Skin The Cat
The point of Skin The Cat is posture that holds through the day; pure bodyweight leverage is how it gets there.
How to do Skin The Cat
- 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.
Skin The Cat Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 6-8 reps at your hardest clean leverage, resting 2-3 minutes. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Add reps first, then slow the lowering phase.
Endurance
3 sets of 25-30 reps with 30-45 seconds of rest. Change leverage or elevation before you add load.
Common Skin The Cat Mistakes
Adding reps forever instead of making the movement harder
Change leverage, elevation, or tempo once you clear your rep range.
Rounding the upper back to reach a little further
Hold a tall chest and shorten the range instead.
Letting the last set decay into a different exercise
End the set when the pattern changes, not when the reps run out.
Easier and Harder Than Skin The Cat
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Skin The Cat — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Skin The Cat?
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. Use your bodyweight only and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Skin The Cat work?
The Skin The Cat primarily targets the upper back. It is classified as a back exercise and is performed with your bodyweight only.
How many sets and reps of the Skin The Cat should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Add reps first, then slow the lowering phase. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Skin The Cat good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic back patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Skin The Cat?
Try the Cable Low Seated Row, Kettlebell Two Arm Row or the Lever T-bar Reverse Grip Row. Each trains the upper back with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
