The tire pull is my go-to non-running workout. It’s also the workout I choose when there’s not enough time for a decent run. It’s designed to be hard and intense. But not necessarily long…

I practice two variation of the tire pull:

Heavy – with a heavy pull, the tire is weighted to the point that you can’t move the tire by simply tugging on the rope. It takes about 20 looong minutes to go a half mile.

HR ratcheting – I made this term up, not sure it really means anything. These are sprints while dragging a moderately weighted tire. The catch is that I wear a heart rate monitor set to a very narrow range. (155-165) You pull as hard as possible until heart rate reaches the maximum, then rest. But only rest until heart rate reaches the lower number. It’s a tough, tough workout that only gets harder as your heart gets stronger and recovers faster.