Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5
Then, 2 x 20 unbroken dimmel deadlift @ 40% of 5RM
Rest 3 minutes between sets
Post loads to comments and BTWB
What do we want? Our toes to touch the bar! When do we want it? Now would be great.
By Courtney “I prefer to think of it as the bar gets to touch my toes” Shepherd, and the fine people of Eat To Perform
Toes to bar is not a technically demanding movement but yet it continues to be one that can cause many of us frustration. Whether it’s that we can’t get our toes to the bar, we can not figure out the kip to do it fast and efficiently, or maybe we simply can’t hold on to the pull-up bar long enough to get in a bunch of reps. Either way successfully completing them can be far harder than they look.
While not technically demanding, the T2B does have some demands that athletes need to be able to complete them in any capacity. We need grip strength, lat strength, and core strength. Any deficiency in one or more of these areas will impact our performance. The bonus is, if we take the appropriate steps to work on T2B, that can in and of itself be the way we build strength in the above mentioned areas. Working the right positions builds strength and capacity in the right positions, which builds a movement.
In an article by Eat To Perform titled, “Toes To Bar- 6 Tips For Beginners“, they address several steps to help build T2B (click here for full article). While the title may say for beginners, really these tips are for anyone that struggles with T2B.
1. Start at the floor. Work on perfecting the hollow and “Superman” positions. Staying tight in these positions will allow you to transfer more power into the bar so you can move more efficiently.
2. Take those two positions and put them together on the pull-up bar. Practice transitioning between the hollow and Superman positions and get into a rhythm to perfect your kip. If you start to flop around, take a break and get back to it.
-This is simply addressing the kipping swing. A shoulder initiated swing with minimal, to no, work from the legs.
3. Work on your grip strength. If your grip is giving out, you’re not going to last long. You need to work on specific grip strength on the pull-up bar. Simply hanging from the bar for time – 30 seconds is a great place to start – can address a deficiency.
4. Knees up. Work on knees to elbows. This is a remedial/scaled version of the exercise that’s great for people with mobility issues as well as folks who just want a way to make the exercise easier and work on developing core strength.
5. Activate your lats. When you come behind the bar at the top, focus on engaging the lats. Push down on the bar and descend quickly.
6. Work on small sets. To develop your technique without ingraining bad habits, keep the reps low and focus on perfect form. If you push until your form begins to break down/loosen up, or even until you fail a rep, you’re just making it harder on yourself in the long run. Quality vs. quantity!
*In addition to these tips, you might also want to work on your hip mobility during your warm-ups. Stretch those hamstrings too!
This may not look like new information, in fact it may look similar to the progressions we use in class to warm up the T2B. Again, the reminder is, breaking the T2B into these pieces and focusing our energies on these pieces can help build the movement as a whole. My favorite tip is #6, work on small sets. Some of us can find the rhythm of T2B for a few reps but eventually fall off. Rather than focusing on trying to get as many done as possible, what if we change our goal for a workout to only work in sets that allow us to maintain form and technique. And the next workout that comes along we increase that set by 1 rep only. Before we know it our working sets our in the double digits. Anything worth having needs to be worth working on and building capacity in. We can’t expect to go from zero to 60 over night.
Another article worth reading is one written by CrossFit Roots several months ago. They breakdown the T2B in pictures. . . and you know what they say, a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Click here to get to the article.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. – Kelly Starrett
*We will have the South Regionals playing on the TV at Verve all day Friday. Saturday Mas and Joylyn Godinez have lovingly opened up their home to a viewing party for anyone interested in watching and cheering in a fun group. Here is the post from Facebook:
If you are not on Facebook, simply comment to this post with your RSVP. Sunday we will have Regionals playing from 12pm-3pm following yoga. Come, sit, enjoy some adults beverages, and cheer loudly. Wear your Verve shirts!!
