What is Toes to Bar?
Toes to Bar is a hanging core exercise where you raise straight legs to touch the bar, primarily training the core, shoulders and forearms. It’s a medium-level calisthenics move that requires hip hinge, lats engagement and core compression for safe, controlled reps.
How to Do Toes to Bar
- Setup hang: Grip the pull-up bar shoulder-width, hang actively in a hollow position with shoulders depressed, lats engaged, legs straight and toes pointed.
- Brace core: Exhale and brace your core, squeeze glutes and engage lats while keeping arms straight to create full-body tension and protect the spine.
- Initiate hip hinge: Hinge at the hips and begin lifting by compressing the abs, avoiding excessive spinal flexion and keeping upper-body movement minimal.
- Raise legs: Keep legs straight and together, lift them upward to touch the bar with toes, exhaling on the way up and squeezing at the top.
- Control descent: Slowly lower legs back to the hollow hang under control, maintain shoulder depression and core tension to protect the lower back and shoulders.
Muscle Groups
Core, Shoulders, Forearm
Description
With hands about shoulder width apart, take a supinated grip and hang actively from the bar in a hollow position. (Shoulders depressed, Core and Lats engaged)Keeping your legs straight, hinging only at hips, compress your core and bring your toes to the bar. Exhale on the way up.
Squeeze your legs together, and keep your arms straight. Engage your lats to restrict upper body movement.
Squeeze at the top, and slowly control back down.
Repeat for repetitions.
Keep the arms straight, limit movement from your upper body. Don’t arch your back at the bottom, keep tension on your core throughout.
Movement Group
Core
Required Equipment
Pull-Up Bar
Progressions and Regressions
- Knee Raises On Dip Bar
- Leg Raises On Dip Bar
- Hanging Knee Raise
- Hanging Leg Raise
- Toes to Bar (current)
- Inverted Romanian Deadlift
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of Toes to Bar?
Toes to Bar strengthens the entire core while improving hip flexor power, shoulder stability and grip endurance. It increases metabolic demand for conditioning and transfers to other lifts that require core control and hip drive.
What are common mistakes when doing Toes to Bar?
Common errors include bending the arms, excessive kipping or swinging, arching the lower back, and using hip momentum instead of core compression. Keep lats engaged, arms straight and use a controlled tempo to reduce injury risk.
How can I progress or regress Toes to Bar?
Regress using hanging knee raises, tuck-toes-to-bar, band-assisted reps or lying leg raises. Progress to strict toes-to-bar, increase reps/sets, practice negatives, add ankle weight or L-sit variations to build strict strength and control.