The CrossFit Open reveals everything: strengths, weaknesses, nerves, and grit. Every year, we’re challenged with some familiar — and some not-so-familiar — movements, testing not just fitness, but confidence under pressure. If you want to thrive in the Open, it comes down to preparation and understanding the fundamentals.

In this article series, we’re breaking down the movements most commonly seen in the CrossFit Open with clear tips, smart training progressions, and insights from CrossFit’s expert trainers. Whether you’re chasing Quarterfinals, a higher leaderboard spot than last year, or simply showing up to put in honest work, these articles are designed to help you move better, train smarter, and step into the competition with confidence.

If this series inspires you to dive deeper and learn more about training and movement, check out our course library, including the foundational Level 1 Course (available online or in person), or other online options on nutrition, anatomy, scaling, and more. See all available courses here.

Registration for the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard, starts Jan. 14, with the first workout being announced Feb. 26. It’s proving season — will you be ready?

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Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

The chest-to-bar pull-up is a challenging variation of the pull-up that is often seen in the CrossFit Open as well as day-to-day affiliate programming. The chest-to-bar pull-up builds upon the kipping pull-up by increasing the demand: rather than just getting their chin over the bar, the athlete must make contact with the bar below the collarbone. The demand on the upper-body pulling muscles is apparent. The less-obvious increased demand is the need for a more powerful kipping motion to perform reps efficiently, as well as the increased mobility required to get the body to touch the bar. 

Dedicated strength development and practice will help you perform this movement, maximize efficiency, and increase your muscular endurance, allowing you to perform more reps in a workout. 

Common Faults in the Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

Several faults arise when performing chest-to-bar pull-ups. Assuming that the prerequisite capacity of strict pull-ups and several kipping pull-ups is in place, the following are primary faults you may need to overcome. Understanding and correcting these common pitfalls will enhance your progress:

• Excessive lower-body movement on the kip swing: Even an athlete with sound kipping mechanics for kipping pull-ups may tend to excessively swing the legs due to the increased demand to touch the chest to the bar. Proper execution of the kip swing involves an initiation of the shoulder by pulling and pressing into the pull-up bar with the upper body when moving through the arch and hollow positions. To aid with the fault, athletes can practice arches and hollows on the floor, or a coach can use targets for the athlete to touch with their torso while kipping.
   
• Lack of height on the kip: Due to the increased range of motion when compared to a traditional kipping pull-up, athletes will benefit from increasing the height they achieve on the back swing of the kipping motion. The focus should be on actively pressing the bar downward with straight arms and an aggressive hip extension. A coach can set high targets behind the athlete's back for them to hit before pulling with their arms.
   
• Poor return mechanics: Many athletes struggle to complete successive reps efficiently. From the top of the bar, athletes should press away from it to a degree that allows them to immediately recreate the kip swing. A fault occurs when the athlete passively drops back to the hang position without control and must perform 2-3 extra kip swings before the next reps. To address this fault, elevate the chest to the bar above the bar (with or without assistance), pause in this position, then focus on pressing away from the bar while relaxing the arm muscles.
   
• Pulling early with the arms: Athletes may use their arms to pull their chest toward the bar before gaining vertical momentum on the back of the kip swing. Athletes can practice proper timing by doing a drill that involves 2 kip swings followed by 1 kipping chest-to-bar pull-up, or by a coach placing a target behind the athlete to cue when to pull with the arms.
   
• Incomplete range of motion: Athletes will struggle with the demand to touch their chest to the bar. If adequate strength and kipping mechanics are in place, consider slightly widening the hand position to help you touch your chest to the bar. 

Progression

There are a variety of ways to progress toward the chest-to-bar pull-up that involve breaking the movement down into smaller, more manageable skills and progressively increasing the difficulty. 

Consider the following movement progression:

1. Strict pull-ups: These demonstrate fundamental strength and structural components that are valuable to develop before focusing on kipping movements.
    
2. Kipping pull-ups: Master the efficient kip swing (hollow to arch) without the pull-up. Then, practice linking the kip to a pull-up to generate momentum and height on the back swing of the kip. The goal is to get the chest as high as possible.
    
