The sled push is the station people ask about most, and worry about most. Here is exactly what you are pushing and what that number really means.
The weights
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Open women: 102kg
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Open men and Pro women: 152kg
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Pro men: 202kg
The distance is 50 metres in every division, run as four lengths of a 12.5m lane.
Loads and standards are correct at the time of writing and can change between seasons and divisions. Always confirm against the official Hyrox race information for your event.
That figure includes the sled
This is the bit that catches people out. The number is the total loaded weight, sled included, not plates added to an empty sled. So a 152kg push is 152kg of sled and plates combined moving across the floor.
Why your gym sled feels nothing like it
Two reasons, and both matter more than the weight itself.
The first is the floor. Hyrox runs on a specific event surface, and friction between sled and floor determines the effort far more than the plate total. The same 152kg feels completely different on polished gym rubber than it does on race day carpet. If your gym sled glides, you are undertrained regardless of the number on it.
The second is when it arrives. You hit the sled after a 1km run and a 1000m ski erg, not fresh at the start of a session. Training it fresh tells you very little about how it will feel in the race.
How to push it
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Get low. Arms long, hips down, body at an angle behind the sled. Standing tall turns it into an upper-body exercise you will lose.
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Short steps. Choppy, constant contact, driving through the whole foot. Long strides break momentum.
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Do not stop mid-length. Restarting a stationary loaded sled is far more expensive than grinding forward slowly. If you must break, break at the turn.
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Breathe. People hold their breath through the sled and arrive at run three with nothing.
Training it without race conditions
If your gym sled is too light or too slippery, add friction rather than weight: push on a rougher surface, or use a heavier sled for shorter distances. Better still, do your sled work immediately after a hard 1km so your legs are in the state they will actually be in.
The sled loads your quads harder than anything else in the race, which is exactly why the run straight afterwards feels so bad. Graduated compression through the quads and calves will not make you stronger, but it does help manage that leg fatigue across the eight runs.
Frequently asked
Can I take a break during the 50 metres? Yes, there is no rule against stopping. It just costs you a lot of energy to get moving again.
What if I physically cannot move it? It happens, particularly in Pro. This is the strongest argument for racing Open first.
Do gloves help? On the push, not really, you are driving with your palms flat. They matter more on the sled pull and farmers carry.
Racing soon? Our compression tights for Hyrox use 15-20 mmHg graduated compression in a 225 GSM knit built to hold shape through sled and sandbag work, and our compression race socks run at 25-30 mmHg. Free UK delivery over £50.
Hyrox Sled Push Weight: What You Actually Push
The sled push is the station people ask about most, and worry about most. Here is exactly what you are pushing and what that number really means.
The weights
The distance is 50 metres in every division, run as four lengths of a 12.5m lane.
Loads and standards are correct at the time of writing and can change between seasons and divisions. Always confirm against the official Hyrox race information for your event.
That figure includes the sled
This is the bit that catches people out. The number is the total loaded weight, sled included, not plates added to an empty sled. So a 152kg push is 152kg of sled and plates combined moving across the floor.
Why your gym sled feels nothing like it
Two reasons, and both matter more than the weight itself.
The first is the floor. Hyrox runs on a specific event surface, and friction between sled and floor determines the effort far more than the plate total. The same 152kg feels completely different on polished gym rubber than it does on race day carpet. If your gym sled glides, you are undertrained regardless of the number on it.
The second is when it arrives. You hit the sled after a 1km run and a 1000m ski erg, not fresh at the start of a session. Training it fresh tells you very little about how it will feel in the race.
How to push it
Training it without race conditions
If your gym sled is too light or too slippery, add friction rather than weight: push on a rougher surface, or use a heavier sled for shorter distances. Better still, do your sled work immediately after a hard 1km so your legs are in the state they will actually be in.
The sled loads your quads harder than anything else in the race, which is exactly why the run straight afterwards feels so bad. Graduated compression through the quads and calves will not make you stronger, but it does help manage that leg fatigue across the eight runs.
Frequently asked
Can I take a break during the 50 metres? Yes, there is no rule against stopping. It just costs you a lot of energy to get moving again.
What if I physically cannot move it? It happens, particularly in Pro. This is the strongest argument for racing Open first.
Do gloves help? On the push, not really, you are driving with your palms flat. They matter more on the sled pull and farmers carry.
Racing soon? Our compression tights for Hyrox use 15-20 mmHg graduated compression in a 225 GSM knit built to hold shape through sled and sandbag work, and our compression race socks run at 25-30 mmHg. Free UK delivery over £50.