The Buddy Sled and the History of Sled Dragging

The Buddy Sled is born - a realistic solution for schools

The ATG USA Buddy Sled is born! (And all shoes and equipment will remain on sale through the holidays!)

Earlier this year, I started helping a school.

I put in four sleds. I put in four resisted treadmills.

I was feeling good! I was so ready for the first workout with the students.

Then 50 students showed up, and I realized how unprepared I was!

I could see that I needed about ten of an item for it to be useful in a school setting, but I didn’t have space to store and use 10 sleds.

I only had room for four sled runways, and while you could drag the sleds on the grass field outside, it rains often in Oregon and that would cause the sleds to rust. Not to mention, where would I store enough weights to put on the sleds?

I could have gone the route of 10 resisted treadmills, but financially it would be ridiculous for me to expect other schools to do that.

A realistic sled solution for schools would mean:

1. The students are the weights.

2. The sled can be used outside on the grass or inside on the court.

3. The sled would be easily portable.

Thankfully, Spud, Inc. in South Carolina makes a perfect fabric for this!

Testing moved quickly because we didn’t have to ship prototypes from across the ocean.

And so we begin.

But why does it even matter to me?

Well, the best guiding principle I’ve found as a coach and as a business owner is to supply what I wish had existed. This relates a lot to the simple but often overlooked (especially in business) “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

I was 12 when chronic knee pain took hold of my life.

I was 19 when backward sled finally gave me hope, allowing me to ditch the painkillers and get back to playing basketball.

So if I don’t have a sled solution for students, I’m dropping the ball for the 12-year-old me.

Well, students, you’ve now got a safe, vigorous workout (dragging a buddy across a field or court will stun you with the leg workout you get!) while learning a valuable skill - walking backward - you can use for the rest of your life.

SLEDUCATION

Now let’s take a look at the history of sled dragging.

I think it’s worthwhile to note that backward walking - without resistance - was passed down from generation to generation in Asia to help prevent arthritis!

In America, in 1990, powerlifting coach Louie Simmons invented a metal sled to resist forward and backward walking.

He was inspired by the success of powerlifters from Finland who credited their extra strength to their day jobs dragging trees in the forest industry!

Louie’s sled branched out into many styles and forms.

When I made a gym 10 years ago, I put turf down on half the floor so all trainees had ample space and sleds.

My gym was open mornings, afternoons and evenings. I trained about 20 people per training period (plus some sports teams), totaling about 100,000 sled sessions.

I felt no need to change anything.

Then, in 2020… all gyms were shut down!

Being easily accessible to people on social media, I probably answered the question “What do I do without a sled?” more than anyone in the industry.

The first thing I did was train with zero equipment whatsoever for 6 months, obsessing on my bodyweight system (Knee Ability Zero).

Then I started rebuilding with a home gym.

This quickly led to the need for a resisted treadmill to mimic the effects of sled.

There were some excellent options on the market, but all cost thousands of dollars, and most were tricky to use backward.

So we made a breakthrough in simplicity, with a $600 unit designed for “backward sled.”

In time, I realized I love it for forward use, too!

It’s like having my own personal hill, and it’s been my main cardio source for the past three years.

I’m a happy camper for life, but no doubt we will keep working to improve this category. However, the price of mine will gradually go up due to converting components to USA production.

I have said and will continue to say that this is not a “USA vs.” game for me.

I’ve simply come to the conclusion that I love supporting production close to home.

I would encourage this approach for anyone in any country.

And my backward treadmill design already has been copied by companies who manufacture only in China, so it’s in good hands!

As my price goes up for USA-made, you will still have more affordable options.

I don’t need or desire to monopolize any market.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for entertaining my backward methods.

And thank you for your support, which has allowed my dreams to come to life.

I hope I continue to add value to your life, too.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

ATG Online Coaching

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