FIRST 30 · MOVEMENT LIBRARY
Gymnastics: recognize the movements and your starting options.
Pull-ups, toes-to-bar and muscle-ups are different tasks even when they use the same rig. This guide groups names by what your body does: pull, push, support or raise the legs. Understanding a movement does not mean you must perform its full version in your first month.
Before looking up a movement
The adapted version belongs in the workout
If the board lists pull-ups and you do ring rows, your task still has a purpose. Your coach selects an adaptation for strength, control, work duration or continuity. There is no universal repetition conversion between movements.
Strict, kipping and butterfly are techniques, not membership levels
Strict avoids deliberate body momentum. Kipping uses coordinated dynamic movement; butterfly is a different cycling technique. A version that allows more repetitions is not automatically appropriate for a beginner. Skill does not replace foundational strength and control.
Range is learned rather than chased at any cost
A target such as touching the bar with your feet defines a movement but does not require you to force your current range. Knee raises may be the appropriate task. Recording the actual variation makes future comparisons more useful.
Skill practice need not end in exhaustion
Learning a transition or inverted position takes attention. Your coach decides when to practice a skill and when to use a workout alternative. The most advanced movement is not a requirement for getting value from class or belonging to the group.
Watch support points and movement path
In a clip, identify hand and foot support, what moves and what marks the finish. The demonstrator’s rhythm is not your volume prescription. Inverted, hanging and elevated tasks need appropriate setup and coaching.
Find your movement
- Strict pull-up
- Kipping pull-up / Butterfly pull-up
- Chest-to-bar · C2B / CTB
- Ring row
- Toes-to-bar · T2B / TTB
- Hanging knee raise / Knees-to-elbows
- Push-up
- Ring dip
- Handstand push-up · HSPU
- Wall walk / Handstand walk
- Muscle-up · Bar / Ring
- Rope climb
01
Strict pull-up
A hanging pull that brings the chin above the bar without deliberate momentum.
What to distinguish
Separate pulling strength from swinging skill. Ring rows or coach-selected assistance can provide a useful starting task.
02
Kipping pull-up / Butterfly pull-up
Dynamic pull-up variations with distinct coordination patterns, not merely faster strict pull-ups.
What to distinguish
Do not learn them by making uncontrolled swings larger. Progressions combine shoulder preparation, strength and rhythm.
03
Chest-to-bar · C2B / CTB
A pull-up in which the chest contacts the bar rather than only the chin clearing it.
What to distinguish
The additional height changes the task. Your pull-up repetition capacity does not transfer automatically.
04
Ring row
A ring row pulls the body toward the rings while the feet remain supported.
What to distinguish
Body angle changes difficulty. It is a worthwhile training task, not a failure label.
05
Toes-to-bar · T2B / TTB
From a hang, raise the feet to contact the bar. Strict and kipping versions should be distinguished.
What to distinguish
The clip shows kipping. Knee raises may be an adaptation, but are not the same repetition or a universal conversion.
06
Hanging knee raise / Knees-to-elbows
A knee raise lifts the knees while hanging; knees-to-elbows adds a more specific target at the elbows.
What to distinguish
Similar names do not imply identical standards. Your coach may use less range or a floor-based task.
07
Push-up
A push-up lowers and raises the body from hand and foot support while maintaining body control.
What to distinguish
Elevating the hands on a stable support can adjust difficulty. Follow the prescribed version rather than rushing to the floor.
08
Ring dip
A dip on rings bends and extends the arms while controlling an unstable support.
What to distinguish
Rings differ from fixed support. Push-up capacity does not automatically prepare you for high-volume ring dips.
09
Handstand push-up · HSPU
An inverted pressing movement. Strict, kipping and deficit versions are different tasks.
What to distinguish
Preparation and position control matter. Adapt support or movement; do not use uncontrolled head contact to finish repetitions.
10
Wall walk / Handstand walk
A wall walk uses the wall to enter and leave an inverted position. A handstand walk travels on the hands.
What to distinguish
They are not interchangeable or mandatory first-month tests. Distance, angle and alternatives are coached.
11
Muscle-up · Bar / Ring
A pull and transition lead to support above the bar or rings. Equipment changes the technique.
What to distinguish
Recognizing the name does not require trying it now. Component practice need not become repeated failed workout attempts.
12
Rope climb
A rope climb may use foot assistance; legless identifies a version without it.
What to distinguish
Foot technique, height and descent require instruction. Ground-level practice can be valid; height does not measure belonging.
Keep exploring
Videos and scope
Original explanatory copy by RETO. Selected CrossFit demonstrations link to the originals; no videos were downloaded or edited. The official library offers additional clips. These guides organize names for learning and reference; they do not prescribe loads or certify technique. Competition standards should be checked for each event.