The backwards sledge drag, which involves leaning back and rushing backwards with a toe – heel action puts a bit of welly into the tear shaped muscle above and to the inside of the knee – called the Vastus Medialius (generally shortened to VMO). There is a slower, more painful version of the backward sledge drag, the Petersen sledge drag, which involves a very exaggerated toe/heel action and no momentum, the sledge stopping between each step. Both exercises are good for knee strength since these exercises force the VMO to work. All too often, this muscle is weak and dominated by muscles running on the outside of the knee, leading to pain.
A backwards sledge drag also works the buttocks and hamstrings which get busy as we walk or run backwards. And the muscles in the back brace as you hold the straps, which helps open out the chest and lower the shoulders.
The exercise also gets you completely puffed out.
So all in all, a corker of an exercise.
You can experience its huge benefits Saturday mornings, 10am, Saffron Walden Common. Above is pictured my business partner, Tim, in our new venture to give people the body they desire. Our name: GBW Fitness. Prize for the best guess as to what GBW stands for.
