75 yards with the sled at the weight, I felt the interval was actually pretty long for all out sprinting. I need a stopwatch though to time my intervals really bad so I'll know what I'm doing and how many to do.

This was my first time and more or less a trial run to see where I am at and what adjustments I need to make and I found out a ton. I'll get some pictures of the sled and me pulling it today and post in here!! You guys will like what I wrote on the tire for inspiration.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Chris D · 05-12-2005, 10:55 AM

Danny's going to be jealous of you having big tires in your yard!! That's a strongman's dream I believe! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Chris D.

Rev · 05-12-2005, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by C. Dorr:
Danny's going to be jealous of you having big tires in your yard!! That's a strongman's dream I believe! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Chris D.

He'd be in heaven if he ever came down my way because we got three huge utility barns full of real big heavy ass farm and ranching equipment. I'll take some pictures of the tires and the massive tractors and a lot of other cool stuff while I'm out there today and post in here too!

bushDocda · 05-12-2005, 11:42 AM

Rev

Nice work on the sled rig.

If you are doing this to increase work capacity and for recovery you may want to scratch the sprint part. Obviously that shit is taxing...

Are you sprinting with the sled attached to you b/c that is not typical of sledwork if so??

Newlife · 05-12-2005, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bushDocda:

Are you sprinting with the sled attached to you b/c that is not typical of sledwork if so??

Actually, it is a great way to pull a sled. Attach the sled by strapping around your waist or your lifting belt and run sprints. 15 second sprint, 45 seconds of active recovery while you walk it back to the start. How else would you pull a heavy sled forward?

Heres a pic I found.

When you go backwards, I usually just hold the strapping with my arms extended.

bushDocda · 05-12-2005, 01:20 PM

Walking

Newlife · 05-12-2005, 02:01 PM

I guess you can walk with it, but that's not much fun.

I have always seen sled work as a form of Dynamic Training for explosive power with the secondary benifit being the cardio. For walking, I would think a weighted vest would be 10 times better and wouldn't limit your training area to grass.

Newlife · 05-12-2005, 02:02 PM

Here is a list of ways to train with your sled Rev.

Forward drag with strap around belt
Backward drag with strap around belt
Side (lateral movement) drag with strap around belt
Side drag while crossing feet over with strap around belt
Bear Crawls done for speed with strap around belt
Walking lunges with strap around belt
Standing Chest press with the split rope (done with elbows in and neutral grip)
Standing Chest press with the split rope (done with elbows out and palms facing down)
Forward lean tricep extension with the split rope
Standing pulldown abs with split rope (done exactly as you would if using a cable or band apparatus)
Pull throughs using the split rope
Forward walking with the rope in pull through position (sumo walks)
Forward walking with arms extended in front (walk with high knees for extra variety)
One arm chest presses (alternate left and right one rep at a time)
Forward drag with split rope, hands behind back
Backward drag with split rope, shoulders retracted slightly if weight is light enough
High pulls using the split rope
Rows to chest with split rope
1 arm rows using split rope
1 arm rows with rotation
Rotational pulls (complete designated reps for one side, then switch to the other side) – start with the rope down by knees and then explosively rotate up and across body
Reverse Fly variations (using light weight / empty sled) – we call these the I, Y & T pulls, since you move your arms in the shape of these letters. These are great for working the smaller muscles of the upper back and deltoids and do not require heavy weights.

Chris D · 05-12-2005, 02:07 PM

Newlife, thanks for posting these ways to use the sled. I was wondering the same exact thing...how I'm going to use it!

Chris D.

Newlife · 05-12-2005, 02:11 PM

NP. And for a split rope, waterski lines are perfect and pretty cheap.

Sled on!

I have my sled about 1/2 way complete now. Can't wait for next week.