Description:
Tuck Through to Skin the Cat on Bars is an exercise that doubles as a strength workout, and also as a mobility exercise. The ‘turnover’ and pulling out of the skin the cat builds strength in the abdominals, while the ‘skin the cat’ itself is effective for stretching the shoulders. For best results, focus on relaxing the shoulders as much as possible during the ‘skin the cat’ to maximize the stretching aspect.
Process:
- begin in a long hang on a bar and engage core
- bend at the hips and tuck knees to bring both legs over head, ensuring that the knees remain close to the body as much as possible
- transition through an inverted tuck position and slowly allow legs to straighten as you open up shoulder angles to lower down to a skin the cat position
- pause for a moment in the skin the cat position for a solid stretch in the shoulders
- pull out of the skin the cat by engaging the core and rotating from the upper back
- bend at the hips and tuck knees to transition through an inverted tuck position
- slowly straighten legs and simultaneously open up shoulder and hip angles to finish in original hang position
