The Toes To Bar exercise commonly performed in CrossFit can be a challenging skill for many athletes to develop. It may look simple but the combination of strength and technique required for efficiency is difficult. Understanding toes to bar mechanics will help you improve your technique.

For those needing more help with their T2B form, our Toes To Bar Overhaul plan is designed to build strength, coordination, technique, and mobility specific to this drill. Whether you are struggling to perform any reps, or regularly find yourself gassed after a set of T2B, this plan is for you! Join thousands that have already drastically improved their T2B performance!

 

Our FREE ebook “Five Keys to Great Toes To Bar” is another great resource for a better understanding of this movement.

Toes To Bar Mechanics

Video Transcript

Here is what we are overall looking for. When you are hanging, we want to make sure you have this nice tight arch position. And then what you want to do is using your lats, pulling down on the bar, we want to see the palms pressing down to the floor, instead of thinking about bringing the feet up. That will create an athlete in a hollow position. Then we’re going to hinge at that hip. We’re going to tuck, and then we’re going to have that kick. Good.

So what Zack is demonstrating is the two positions, the arch and hollow, but also how important it is to retrain your brain to think about pressing your palms down to the floor, instead of bringing your feet up to the rig. This will provide a lot of necessary tension. So as I move through the skill, I’m always thinking palms to the ground and that drives that little press. You can see that that lat really activating. And that gives me the power to bring my hip flexors into the right position as well.

Toes to Bar Variations

Hey guys, you might see two types of toes to bar, straight-legged toes to bar, or that top kick position. Depending on the type of athlete, and their mobility, and flexibility in their hip flexors. It’s really up to that athlete which position they would like to do. I like to train them all because I want to have a full range of moon. So what that means is this is that straight position, more gymnastic style. This is more a CrossFit style, where you see that tuck and kick. Depending on again, the athlete, one may be faster than the other, usually the talking kick is faster. If you can get into a really tight tuck. This will keep the skill really close to the center of the rig.

Also, there’s a common fault in stringing them together or having difficulty stringing them together, that you may see across the board. And this is the athlete just kind of dragging their heels straight down. Instead of finishing that arch position. Remember it’s like a rubber band. You have to pull back the tension to then have the forward momentum. So, if you see an athlete just driving straight down, they’re not finishing that arch position and being long with their body. Remember, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you have a great tight arch, you’re going to have an amazing hollow tuck kick or a straight leg hollow kick to make your toes to bar for a much more efficient.

Thanks to my Performance Plus Programming partner, Pamela Gagnon, for sharing insight into this movement with us.