Sled Pull (Back Focused)

A functional conditioning exercise where you walk forward dragging a weighted sled, utilizing the upper back muscles to maintain posture and transfer force. This movement builds posterior chain power and muscular endurance with minimal joint impact.

How Iridium Helps

Sled work is metabolically taxing and can heavily impact your central nervous system. The AI optimizes your training by analyzing your daily HRV and sleep data to recommend the appropriate duration and intensity, ensuring you don't overtrain. By tracking your RPE and set duration over time, the app learns your work capacity and auto-adjusts the load to maximize endurance gains while respecting your recovery status.

Form Cues

Do
  • Retract your shoulder blades and keep your chest proud.
  • Brace your core tightly to protect your lower back.
  • Drive through the balls of your feet with every step.
  • Maintain a slight forward lean from the ankles, not the hips.
  • Keep a consistent, powerful marching rhythm.
Don't
  • Don't let your shoulders round or hunch forward.
  • Don't hyperextend or arch your lower back.
  • Don't look down at your feet; gaze straight ahead.
  • Don't run or sprint unless specifically programmed.
  • Don't lose tension in the straps or harness.

Common Mistakes

  • Rounding the upper back
  • Leaning too far forward at the waist
  • Taking short, shuffling steps
  • Disengaging the core muscles
  • Starting with excessive weight

Muscles Worked

While the legs generate the forward momentum, this variation places a heavy isometric demand on the Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, and Trapezius to maintain an upright posture against resistance. This engages the entire posterior chain, linking the power of the Glutes and Hamstrings through a rigid spine to the upper body.

Primary

Latissimus DorsiRhomboidsMiddle TrapeziusUpper TrapeziusErector Spinae

Secondary

Biceps Short HeadBiceps Long HeadForearmsGlutesHamstringsGeneral Core

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