Summary
Jeremy Scott breaks down the wide-ranging benefits of sled training and why he considers it one of the most versatile and underrated pieces of gym equipment. He covers how sleds can build speed, strength, and endurance while remaining easy on the joints, making them suitable for everyone from young athletes to older adults with back or knee issues. Scott shares several practical protocols he uses, including timed continuous pushes, pyramid plate loading schemes, and combining sled work with TRX attachments for full-body training. He highlights the concentric-dominant nature of sled work, which allows faster recovery and less soreness compared to traditional lower body exercises, and discusses the sled's value for knee health through backward dragging variations similar to knees-over-toes training.
Key Points
- Sled training is mostly concentric with minimal eccentric action, meaning less soreness and faster recovery compared to squats or lunges
- Backward sled drags target the vastus medialis oblique muscle, helping stabilize the knee joint and improve knee health
- Sleds can be adapted for any fitness level, from elderly beginners to competitive athletes, with minimal injury risk
- Unilateral sled variations help address muscular imbalances and reduce injury opportunity
- Great interval and endurance training tool — try timed pushes (5-10 min) or pyramid plate loading schemes
- The sled provides a full-body workout when combined with rope pulls, TRX attachments, and different push/pull variations
- No spinal compression makes it ideal for people with low back pain who still want to train lower body
- Single-arm pushing variations train the trunk, obliques, and core in a functional standing position
Key Moments
Why sled training is mostly concentric and recovery-friendly
Jeremy explains that sled work is mostly concentric with minimal eccentric action, which means less soreness and faster recovery, allowing you to train other activities throughout the week without being crippled.
"One of the biggest bonuses of using a sled is it's mostly concentric with minimal eccentric action. So the lowering part of lifting, if you will. And the eccentric part of the exercise creates the most soreness and fatigue for most people. And if you take that away, you're less likely to get."
Backward sled drags for knee health
Jeremy discusses how backward sled drags target the vastus medialis oblique muscle to stabilize the knee joint, drawing parallels to the knees-over-toes approach for keeping knees healthy and warm.
"The backward drag targets the vastus medialis, the oblique muscle of the knee, if you will, which helps stabilize the joint, I believe, is the science that they use behind it."
Sleds as a low-risk full-body workout tool
Jeremy explains how sleds can challenge both upper and lower body including legs, calves, abs, core, chest, shoulders, glutes, and hip flexors, especially when combined with TRX attachments and rope pulls.
"When you do it correctly, sleds can challenge the upper body and the lower body. We're talking about legs, your calves, obviously, your abs, your core, your chest, your tries, shoulders, glutes, hip flexors as well."
Sled training protocols — pyramid plate loading
Jeremy shares his favorite endurance protocol: pyramid plate loading where you go from unloaded to four plates and back down, plus timed 5-10 minute continuous pushes for brainless endurance work.
"I'll do a kind of plate loading variation where I go sled unloaded, then one plate, two plates, three plates, four plates, and then pyramid back up and down. So essentially, you're doing eight rounds."
