Sled Workouts For Mountaineers

Inside, I explore sled training for mountainers and share five different workout approaches that I quite like for mountaineers with this type of equipment.

Sled Training For Mountaineering

​Today I want to talk about sled training for mountaineers.

Specifically, I want to walk you through a few different ways you can use a sled in your training and how it can actually help you in the mountains.

If you are not familiar with sled training, it is pretty simple.

Many gyms have a weight sled that you can load with plates and push or pull across the floor.

Some mountaineers will have seen people pulling sleds outdoors with a harness, dragging them around an oval or a track.

That is exactly what we are talking about today.

Some mountaineers will already be familiar with this type of training.

If you are preparing for something like Denali, where you literally have to pull a sled, this probably already makes sense to you (and hopefully you are already doing it!).

But even if your expedition does not require pulling a sled, this piece of equipment can still be very useful.

It is versatile.

It is challenging.

It can expose the body to a lot of different stresses.

So today I want to cover five different ways I use sled training with mountaineers, depending on the situation.​

Let us get into it.

Workout #1: Long Steady Cardio With The Sled (Aerobic Capacity Development)

This is the most basic approach to sled training for mountaineers.

Normally, when we talk about long cardio and aerobic capacity development for mountaineers, we think about running, hiking, cycling, and similar things.

All of that is great.

But sometimes you want variation. Sometimes you want something different. And just want to mix things up a bit.

A long, steady sled session can work really well for medium-duration cardio.

Think forty-five minutes, an hour, maybe even ninety minutes if you are brave.

(If you are training for a specific expedition that requires sled dragging, this may end up being many, many hours at a time.)

The principles are exactly the same as any long cardio session.

You want to aim for:
​

• Long duration
• Low intensity
• Continuous movement and minimal rest
  
  

For example, you might load a small amount of weight onto the sled and simply go back and forth for forty-five minutes.

If you use heart rate, aim for zone two. If you do not, focus on nose breathing and keeping the breathing steady and relaxed.

The goal is simply to accumulate time moving.

The benefit of using sleds for this is variety:

• It gives the legs a different stimulus.
• It applies force in a slightly different way.
• It breaks up the monotony of constant running or hiking.
  
  

Some people love it. Some people absolutely hate it. Either way, it is worth trying at least once.

A couple of practical notes:

1) Doing this in a gym can be dull, especially if you only have ten meters to work with (and have to go back and forth a hundred times). Doing this outside is usually more enjoyable (though you will likely need your own sled, either homemade or purchased).

2) For longer sessions, pulling the sled with a harness usually works better than pushing (pushing for long periods can make the wrists sore and uncomfortable).
​

​Workout #2: Heavy Intervals (Muscular Endurance)

This is a fantastic option if you are sick of stairs, hills, or box step sessions.

If you have been hammering muscular endurance work for months and need a change, heavy sled work is excellent.

Here is how it works.

• The sled is very heavy (we want a burn on the legs from the get-go)
• Push or pull it for four to eight minutes
• Rest briefly.
• Repeat.
  
  

The goal is a strong leg burn and significant effort to keep it moving.

We still want to keep the heart rate relatively low, so aiming for nose-breathing or zone 2 is a good target.

You are not cruising, but you are not sprinting either.

You could structure this in a simple workout like:

• 4 minutes working
• 1 minute rest 
• Repeat 4-7 times 
  
  

Or you can use it as part of a circuit, such as:
​

• 4 minutes sled push
• 1 minute rest 
• 4 minutes box step ups 
• 1 minute rest 
• 4 minutes walking lunges
  
  

This works especially well for people on long-term training plans who need more variety and mental freshness.

Progression options include:
​

• Add a little extra weight each week
• Add an extra interval each week 

​Workout #3: Moderate Weight Quick Intervals (Aerobic Power)

This is one of my favourites.

Here, we are not loading the sled super heavily. A rough starting point for most people would be twenty or forty kilos (depending on the sled, surface you are using and your own strength).

These intervals are going to be shorter and quicker.

This is how you do it:
​

• Go quickly for 2.5-3.5 minutes
• Rest for 90 seconds
• Repeat 6-9 times

These are not 'all-out' sprints (as you need to sustain for the entire interval and not gas out after thirty seconds), but you want to push the intensity as much as you can sustain.

(If you have heard me talk about 'aerobic power intervals' before, this is what we are doing.)

You are moving quickly. Your heart rate is high. The legs are working, but not burning excessively.

This type of session is excellent for:

• Improving breathing during steep and sustained climbs
• Feeling more comfortable during longer sustained efforts of intensity
  ​

Progression options include:
​

• Pushing a bit quicker each week (and trying to cover more distance in the same amount of time)
• Adding extra intervals
• Adding a tiny bit of extra weight

​Workout #4: High Intensity Intervals

This workout is usually used as a 'finisher' at the end of another workout.

It is not the first thing I would program for most mountaineers. But it can have its place (especially if you want to sneak in some very high-intensity work into your program).

This is how you do it:
​

• Load up the sled with a small amount of weight (typically just enough resistance that you have to work to push it - but it shouldn't slow you down too much.
• You then sprint 'all out' for short bursts
• You have a relatively short rest.
• Repeat
  
  

Two example structures might be:

1. 20 sec sprint/40 sec rest
2. 30 sec sprint/30 sec rest
   
   

And you would repeat each of these ten times.

This will only be ten minutes, but it can be brutally hard.

This type of workout can be useful at the end of a strength session or at the very end of another conditioning session. And it can be a useful way of getting some small exposure to this super high intensity (which can be useful for mountaineers in small doses).​

Progression options include:

• Add an extra interval per week
• Push a bit quicker each week
• Add a tiny amount of extra weight per week

Workout #5: Maximal Sprint Intervals

Most mountaineers do not need this workout.

The main people who would benefit from this are mountaineers who:

• Have concurrent running goals (on top of their mountaineering) 
• Play team sports (and want to improve that in conjunction with their mountaineering)
• Hate strength training and want some type of high force stimulus in their training week*
  
  

*Note: this will never be as beneficial as proper strength training for strength development, but I know many mountaineers are looking for something which doesn't involve traditional strength training

Sprint training involves sprinting 'as fast as you can' for short periods, with a large amount of rest (aiming for speed and power).

The issue with 'traditional' sprint training on flat surfaces is that if you are not a regular sprinter, it can have a high injury risk. The hamstrings and Achilles often take a beating. And it can be a tricky workout to manage for many people.

Many people solve this issue by doing their sprint training uphill, which is a simple way to reduce these risks.

Another alternative to this (if you don't have a hill) is doing sled sprints.

Even if doing this on flat ground, the sled changes the mechanics enough and can feel much more forgiving.

For this type of workout, you might:

• Sprint 'all out' for 5-15 seconds
• Rest 2-3 minutes
• Repeat
  
  

This workout allows you to get exposure to very high forces and speeds in a much more controllable way than traditional flat sprinting.

Summary And Final Thoughts

I really like sled training for mountaineers.

It may not be practical for everyone, and access can be an issue.

But if you can access a sled and a suitable and convenient environment to use it on, it can be extremely useful for your training.

Long steady sessions for aerobic conditioning, variety and mental grit.

Heavy intervals for muscular endurance.

Medium intervals for aerobic power

High intensity intervals as a finisher.

Maximal sprints can be a safer alternative to flat sprinting.

Any of these can fit into a mountaineering program in the right situation and content.

If you have been doing the same training over and over, this gives you a few new tools to play with.

Some people love sleds.

Some people hate them.​

Either way, now you have options.

Yours in adventure,

​Rowan 

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