skin the cat

A back exercise targeting the upper back, performed with body weight.

skin the cat demonstration
skin the cat β€” demonstration

Body part

Back

Equipment

Body Weight

Target muscles

Upper Back

Secondary muscles

Shoulders, Core

How to do 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

Primary (target)

Upper Back

Secondary

ShouldersCore

Related exercises

All back exercises β†’

Track skin the cat in NutriMind

Log your sets and the app does the rest β€” automatic PR detection, progression charts for every lift, and progressive overload that adjusts your next workout. Paired with AI nutrition coaching so your training and your plate pull in the same direction.

Planning your next heavy session? Estimate your max with the One Rep Max Calculator and build up to it with the Warm-up Calculator. More free tools β†’