Challenging Toes to Bar Abs Workouts for CrossFit Athletes


Let’s have a look at the five reasons, why your toes to bar don’t work well, and aren’t strong and efficient.

1. Your core strength needs more work 

Proper core strength is the foundation of all movements, not just in Crossfit, but in any other sport as well. Core’s function is not just stabilizing the spine and our bodies during the movement, but also in generating the force to initiate and perform the movement. Ask any gymnast how much time they devote to core stability and strength, and you’ll realize your working on your basics way too less.

Before kipping, strict core strength should be built with exercises like planks, hollow rocks, hollow rock holds, side planks, good mornings, deadlifts, GHD extensions, hanging knee raises (strict knee to elbows), strict toes-to-bars, L-holds, seated L-sit and other similar exercises.

2. Not doing a proper kip

Don’t focus just on hanging and lifting the legs up to the bar. Instead, also pay attention to moving the shoulders, chest and hips back and forward, and pulling the bar down to the feet. As feet go up, shoulders rise. Toes-to-bar are about timing, rhythm and using the momentum to kick up. For a proper kip, see our how-to video above.


3. Kicking your legs out

After touching the bar, bring your feet straight down and back. Don’t kick your legs out. Reach back to gather the momentum again, bring your knees to elbows first, and then kick with your feet up. Bigger angles and extended legs (knees) will lead to burnout faster. Great efficiency tips can be seen in this tutorial from Chris Spealler.

4. Weak grip strength

Grip strength is a common issue, not just for toes to bar, but all bar related exercises. It can be build progressively with working on your core strength. For extra training, you can incorporate exercises with thick barbell (deadlifts, farmers walks) or thick pull up bar (pull-ups, chins ups).

Great exercises for developing grip and upper body strength in general are active hang, one arm active hang, switch grip hangs and other exercises from Ido Portal.


5. Toes to Bar Abs Workouts: Calluses and hand rips

Holding on to the bar while performing high rep toes to bar can be extremely aggressive for the skin. Even if your hands don’t rip, blisters and calluses can develop. It starts with a grip: try gripping more with your fingers, so less skin will be squeezed between the bar and your fingers.

Like your muscles, joints and tendons need to slowly adjust the ” training stress”, so do the fists and fingers. Eventually the skins will get more resistant. But even then, tears and calluses will appear.

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