Besides where the load is, i cant see a huge difference in the movements - can anyone whose done both enlighten me? i was looking at a conditioning program that encorporates forward sled drags - sure you can forward drag a prowler but i think pushes would be more effective
Pushing the prowler is harder. Not sure why, but it is. Forward sled drags rape the calves, but prowler pushes are just harder from a total-body sense. Reasonably comparable though, you could probably substitute. One difference is that forward sled dragging can be done slowly, whereas it is pretty difficult to push a prowler slowly.
Go below a fast march and the prowler tends to stop, unless you have no weight on it or are on a very well-paved (and hence, slicker) surface.
I think with the prowler it has to do alot with the compression of your lungs and diaphram that results from having the load on front of you and the low position you need to maintain to push it, similar to how you feel during a front squat or in grappling with someone on top of you, its much easier to gas with restricted breathing. I also find that almost always, regardless of purface, the sled slides easier with the same amount of weight. Of course if you want you could do what I call the pain train and push the prowler while also dragging the sled …and if you want to up the sickness level another favorite of mine is that while wearing a heavy vest while having a sandbag rest on your shoulders, good times.