Muscles worked
What the toes-to-bar trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Pick a bar. Use a bar high enough that your feet clear the floor with straight legs. A box underneath lets you step up and start still.
- 02
Grip. Overhand grip about shoulder width or a touch wider, thumbs wrapped around the bar. Chalk helps once sets get long.
- 03
Active hang. Hang with straight arms, then pull your shoulders down a little away from your ears. Do not hang loose in the joint.
- 04
Body line. Squeeze your legs together, point your toes and brace your abs so your ribs stay down. Let any swing settle before the first rep.
Step by step
How to do the toes-to-bar
- 01
Press the bar down. Keep your arms straight and push the bar down toward your hips with your lats. Your chest tips back and your hips start to move in front of the bar.
- 02
Curl and lift. Tuck your tail under to curl your pelvis up, then keep lifting your legs with your knees straight or only slightly bent. Breathe out as you lift.
- 03
Touch the bar. Bring your feet up until your toes touch the bar between your hands, both feet at once. Your hips finish high and your back is rounded.
- 04
Lower with control. Strict: take two to three seconds to lower until your legs hang straight below you, and let the swing settle before the next rep.
- 05
Kipping version. Once strict reps are solid, link reps with a swing. From the top, push the bar away so your legs sweep down and behind you into a slight arch, then press the bar down and snap back into the curl to lift your feet again.
Cues to say in your head
- Arms long, shoulders down
- Push the bar down
- Tuck your tail first
- Feet between your hands
- Lower slow, settle
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows to reach
Keep your arms straight and press the bar down with your lats. Pulling with your arms turns it into a half pull-up that brings the bar to your feet instead of your feet to the bar.
Lifting the legs without curling the pelvis
Tuck your tail first and keep curling as your legs rise. Without the curl your feet usually stall around hip height and the hip flexors do most of the work.
Kipping before you have strict reps
Build a few clean strict toes-to-bar or strict hanging leg raises first. The kip should add speed and volume, not make up for missing strength.
An uncontrolled swing between reps
In strict sets, stop at the bottom until you are still. In kipping sets, keep the swing small and timed, with the bar pushed away on the way down.
Dropping the legs on the way down
Lower under control. A crashing descent jars the shoulders and lower back and starts a swing you cannot use.
Touching with one foot or half the range
Both feet touch the bar together between your hands. If you cannot reach, use bent knees for some reps rather than cutting the range.
Stay safe
Get onto the bar from a box and start still. To end a set or a failed rep, lower your legs under control until they hang straight below you, let the swing stop, then step back onto the box or drop a short way to the floor with soft knees. Never let go at the end of a swing. Kipping puts fast, repeated load through the shoulders and grip, so earn it with strict strength first, keep sets short when you are tired, and use chalk and smooth hands to avoid tearing the skin on your palms. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your shoulders, lower back or groin, or a pulling or bulging feeling in your abdomen, and get it checked before you train it again.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technique | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 | 50–65% 1RM | 1 to 1.5 min |
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 3 to 6 | 80–90% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 6 to 10 | 67–80% 1RM | 1.5 to 2 min |
| Endurance | 3 to 5 | 10 to 20 | 50–65% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Strength sets
173–194lb
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps, 2 to 3 min rest. Strict only, with a slow lowering. Once these are easy, add light ankle weights.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Toes-to-Bar questions
What muscles does toes-to-bar work?
Mainly the abs, which curl your pelvis up, with the lats pressing the bar down and the obliques helping. The hip flexors lift your legs, and your grip and upper back hold you on the bar.
How do you do kipping toes-to-bar?
Start from an active hang, press the bar down to bring your hips forward and curl your feet up to the bar, then push the bar away so your legs swing down and behind you into a slight arch. Press down again from that arch to start the next rep, keeping your arms straight throughout.
Should I learn strict or kipping toes-to-bar first?
Strict first. Once you can do a few clean strict reps, the kip is a way to do more reps in a set, but it is not a shortcut to the first rep and it loads the shoulders harder.
Why can't my feet reach the bar?
Usually because your pelvis is not curling or your arms are bending. Press the bar down with straight arms, tuck your tail first, and build strength with hanging leg raises and bent knee reps until straight legs reach.
Is toes-to-bar harder than a hanging leg raise?
Yes, for most people. Your feet travel further, all the way to the bar, and the last part of the range takes a strong pelvic curl and lat press.
How many sets and reps of toes-to-bar should I do?
Three to five sets of 3 to 10 strict reps suits most people building strength and muscle. Kipping sets for conditioning often run 10 to 20 reps, broken up before form slips.
Train in Protocol
Log your toes-to-bar by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.