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Strength Training · Calisthenics · Gymnastics · Mobility

Skin the Cat

Skin the Cat is a ring exercise where you tuck, rotate upside down into a rear hang, and reverse. It develops shoulder mobility and control while challenging your upper body and core.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Advanced
  • Compound
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 2 min

How to do it

  1. Grasp the rings with your palms facing inward.
  2. Hang from straight arms with your knees bent and feet clear of the floor.
  3. Draw your knees tightly toward your chest.
  4. Lift your hips overhead into an upside-down tuck.
  5. Rotate your feet behind you, lowering your hips into a comfortable rear hang with straight arms.
  6. Reverse the rotation by drawing your tucked knees back overhead.
  7. Lower your hips beneath the rings into your starting bent-knee hang.

Form cues

  • Keep your neck relaxed.
  • Keep your belly firm.
  • Let the rings turn naturally.
  • Exhale as you lift your hips.

Common mistakes

  • Kicking into the inversionUse a smaller range you can enter without swinging or throwing your legs.
  • Dropping into the rear hangSlow the lowering phase so your shoulders never take a sudden jolt.
  • Opening the tuck too soonKeep your knees close to your chest until your hips return beneath the rings.

Safety

Lowering too far behind the rings can strain your shoulders under bodyweight, especially when fatigued. Losing your grip while inverted can cause a head or neck injury.

  • Check the ring anchors, straps, and buckles before use.
  • Set the rings so you can place your feet on the floor from the rear hang while retaining head clearance during inversion.
  • Stop the descent at a depth you can reverse without shoulder pain or forcing the range.
  • End the set before your grip starts to slip or your return rotation stalls.

If you have shoulder pain, a history of shoulder instability, or recent shoulder surgery, get advice from a physiotherapist or doctor before attempting this movement.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Chest
  • Front Delts

Secondary muscles

  • Lats
  • Rotator Cuff
  • Triceps

Equipment

  • Gymnastics Rings

Sets and reps

Sets
2–3
Target
2–4 reps
Rest
2 min

Use short sets for skill practice rather than training to failure.