Mastering the Toes to Bar – 4 Useful Tips v
Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen CrossFit come on leaps and bounds, and become one of the most famous names in the world of fitness, and one of the most popular methods of getting in shape.
The great thing about CrossFit is the fact that there are so many different exercises and movements. As those familiar with CrossFit will tell you however, most CrossFit exercises and movements can be tricky to master. The Toes to Bar movement is a prime example of this.
When executed correctly, this exercise is not only dynamic and elegant, it’s also an ABS-olutely (bad pun alert) brutal but effective movement for people looking to target their abs and core. The problem is that toes to bar is not as easy to perform as it looks on video.
To help you master the toes to bar movement so you can build a set of abs you could grate cheese on, check out these useful tips.
What is Toes to Bar?
Very simply, the toes to bar exercise is an ab exercise, similar to hanging leg raises, whereby you will hang from a pullup bar, lift your legs, and slowly bring your feet upwards so that they touch the bar between your hands.
Sounds simple, right? Well, it really isn’t. The key to nailing the toes to bar movement is ensuring your arms are locked out throughout the exercise, making sure to touch the bar with your toes/feet in a synchronized manner. Touch the bar with one foot before the other, and it’s game over!
Toes to Bar Tips
To help you build the abs you’ve always wanted, and to make you a master on the bars, here are some simple tips to help you master the toes to bar movement.
To kip or not to kip?
The toes to bar exercise can be performed with strict form, or when kipping up. While kipping may be seen by some as the easier option, both require a great deal of coordination, upper body strength, and core strength.
Most CrossFit WODs (Workouts Of the Day) will require you to kip when executing this move, so make sure you focus on your kipping technique.
No swinging!
People with a strong core often get cocky when it comes to this exercise, and assume it will be easy to do.
What tends to happen is that they’ll jump onto the bar, lift their feet, immediately regret their life choices, and immediately try to save face by swinging and flipping their legs around all over the place, desperately trying to toes the bar with their toes.
Swinging exerts a huge amount of energy and takes your abs out of the equation. If you need to swing your legs and hips to touch the bar, your technique needs a lot of work.
Work on your Hollow Body
Put simply, if you can’t do Hollow Body holds, you won’t be able to do toes to bar.
Hollow Body is an exercise which may look easy, but is actually tough the master. Despite this, it is brutal (in a good way) when it comes to core training.
- To perform Hollow Body holds, begin by laying flat on your back with your arms and legs extended fully.
- Now, brace your core as hard as you can, pressing your lower body into the ground, and lifting the lower back and your legs slightly, until your shoulder blades are no longer touching the floor.
- Hold this position for as long as possible.
Perform hanging knee raises
Before you can progress to toes to bar, a great exercise you can perform instead is hanging knee raises.
Hanging knee raises involve you hanging from a bar just like with toes to bar, except you simply bring your knees up to your chest, making sure that it doesn’t affect your kipping rhythm.
Your main objective is to lift your legs without swinging, making sure to maintain a steady and controlled kipping rhythm.