How to Do the Cat Cow Stretch for Better Movement

EVERYONE COULD USE a bit more spinal mobility in their lives. You don’t need a long, drawn out routine for this though—if you’re in a pinch, there’s just one move you can use to make your back feel great. The exercise is called the cat-cow, a simple on-the-spot back stretch done on all fours that resembles both feline and bovine movements.

Once you figure out its simple subtleties, you’re on your way to a healthier spine for your next gym session or just getting through the day. The cat-cow is not a rep-based exercise, so there’s no need whatsoever to rush your movements. What you’re looking for is slow, controlled movement while focusing on spinal protraction and retraction. And since you’re not moving any load, it’s safe to round your back while in cat cow.

What does it all mean? According to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and senior editor Brett Williams, NASM, when you’re in cat-cow, you want to create movement across your spine and your shoulder blades for maximum gains.

How to Do the Cat-Cow

• Get in a tabletop position (hands, knees, and feet on the ground), with the shoulders above your wrists. Your knees slightly wider than hip width.
• Round your back as much as possible, while spreading your shoulder blades and bending in your neck as much as possible
• Look up to slowly begin arching your back, taking two to three seconds to create as much spinal extension as possible while squeezing your shoulder blades.
• Continue alternating between extension and flexion, moving for 2 to 3 seconds per each rep.

Benefits of the Cat-Cow

What makes this move so useful is that it’s a subtle reminder us that our vertebrae can indeed move independently, and movement doesn’t only take place at the waist. The cat-cow also allows you to really focus on spreading those shoulder blades as far as you can. Then when you arch your back, you want to squeeze your shoulder blades nice and tight.

“That way we can really feel the range that’s within our spine at the time,” Samuel says. “The more and more you do this, your movement is going to get better and you’re going to be more in touch with your spine.”

Common Cat-Cow Mistakes

The biggest mistake you can make when you do the cat-cow is to rush through the movement, which won’t allow you to take advantage of your spine’s whole range of motion. Really concentrate on taking your time on both ends so that you’re able to create movement across your spine and shoulder blades.

How to Add the Cat Cow to Your Workouts

There’s really not a wrong time to do the cat-cow, either as a pre-workout warmup or just as a quick wake-me-up first thing in the morning. And again, there’s no need to rush this for reps, so think about going for 40 seconds on 20 off for about three or four sets.

Want to master even more moves? Check out our entire Form Check series.

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