Toes to Bar Guide: Master the Movement Pattern

Build high-level core strength and gymnastic control with our step-by-step guide to mastering the toes to bar exercise.

How to Perform

  1. Hang from a pull-up bar with a double overhand grip, keeping your thumbs wrapped and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Initiate a rhythmic hollow-to-arch swing by pulling your shoulders down and pushing the bar away from you to generate momentum.
  3. Transition from the arch position into a hollow position while aggressively pulling the bar down toward your hips.
  4. Contract your core and hinge your hips to bring your legs upward in a rapid, controlled motion.
  5. Touch both feet to the bar simultaneously between your hands.
  6. Lower your legs with control while maintaining tension to transition directly into the next repetition.

Common Mistakes

  • Losing tension in the shoulders and 'bottoming out' at the bottom of the rep.
  • Bending the knees excessively which reduces the leverage needed for core engagement.
  • Relying solely on momentum without activating the lats to pull the bar down.
  • Kicking the bar away rather than touching it and pulling the feet back in.

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

  • Abs

Stabilizers

  • Hip Flexors
  • Lats
  • Grip
  • Obliques

Related Guides

Abs · Strength