3. Band-assisted or jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups: Performing the full range of motion at an easier level of difficulty may help athletes identify the adjustments needed for the kip and feel the demands of increased range of motion.
    
4. Kipping chest-to-bar pull-ups: After being proficient in the kipping pull-up and practicing easier variations of the chest-to-bar pull-up, start incorporating more focus on kipping chest-to-bar pull-ups. 

Consider the following skill session as a means to practice and refine the movement patterns needed for the kipping chest-to-bar pull-up:

Step 1. Kip swings: Start hanging from the bar with shoulders slightly pulled away from the ears and elbows locked out. This is a shoulder-initiated movement where the athlete pulls the shoulders forward of the bar into an arch position. Then, the athlete presses the shoulders behind the bar while maintaining straight arms and a hollow position in front of the body. Keep legs straight and abs tightened. Complete 2-3 sets of 3-5 reps. 

Step 2. 2 kip swings + 1 kip: After performing 2 kip swings, on the third rep, focus on pressing the hands down into the bar aggressively on the back of the swing while maintaining straight arms. This will create vertical momentum for the athlete, and a moment of weightlessness may occur. Perform 1-3 sets.

Step 3. 2 kip swings + 1 pull-up: The moment of weightlessness or the highest point of the aforementioned kip designates the moment the athlete should pull toward the bar with their arms. Perform 1-3 sets.

Step 4. 2 kip swings + 1 chest-to-bar pull-up: This is the same as the preceding step, with the additional demands of touching your chest to the bar and potentially striving for more height during the back swing of the kipping motion. Perform 1-3 sets.

Step 5. 2 kip swings + 1 chest-to-bar pull-up + 2 kip swings: When the chest touches the bar, focus on pushing the body away from it to reset back to the front position of the kip swing. This habit will help you perform multiple reps consecutively. Perform 1-3 sets.

Step 6. Multiple consecutive chest-to-bar pull-ups: The final step involves linking multiple chest-to-bar pull-ups together. Focus on maintaining a tight body position throughout all phases of the movement. Perform 1-3 sets of 3-5 reps. 

Overcoming Frustration

The demands of the chest-to-bar pull-up can be frustrating. Especially for those proficient with kipping pull-ups. Consider the following when overcoming obstacles: 

• Set Process-Oriented Goals: Instead of the stress of, “I will do 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups by _____________,” consider a process oriented goal of, “I will do ___ dedicated chest-to-bar pull-up sessions in my warm-ups or cool-downs two times per week.”
   
• Refocus on Strict Strength Development: Sometimes it may be necessary to revisit the prioritization of your strict pulling strength by performing pull-up exercises and accessory movements. This focus can be a fun way to change up your training.
   
• Record Yourself: Watching a video of your attempts is often the fastest way to identify the fault (e.g., small kip, feet separating excessively, lack of a push away from the top of the bar when attempting reps, etc.)
   
• Celebrate Small Wins: Increasing your strict strength, using a lighter band than usual to help get your chest to the bar, and generating more power during higher kips are all signs of progress. 

Practice

Consistent practice will be the key variable that leads to success. Many start with a goal of becoming more proficient at chest-to-bar pull-ups, but lack long-term consistency. Create a plan that you know will ensure consistency over months. This may involve using your warm-ups and cool-downs as practice time a few times per week. The plan can be structured, while still allowing some freedom for change and some fun along the way. 

• Continue strict strength development: Although not necessarily a skill to practice, it is worth reiterating that strict strength capacity carries over strongly to your performance in kipping movements. Add in challenging low-rep pull-up sets, negatives, isometric holds, and even an accessory movement or two to add to your development.
   
• Kipping practice: Practice the kip swing with the intent to elevate your body as high as possible while maintaining straight arms.
   
• Volume work: Consider adding short sessions to develop your chest-to-bar pull-up capacity and efficiency. This could involve performing low-rep EMOMs or ladders to build volume.