How to Do the Cat-Cow Stretch for Back Mobility
Master the Cat-Cow stretch with our step-by-step guide. Improve spinal flexibility, relieve back pain, and perfect your warm-up routine.
How to Perform
- Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position with a neutral spine, aligning your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Inhale deeply as you drop your belly toward the floor, lift your chin and chest, and gaze toward the ceiling for the Cow portion.
- Broaden across your shoulder blades while drawing your shoulders away from your ears during the extension phase.
- Exhale as you pull your belly button toward your spine and round your back toward the ceiling, tucking your chin to your chest for the Cat portion.
- Press firmly through your palms to maximize the stretch between your shoulder blades while maintaining the arch in your upper back.
- Continue to flow between these two positions for 10 to 15 repetitions, matching each movement to the rhythm of your breath.
Common Mistakes
- Moving too quickly through the transitions instead of feeling the stretch in each vertebra.
- Collapsing into the shoulders rather than actively pressing away from the floor.
- Bending the elbows to compensate for limited spinal range of motion.
- Forcing the neck back too far during the Cow phase which can pinch the cervical spine.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Spine Mobility
Stabilizers
- Abdominals
- Erector Spinae
- Shoulders
- Neck
Related Guides
- Arm Circles — Warm-Up
- Band Pull-Aparts — Warm-Up
- Bodyweight Glute Bridges — Warm-Up
Spine Mobility · Warm-Up