Martin Harland is currently employed as an exercise scientist looking after the physical training needs of Sydney University Sport & Fitness athletes.
Martin has worked in the field of elite sports as a career since 1995 and started training Sydney University sporting teams part-time in late 2002 and became a full-time SUSF employee in 2004. From the scholarship programs inception the expansion has been such that the organisation now employs three exercise scientists to direct the ever growing needs of competing athletes in numerous sports at Sydney University. In the beginning Martin worked with all sports, requiring assistance and he has had the pleasure of working with a great many sports people and coaches during his time with SUSF. Now with more than 10 years experience at Sydney Uni Martin will be working with Flames Basketball, AFL, Track & Field and Rowing.
“The great feature of the GruntSled is that it’s a Pushsled design. Often in field based sports we have used pull sleds.
The GruntSled is very simple and has a number of great features. When you are towing a normal sled or pushing it, they are very stable and you don’t have to think too much about the application of force. With the GruntSled, It has a short wheelbase, which makes it rotate quite easily if you don’t maintain a push through the handles directly in a straight line. This works the core harder to keep it moving in a straight line. The other beauty about it is that the high bar allows athletes of all heights to pick the position to create the ideal power line position behind the sled so that the hips are inline with the shoulders and feet, so that they can push the sled.
We have used it a lot, not only biomechanically, but also to better our athletes in creating force in a straight line, which is ideal for athletes wanting to run faster or, for example, rugby players for force through a tackle, ruck or maul.
We also want them to push it for long distances and to do that in the ideal low position to drive the quads and glutes, the easy to use pad attachment turns it into a sled which enables the athlete to put the shoulders into it, keep the hips very low and just push with whatever loading you want on there.
I couldn’t recommend the GruntSled highly enough and it plays an important part in the developments of our athletes.“
Martin Harland - Head Exercise Scientist, Sydney University sport and fitness