Sledge training

[Narrue]

When training with a sledge how much should you pull? I took a class with this fitness trainer, boy it was tortuous but the worst thing was the sledge. My weight is 95kg and this guy hooked me up to an 85kg sledge and if that wasn’t bad enough he made me carry a sand bag (perhaps 20-25kg) at the same time, almost killed me LOL
I told the guy I had never pulled a sledge before, question is, is this safe or will this type of training result in injuries?

[TigerDude]

Just make sure you warm up first, like anything else.

[Colucci]

When training with a sledge how much should you pull? I took a class with this fitness trainer, boy it was tortuous but the worst thing was the sledge. My weight is 95kg and this guy hooked me up to an 85kg sledge and if that wasn’t bad enough he made me carry a sand bag (perhaps 20-25kg) at the same time, almost killed me LOL
I told the guy I had never pulled a sledge before, question is, is this safe or will this type of training result in injuries?

I'd say your trainer is a knucklehead, and you can tell him I said so. ;) That's a crazy load to use, especially when also carrying a sandbag. There's really no reason to put a beginner through that.

Here's one brief, but excellent article (http://www.elitefts.com/documents/endless_sled_dragging.htm) from Zach Even-Esh about sled dragging. And here's another one (http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=body_146gpp) from Dave Tate.

As far as safety, it's no more dangerous or safe than any other means of exercise. Meaning, as long as you use a load, intensity, and duration appropriate for the individual, and you defer to any current or previous injuries, you should be fine.

[Narrue]

Hey Chris thanks,


My knees were a bit painful the day after, was speaking to another trainer and he also says this is just asking for injuries. Im fairly fit and it killed me, cant believe this guy would expect beginners to do this!