The HYROX sled push is one of the most daunting stations for many athletes. Not only does it require a decent amount of strength, but it also spikes your heart rate, making it more difficult to run immediately after. Not to mention the infamous HYROX sled carpets, which feel so much worse than pushing a sled on the turf at your home gym.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the sled push—everything from the setup of the station, to the distance & weights for each division, to some tips & strategy for improving your sled push time.
If you’re interested in tips for other stations, please check out our HYROX station guide →
Setup
Everyone starts the HYROX sled push on the same side. When you enter the station, you’ll run alongside a bunch of sleds until you get to the lane that your judge instructs you to use. The entire sled will be behind a line.
- You push the sled 12.5m to the other side of the lane
- Your entire sled must be past the line (not touching)
- Move to the other side of the sled
- Begin pushing the sled back to where you started, until the entire sled is once again past the line
- That is one down and back, or 25m
- Repeat this process one more time for a total of 50m of sled push
A few notes about the sled push:
- You can use any grip or hand placement that you’d like
- You can stop to rest as many times as you need to… or not at all
- Your judge should direct you to the correct sled, but double-check it has the correct weight for your division
When you’re finished with the station:
- You usually exit the sled push station on the opposite side you entered
- You’ll run along the outside of the station before re-entering the Roxzone, where you’ll then head for the OUT arch to start your next 1km run
New to HYROX? Learn all about HYROX here →
Surface/Carpet
What is the carpet used for HYROX sleds?
HYROX lays down a thin carpet on top of the concrete convention floor, and all sleds are pushed (and pulled) on top of this carpet. The carpet is taped to the floor to prevent it from moving, however, some bunching can and does occur. Some venues do a better job of securing the carpet than others.
Many gyms utilize a turf to push and pull sleds on, but almost all of the turf I’ve used still doesn’t mimic the HYROX carpet. Sleds typically move easier on turf than they do on the carpet during a race.
If you want to recreate the HYROX sled carpet at home, I recommend looking for a “low pile carpet” or thin piece of felt. Add this on top of a very hard surface, preferably concrete.
Here’s a cheap carpet you can buy on Amazon. This is 160″ x 24″. Most sleds are 24 inches wide, or slightly more narrow. 12.5m is 492 inches, so 3 of these carpet rolls would give you 480 inches. Technically, you’d need 4 to recreate the HYROX carpet, but you could get away with 2 or 3 if you have a tight space.
Distance
What is the HYROX sled push distance?
The HYROX sled push distance is 50m for all standard divisions (open, pro, doubles, pro doubles, and relay). The distance is broken up into 2 rounds of 12.5m down and 12.5m back.
There are some exceptions for a few of the adaptive divisions, where their sled push distance is 25m. Please see the adaptive sled push modifications →
Weight
What is the HYROX sled push weight?
The HYROX sled push weight varies by division. In the Open & Relay divisions, women push 102 kg (225 lbs) and men push 152 kg (335 lbs). In the Pro & Pro Doubles divisions, women push 152 kg (335 lbs) and men push 202 kg (445 lbs). In mixed doubles, both men & women push 152 kg (335 lbs).
All weight includes the weight of the sled.
How much does the HYROX sled weigh?
HYROX uses the Centr Competition Power Sled. According to the Centr website, the HYROX sled weighs 50 kg (110.2 lbs).
Here’s a chart of the HYROX sled push weight for all divisions.
Common Sled Weights
It’s helpful to know how much your sled weighs so you can accurately load the correct sled push weight for HYROX training. Here’s a quick list of common sleds and their weight.
| Sled | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Centr Competition Power Sled | 50 kg / 110 lbs | $360 USD |
| Rogue Dog Sled 1.2 (most common Rogue sled) | 47 kg / 103 lbs | $315 USD |
Tips
If you’re new to the sled push movement in HYROX, or just trying to improve your station time, here are a few things I recommend:
- Use 10-15% more weight in training – The HYROX carpet will make the sled push feel harder than at your gym or when pushing on turf. Simulate the extra difficulty by using more weight.
- Try various techniques – Pros almost all recommend the same method, but I believe you should experiment with different positions and technique.
- Break it up – For Pro divisions especially, don’t do all 12.5m unbroken. Take at least one intentional break, maybe two. Open divisions might be able to do 12.5m unbroken, but if you are breathing hard at the end, consider breaking it up. You tell the sled when to break, not the other way around.
- Shoes – Some running shoes don’t provide a ton of grip for the sled push. Test out the shoes you’ll wear in the race and make sure they aren’t sliding too much during the push. The more rubber that contacts the ground, the better.
- Add a sled push to your warmup – Pushing a sled will increase your heart rate, help with ankle & knee flexion, and activate your shoulders. Instead of using an erg or bike for your warmup, push a sled for a few minutes. A sled a day will keep your HYROX competitors at bay 😆.
Penalties
There are a few penalties in the rulebook for the sled push in HYROX. Be sure to complete the work, as per the rules, so you don’t get penalized. If you don’t do all four 12.5m lengths, it’s a 3 minute penalty per missed length.
Not every infraction is listed in the rulebook, so please also keep in mind:
- Stay in your assigned lane
- Don’t impede another athlete
- If your shoe falls off, put it back on. It must go with you.
| Infraction | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Failure to complete all four 12.5m lengths | 3 minutes per missed length |
| Failure to use the lane the judge assigns you | Undefined time penalty |
Equipment
All HYROX races use the Centr Competition Power Sled for the sled push station. Centr is one of two official HYROX equipment partners, along with Concept2, who provide the SkiErg and RowErg for stations 1 and 5, respectively.
The Centr Competition Power Sled weighs 50 kg (110.2 lbs) and costs $360 USD.
If you have any questions about the HYROX sled push that I didn’t cover, reach out on Instagram @fitnessexperiment.co. We’d love to help 😀.
