Sled Row
What Is the Sled Row?
Sled Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the glutes, quads and arms. It is an intermediate-level movement that joins a squat and a horizontal row: you start low with the straps taut and your arms reaching toward the sled, then stand up and row the handles to your hips in one motion, sliding the loaded sled toward you.
The sled only resists while you pull it. There is no weight to lower and nothing to drop, so the row is almost all lifting effort with very little lowering work, which keeps next-day soreness low and makes the Sled Row a common pick for conditioning circuits, workout finishers and extra back volume late in a training week. It also teaches the legs, hips and arms to fire in sequence, so the pull starts from the floor rather than from the shoulders.
The lats and rhomboids do the rowing, with the middle trapezius, rear deltoids and biceps assisting, while the glutes and quads straighten the hips and knees to start the sled moving. Finishing with the hands beside the hips and the elbows close to the body keeps the emphasis on the lats; rowing higher toward the lower chest with the elbows flared shifts more of the work to the upper back and rear deltoids. A common variation stays in a low squat and walks backward between rows, which keeps the quads working the whole set. The Sled Row is not the same as the Sled Pull, where you stay braced in a hinge and draw the sled in hand over hand on a rope without standing up on each rep.
The Sled Row suits most trainees who can already squat and row with good form, from general gym-goers to field and court athletes who want pulling strength and conditioning in one drill. If it is too hard to coordinate, learn the two halves separately first with the Bodyweight Squat and the TRX Row or Cable Seated Row, then put them together on a light sled.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Rhomboid Major
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Vastus Lateralis
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Vastus Medialis
- Medium
Instructions
- Attach a pair of straps with handles to the front of a loaded sled and stand facing it with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Hold one handle in each hand and walk backward until the straps are taut with your arms fully extended in front of you.
- Brace your core and sit down into a squat, keeping your chest up, your back flat and your arms straight toward the sled.
- Drive your feet into the floor and stand up, straightening your hips and knees as you start pulling the handles toward you.
- Finish the row as you reach full standing, with your elbows driven back past your torso, your hands beside your hips and your shoulder blades squeezed together. The sled slides toward you.
- Stay tall at the top with your shoulders over your hips; do not lean back to drag the sled.
- Let your arms move forward under control, then walk backward until the straps are taut again.
- Sink back into the squat and repeat for the planned reps.
Common Mistakes
Starting with slack in the straps
A loose strap snaps tight partway through the pull and jerks the shoulders and elbows instead of loading them smoothly.
Rounding the lower back in the squat
Letting the back round at the bottom puts the start of the pull on the spine instead of the hips and legs.
Leaning back to finish
Throwing the torso behind the hips at the top turns the row into a heave and shifts the load onto the lower back.
Rowing with the arms only
Staying half-standing and pulling with the arms skips the leg drive that starts the sled moving and overloads the biceps.
Shrugging toward the ears
Pulling the shoulders up instead of back moves the work to the upper trapezius and away from the lats and rhomboids.
Loading the sled too heavy
A sled that barely moves turns every rep into a jerk, so pick a load you can slide smoothly on each pull.
Injuries
Sled Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The sled stays on the floor, there is no load to lower or drop, and you control the effort on every rep. The usual strain points are the lower back, when the spine rounds at the bottom of the squat or the torso leans back to finish the row, and the front of the shoulders, elbows and biceps, when a slack strap snaps tight mid-pull and jerks the arms.
Take all the slack out of the straps before every rep so the pull starts smoothly, brace your core before you stand, and finish tall with your shoulders over your hips. Choose a load you can move without stalling or heaving. Surface friction changes how heavy the sled feels, so start light on any new floor and add plates only while your back stays flat.
To regress, practice the row and the squat separately with the TRX Row, the Cable Seated Row and the Bodyweight Squat, or use a lighter sled. To progress, add load, stay low and walk backward between rows for distance, or pair it with the Sled Backward Drag or Sled Push in a circuit.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, the front of the shoulder or the elbow, or if you can no longer keep your back flat at the bottom of the squat.
Other Names for the Sled Row
The Sled Row is also known as:
- Sled Squat and Row
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the Sled Row different from the Sled Pull?
In the Sled Row you hold a strap in each hand, start in a squat and stand up as you row both handles to your hips, so the legs help drive every rep. The Sled Pull keeps you braced in a hinge while you draw the sled in hand over hand on a rope, so the arms and back do nearly all the work.
- Q: How heavy should the sled be?
Heavy enough that you have to drive with your legs, but light enough that it slides smoothly on every rep without a jerk or a lean back. The floor matters as much as the plates, so the same load can feel very different on turf and on rubber.
- Q: Why does sled work leave me less sore than barbell rows?
The sled never pulls back against you, so you only pull the load toward you and never lower it under control. Lowering a weight is what causes most next-day soreness, which is why sled rows fit well as a finisher or on days between heavier sessions.
- Q: Should I stand up on every rep or stay in the squat?
Standing up on each rep, as shown here, lets the hips and legs start every pull and adds more of a conditioning effect. Staying in a low squat and walking backward between rows is a common variation that keeps the quads working the whole set.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
For back strength, 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 smooth reps works well. For conditioning, use a lighter sled and row for a set time or distance with short rests.