Sled Row

What it is

This movement is a dynamic pulling exercise where you powerfully pull a loaded sled towards you. It primarily strengthens your middle back muscles, which are vital for posture and upper body stability. You will also effectively engage your biceps and the large latissimus dorsi muscles along your sides.

Technique tips

• Keep your chest up and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
• Initiate the pull by actively squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Drive your elbows back behind your torso as you pull the handles.
• Maintain constant tension on the line between the sled and your hands.
• Exhale as you pull the sled towards you and inhale as you step back.
• Focus on a strong contraction of your middle back with each powerful row.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.