Have you noticed people pushing a gym sled across the floor during your workouts? Ever wondered what benefits this exercise offers? In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the gym sled exercise, including the muscles it targets, tips for proper form, and the numerous benefits it provides. Keep reading to learn more!
Muscles Targeted During the Gym Sled Workout
Pushing the gym sled works multiple muscle groups at once, making it a great full-body exercise. The muscles engaged during this exercise include:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Calves
- Core
- Shoulders
- Triceps
Tips for Performing the Sled Push Exercise
To perform the sled push exercise, we need to follow a few points and steps. Given below are the list of rules to perform the sled push exercise:
- Step 1: If you’ve never done this exercise before, start loading the sled with a small weight and work your way up as you gain strength.
- Step 2: Your feet should be shoulder-width apart as you stand behind the sled.
- Step 3: Gripping the handles of the sled, bend at the hips and knees while keeping your back straight.
- Step 4: Maintain a strong core, a slight forward incline, and straight arms.
- Step 5: Take quick, short steps and push through your legs to start moving the Gym Sled forward.
- Step 6: Until you reach the required time or distance, keep up your momentum.
- Step 7: Take a break and repeat as many times as you like.
Keep in mind that using the right form is essential to maximizing your workout and preventing injury. If you’re not sure, think about hiring a trainer who can show you the proper form.
Benefits of Sled Push Workouts
Sled push exercises have many advantages. Some of the primary benefits for adding this exercise into your routine are as follows:
- Full-Body Workout: Sled pushes activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously, providing an efficient full-body workout in less time.
- Improved Cardiovascular Fitness: The strength component of sled pushing also boosts cardiovascular endurance by increasing your heart rate.
- Enhanced Strength and Speed: This exercise helps athletes develop both strength and speed, making it ideal for sports like rugby, football, and sprinting.
- Faster Recovery: Sled pushing is primarily concentric (muscle contraction without elongation), which reduces soreness compared to traditional weightlifting exercises.
- Increased Acceleration: Regular sled training improves sprinting power and acceleration, enhancing athletic performance.
- Easy to Learn: Sled training is simple to master and has a low risk of injury, even for beginners.
FAQs About Gym Sled Workouts
How much weight should I push with my sled?
Your goals will determine the amount of weight you should push. If your goal is to gain muscle mass rather than speed and power, you’ll need a moderate to heavy sled. Light weight is ideal for power and speed training, and moderate weight is ideal for building muscle.
Do pushes on a sled burn fat?
Sled training and the sled push are beautiful because they require oxygen to recover after your rep. Five calories are burned for every liter of oxygen you breathe in. You need more oxygen when working out harder, which aids in fat burning.