Ring Skin the Cat
What Is the Ring Skin the Cat?
Ring Skin the Cat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the lats, abs and arms. It is an advanced-level movement in which you hang from gymnastic rings, tuck your knees up through your arms, rotate backward until you hang behind your hands with the shoulders fully extended, then reverse the path back to a hang.
The skill builds shoulder extension range under body-weight load, along with the strength to control that range. It is a long-standing basic of gymnastics ring training and a common part of calisthenics skill work, where it prepares the shoulders for holding the German hang at the bottom and later for the back lever. Because it is technical and loads the shoulder at end range, it usually sits early in a session after a warm-up, trained for a few quality reps rather than to fatigue.
The work changes through the rep. Lifting the hips up and over is a straight-arm pull driven by the lats, teres major and rear shoulders, with the abs curling the pelvis toward the rings. Lowering into the bottom puts the front of the shoulders, the chest and the biceps under stretch, and pulling back out makes those same muscles work to bring the body forward again. The tucked version shown keeps the knees close to the chest, which shortens the lever; keeping the legs straight or piked makes both the lift and the return considerably harder.
Rings suit this skill because the hands can turn as the shoulders rotate, and they can be lowered so the feet help on the way in and out. It is a good fit for anyone working toward ring or bar skills who already hangs comfortably. If it is too hard, build a steady Dead Hang, controlled Hanging Knee Raises and comfortable shoulder extension with the Behind-the-Back Shoulder Stretch first.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Rectus Abdominis
- High
- Teres Major
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Pectoralis Major
- Medium
Instructions
- Set the rings high enough that you can hang with straight arms and, when inverted, your head clears the floor.
- Grip the rings firmly and hang with your arms straight and your shoulders gently pulled down away from your ears.
- Draw your knees up to your chest and curl your pelvis toward the rings, keeping your elbows locked.
- Pull down through straight arms to lift your hips up and back between your arms, so your body turns upside down with the knees still tucked.
- Keep rotating and lower slowly, letting your hips and feet sink down behind you until your chest faces the floor and your shoulders are extended behind you.
- Stop at the depth where you feel a firm stretch across the front of your shoulders, with no sharp pain, and pause briefly.
- Reverse the path: bring your knees back toward your chest and pull your hips up and forward through your arms.
- Lower your legs under control back to a straight-arm hang, then repeat.
Common Mistakes
Bending the elbows
Bent arms turn the rotation into a pull and let the shoulders sag out of position just when the bottom loads them most.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling into the hang behind the hands instead of lowering slowly loads the front of the shoulder suddenly, which is where most shoulder strain happens.
Forcing the depth
Pushing past a comfortable stretch into sharp or pinching pain strains the front of the shoulder instead of building range.
Kicking over the top
Swinging or kicking the legs to get the hips up replaces lat and core control with momentum and makes the lowering hard to control.
Losing the tuck
Letting the knees drift away from the chest lengthens the lever and makes both the lift and the return heavier than planned.
Injuries
Ring Skin the Cat is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain point is the front of the shoulder: at the bottom, the shoulders are taken into deep extension with the whole body hanging from them, which stresses the joint capsule and ligaments at the front of the shoulder and the long biceps tendon. The elbows and grip also take load, especially when the arms bend, and because you pass upside down, a lost grip can drop you onto your head or neck.
Warm up the shoulders before the first rep, keep the elbows straight throughout, and lower into the bottom slowly rather than dropping into it. Go only as deep as your shoulders allow without sharp or pinching pain, and add depth over weeks rather than in one session. People with very loose shoulders or a history of shoulder dislocation or instability need strength and control in this range, not more stretch, and should work in a shortened range or skip the bottom position. Set the rings high enough that your head clears the floor when inverted, and train over a mat.
To regress, lower the rings so your feet stay on the floor and can help on the way in and out, stop short of full shoulder extension, and build up with a Dead Hang and Hanging Knee Raises. To progress, pause briefly in the bottom, then keep the legs straight or piked through the rotation.
A mild stretch across the front of the shoulders is normal. Stop the set if you feel sharp, pinching or clicking pain at the front of the shoulder or along the biceps, a sense of the shoulder shifting in its socket, or numbness or tingling in the arms.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Rings and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between Skin the Cat and a German hang?
The German hang is the static position at the bottom, hanging behind your hands with the shoulders fully extended. Ring Skin the Cat is the full rotation into that position and back out again.
- Q: Is Skin the Cat a stretch or a strength exercise?
It is both, but it is usually programmed as strength and skill work. The bottom is a loaded shoulder stretch, while lifting the hips over and pulling back out take straight-arm strength from the lats, shoulders and abs.
- Q: Should I learn it on rings or a bar?
Rings are the usual choice, because the hands can turn as the shoulders rotate and the rings can be lowered so your feet help. A fixed bar works too, but it holds the hands in place through the whole rotation.
- Q: What should I be able to do before trying it?
Aim for a relaxed Dead Hang of about 30 seconds, controlled Hanging Knee Raises and pain-free reaching behind your back. Start with the rings low enough for your feet to reach the floor.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
Treat it as skill work: 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 slow, controlled reps, stopping well before your form or control breaks down.
- Q: Is it normal to feel it in the front of my shoulders?
Yes, a mild stretch across the front of the shoulders and chest is expected at the bottom. Sharp, pinching or clicking pain means you went too deep or too fast, so shorten the range next time.