I was wondering about everyones thoughts on long distance sled dragging. I throw 2 45’s on the thing and drag for about a mile around my house(which is right by campus, the stares I get are great) I alternate days with sprints, I am wondering if there are any problems with dragging for this kind of distance. Most Programs talk about 100ft or less, and westside seems to be in favor of short distance too. any help would be Much apprieciated
BiggieBen
We usually go for time when working on GPP. When doing GPP, the weight should be light(1 or 2 plates at the most). If we use the sled as a replacement for the M.E. exercise for a week then when load the weight on and drag for a short distance. Some people make the mistake of putting 5 or 6 plates on the sled and thinking that they are doing GPP. The other mistake people make is throwing a ton of weight on their and trying to run with it. Of course it throws their form off and does more harm than good. Just remember that if GPP is your goal with the sled, it should not bust your ass or else you wind up doing another Lower Body workout besides the 2 that you probably already do.
Try to apply the rule of sixty to your sled dragging times.
Will42
OK this may be a dumb question, by the rule of 60 do you mean 60 on 60 rest or just no more then 60 sec work time then rest. I am mostly using it for GPP and to force my legs to work hard for long periods of time. I feel like as long as i keep the weight down 2 plates it’s still working well for GPP, I weigh about 300 by the way and am in pretty good shape.
Thanks
The 60 rule is a percent thing. But dont worry about it. Dont make it harder than it has to be. You seem to be on the right track. I also find that it is better to go around a certain area instead of going back and forth for a certain distance when doing GPP. It makes it more interesting because you change the scenery. I just find it easier to go for time instead of distance. If you want then you could track progress by the distance covered in a certain time. But again you dont have to. Just dont try to turn rock n’ roll into rocket science.
Hope this helps.
Sorry, I guess I didnt answer your question about the rule of 60 he was talking about. It is a measure taken for restorative purpose. If you drag more than once a week, you start off with a top weight the first day, lets say 100lbs. Then the next day you would use 60% of the previous days load, which in this case is 60lbs. Then if there is a third day, you would use 60% of the previous load which would be 36lbs.
Hope you understand!!
Definately helps, the 60 thing is 60%of your max right like the westside dynamic days. Thanks, glad to be able to get some other peoples opinions, no one around me(U of D), does anything but the 5 day bodybuilding split with 3x10, so T-Nations the only place to bounce ideas
No, it doesnt have to be 60% of any type of max. Just pick a weight for the first day and work from there.
got it thanks, I wrote my last post before yours explaining the 60 rule came up, thanks for the info I’ll try that out.
I was doing a variation of some GPP sled work lately with my athletes (I am a strength coach at a DI University). I basically set it up according to some of Dave Tate’s suggestions that I found on another site. I set up a 200 foot course and we did 6 trips. I gave them a minute rest between trips.
Questions:
How long should I allow for the 200 foot course? (We used 40 seconds. We were pulling a Power Systems sled with 90-115lbs on an AstroPlay field…I don’t know how different surfaces would affect the times/weights)
Should I increase the weight and keep the target time the same, decrease the rest, or do both in order to progress?
I welcome your insights.
Different surfaces make a large difference in how easily the sled moves. grass seems to be easier for me. which way are you pulling the sled, harness around waist or shoulder harness ? walking Forward drag, walking backward ?
As far as the weight and type of dragging, i believe in alternating both (and see 60% rule). I have been dragging for about 5 years, almost every day, often 2X/day. As has probably been mentioned, the fact that the eccentric is basically eliminated plays a big role. Am i the only one who does upper body pulls? the strap made by elitefitness is great for this (the loops/handles). Try forward walking-standing in between the 2 straps and facing away-and you can do both side laterals and front raises. Face the sled going back you can do any variation of rows, curls, tricep ext., etc. Facing away bent over w/ strap between legs works wonders for the hams. My favorite is ankle dragging (feet through the loops)-kills the hip flexors. Also-attach a 2" rope and do STANDING arm over arm pulls-this not only kills the grip/forearms/biceps but is awesome for the so called ‘core’. Again-this is something you can do with greater frequency than typical ‘gym’ exercises.
I was having the kids drag the sled from a waist belt walking forward. We only did it 2x/week for 4 weeks so I didn’t have the opportunity to change up the exercises, as Tate mentioned that you should master one before moving onto another.
Hey, does anyone remember the name of the article written by Dave Tate on a bunch of different exercises one can do with a sled? It has pictures and descriptions. This would help since I would like some variation in my sled exercises. Thanks
I built my own sled, and want to use it to increase my leg strength and endurance for running speed and long distance road marches. Yes I’m in the military, well I’m going back in after a 3yr. break in service. My run distance will be atleast 2mi. - 5mi. for time. And for the road marches will be atleast 8mi. min. carrying a min. of 50lbs. in a ruck.
What would be a good sled workout for improving these? My main concern is the running portion of it though. I’m currently running a 6:40-7:20 mi. But I need to be down to sub 6:00 min. mi… I run 3 days a wk. now, up to 4-5 mi… Any suggestions.
I think the name of the article Tate wrote is “Drag your butt into shape”
Daves Article was “Drag Your butt into Shape”. Also Louie has at least 1-2 articles on the sled and GPP. But the best thing by far is the Joe Kenn Sled Dragging video that is sold at EliteFTS.
Here’s the link to Dave Tate’s “Drag Your Butt Into Shape” article:
Okay, got it. Thanks for those links.