John Welbourn on Pushing & Pulling a Sled for More Stability and Power

Published: Dec. 23, 2020, 8 a.m.

If you\u2019ve spent much time in the gym (especially CrossFit gyms), you may have seen someone pushing a huge, weighted sled across the turf.

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By the end of it, they\u2019re gasping for air and all they\u2019ve done is move a bunch of weight from one side of the room to the other.

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What are they up to?

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Are they training to be one of Santa\u2019s reindeer? Or is this an almost-too-obvious exercise for unlocking massive strength potential?

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The truth is, there\u2019s no shortage of people doing unconscionable, foolish things in the gym, so is this one of them?

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I haven\u2019t done much sled pushing or pulling in my day, so I invited an expert onto the podcast to tell us all about it. That expert is John Welbourn, who spent 9 years as a starter in the NFL and is the CEO of Power Athlete Inc., a strength and performance company that specializes in large group training sessions.

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He was also the architect of the CrossFit Football program, which was the main reason CrossFit began focusing on strength and performance. So, he knows a thing or two about training really strong people.

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In this episode, John and I chat about . . .

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  • Why the Prowler sled is good for you
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  • Core strength versus trunk stability
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  • How to program sled pushes and pulls
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  • The importance of building aerobic capacity
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  • Why having good conditioning is beneficial for strength training
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  • The value of varying intensity in your workouts
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  • And more . . .
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So if you want to know if you should be adding sled exercises to your workouts and how to do so, listen to this episode!

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4:48 - Mike and John\u2019s thoughts on Gavin Newsom\u2019s handling of COVID-19

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9:51 - Mike and John\u2019s thoughts on Mark Rippetoe

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12:20 - What is the value of pushing sleds?

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20:54 - What type of workout is pushing and pulling sleds? How would you program that?

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Mentioned on The Show:

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Power Athlete Website: https://powerathletehq.com/

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Power Athlete Podcast: https://powerathletehq.com/radio/

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John Welbourn\u2019s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwelbourn/

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Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/