PlanWorkouts

Exercise 3304 · REF MSfvriJ

Skin The Cat exercise animation

Skin The Cat

Category
Back
Equipment
Body Weight
Target
Upper Back

Skin the cat is a gymnastics staple — hanging from a bar and rotating the legs through to end up inverted, then reversing it — that builds shoulder mobility and control under load in a way almost nothing else does. It's demanding on the shoulder joint itself, so it rewards lifters who already have solid overhead mobility and control rather than being a good starting point for beginners. Go slow on the way down; that's where most of the control work happens.

How to Do the Skin The Cat

  1. Start by hanging from a bar with your arms fully extended and your body relaxed.
  2. Engage your core and lift your legs up, bringing your knees towards your chest.
  3. Continue to lift your legs up and over your head, allowing your body to pass through the arms.
  4. Once your legs are fully extended over your head, begin to lower them back down towards the starting position.
  5. As you lower your legs, allow your body to pass back through the arms until you are hanging with your arms fully extended again.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

The Skin The Cat primarily targets the Upper Back, with Shoulders as the primary synergist muscle group, along with the Core.

More Back Exercises

Alternate Lateral Pulldown Alternate Lateral Pulldown Cable · Lats Archer Pull Up Archer Pull Up Body Weight · Lats Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Pull-Up Assisted Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Chin-Up Assisted Standing Chin-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Pull-Up Assisted Standing Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats

More Upper Back Exercises

Back Lever Back Lever Body Weight · Upper Back Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band · Upper Back Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row Band · Upper Back Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back Barbell Incline Row Barbell Incline Row Barbell · Upper Back Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back

Equipment Alternatives

Don't have body weight? These target the same upper back with different equipment.

Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band · Upper Back Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back Cable Decline Seated Wide-Grip Row Cable Decline Seated Wide-Grip Row Cable · Upper Back Dumbbell Bent Over Row Dumbbell Bent Over Row Dumbbell · Upper Back

FAQ

What muscles does the Skin The Cat work?
The Skin The Cat primarily targets the upper back, with the shoulders and core assisting.
What equipment do I need for the Skin The Cat?
The Skin The Cat is done with no equipment — just body weight.
What's a good alternative to the Skin The Cat?
If you don't have access to the space or setup it needs, the Band One Arm Standing Low Row targets the same upper back using band instead.