What is Skin the Cat Pike?

Skin the Cat Pike is a hard ring calisthenics move where you hang, pike your hips and rotate through the rings while keeping straight arms. It primarily targets the core, shoulders, back (lats) and forearms. High strength and shoulder mobility are required; progress gradually for safety.

How to Do Skin the Cat Pike

  1. Set up rings: Adjust rings to chest height, grip with pronated hands and rings turned out; hang tall with straight arms, engaged core, and feet slightly forward.
  2. Depress scapula: Begin by depressing your scapula, initiating a controlled pull with straight arms while maintaining a braced core and slight hip flexion.
  3. Pike and rotate: Flex hips and raise toes toward the rings, then rotate your hands so they face each other as your feet travel overhead in a pike.
  4. Pass and control: Allow your feet to pass over your head, continue rotating hands to face behind you, pause as hips clear the rings and control shoulder extension.
  5. Return with control: Reverse the motion by pulling with straight arms into scapula protraction, guiding legs back through the rings slowly and keeping the core tight.

Muscle Groups

Core, Shoulders, Forearm, Back

Description

Hang from with a pronated grip (palms facing away from you), rings turned out and arms straight. Legs slightly in front, core braced.

Begin by depressing your scapula, and pull with straight arms, flexing your hips and raising your toes to the rings.

Rotate your hands to face each other and continue pulling, allowing your feet to pass over your head.

Maintain a pike position as you pull your hips through the rings, rotating your hands to face behind you. Lower your feet, extending your shoulders and hips. Allow your scapula to retract.

Pause and then reverse the motion by pulling with straight arms, into scapula protraction, letting the legs come through the rings again, back to the start.

Repeat for repetitions. Keep the arms straight throughout.

Movement Group

Core

Required Equipment

Rings

Progressions and Regressions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of Skin the Cat Pike?

Skin the Cat Pike builds core strength, shoulder stability, thoracic mobility and forearm endurance. It teaches scapular control and ring awareness, improving coordination for advanced ring transitions and inverted positions.

What are common mistakes with Skin the Cat Pike?

Common mistakes are bending the arms, rushing the rotation, collapsing the shoulders, and weak core pike. These raise injury risk. Correct by keeping arms straight, moving slowly, improving shoulder mobility, and practicing scapular drills.

How can I progress to or regress from Skin the Cat Pike?

Regress with supported tuck skin-the-cat, hanging knee raises, scapula pulls, and controlled negatives. Progress by increasing pike angle, deeper ROM, slower eccentrics, single-leg variations or holds, while improving mobility and core strength.