Skin the cat is a gymnastic movement performed on a bar, where you hang, lift your legs over your head, rotate your body through your arms, and then return to the starting position. It requires significant upper body and core strength, as well as shoulder mobility and coordination.
Quick Facts
How to Do Skin The Cat
Follow these step-by-step instructions to perform Skin The Cat with proper form and technique.
- Start by hanging from a bar with your arms fully extended and your body relaxed.
- Engage your core and lift your legs up, bringing your knees towards your chest.
- Continue to lift your legs up and over your head, allowing your body to pass through the arms.
- Once your legs are fully extended over your head, begin to lower them back down towards the starting position.
- As you lower your legs, allow your body to pass back through the arms until you are hanging with your arms fully extended again.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Understanding which muscles Skin The Cat targets helps you integrate it effectively into your training program.
Target Muscles
These are the main muscles responsible for performing the movement and receive the greatest training stimulus.
Secondary Muscles
These muscles assist in the movement and receive secondary training benefits.
Benefits of Skin The Cat
Incorporating Skin The Cat into your workout routine offers numerous advantages for strength, muscle development, and overall fitness.
- Upper Back Development: Skin The Cat directly targets and strengthens the Upper Back, promoting muscle growth and improved functional strength.
- Secondary Muscle Engagement: This exercise also works the Shoulders and Core, providing additional training stimulus without extra exercises.
- Convenience and Accessibility: This exercise requires no equipment, making it perfect for home workouts, travel, or when gym access is limited.
- Advanced Training Stimulus: This challenging exercise provides the intensity needed for experienced athletes to continue making progress.
- Corrects Imbalances: As a unilateral exercise, it helps identify and correct strength imbalances between sides of the body.
Safety Tips and Precautions
Performing Skin The Cat safely is essential for preventing injuries and ensuring long-term progress.
- Warm Up Properly: Before performing Skin The Cat, complete 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic stretches targeting the Upper Back and surrounding muscles.
- Prioritize Form Over Weight: Never sacrifice proper technique for heavier weights. Poor form significantly increases injury risk and reduces the exercise's effectiveness.
- Progress Gradually: Master easier progressions before attempting advanced variations. Ensure your supporting surface is stable.
- Protect Your Lower Back: Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement. Never round your lower back under load.
- Respect Your Range of Motion: Work within your current mobility limits. Gradually improve flexibility over time rather than forcing deeper positions.
- Don't Hold Your Breath: Maintain consistent breathing throughout the exercise. Exhale during the exertion phase and inhale during the easier phase.
- Know When to Stop: End your set when you can no longer maintain proper form. Training to absolute failure on every set increases injury risk.
- Allow Adequate Recovery: The Upper Back typically need 48-72 hours to recover after intense training. Avoid training the same muscle group on consecutive days.
Tracking Your Progress
To make consistent gains with Skin The Cat, track these metrics during your workouts:
Track the number of sets you complete. Most training programs recommend 3-5 sets per exercise.
Record your repetitions per set. Adjust rep ranges based on your goals: 1-5 for strength, 6-12 for hypertrophy, 12+ for endurance.
Track duration for time-based sets. Focus on maintaining quality form throughout the entire time period.