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Exercises/Lower Back/Cat-Cow

Exercise

CAT-COW

BeginnerPrimaryLower BackAbsSecondaryUpper BackDeltoids

Form cues

Begin on hands and knees with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips
For cat: exhale and round the spine upward toward the ceiling, tucking the tailbone and chin
For cow: inhale and drop the belly toward the floor, lifting the chest and tailbone
Move slowly and in sync with your breathing — the breath drives the movement
Move through your full range of motion in both directions
Repeat 8–12 times in each direction as a flow
Animated diagram — illustrative only

About

Cat-cow is a flowing spinal mobility exercise that alternates between flexion and extension, lubricating the intervertebral joints, improving posture, and relieving stiffness from prolonged sitting.

Instructions

Step-by-step technique

01

Start on All Fours

Begin in a table-top position with wrists directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. Keep the spine neutral and the neck long, eyes looking at the floor.

wrists under shoulders
02

Cat — Round the Spine

Exhale and push the floor away as you round your spine up toward the ceiling. Tuck the tailbone under and drop the chin toward the chest, feeling the stretch along the whole back.

exhale and round
03

Cow — Drop the Belly

Inhale and let the belly sink toward the floor while lifting the chest and tailbone upward. Open the chest and look slightly ahead without cranking the neck back.

inhale and open
04

Flow With Your Breath

Alternate smoothly between the two positions, letting the breath drive the movement. Work through your full pain-free range in both directions for 8–12 slow breaths.

breath sets the pace

Common mistakes

What goes wrong — and why

Mistake

Moving too fast

Rushing through the exercise removes the breath synchronisation and reduces the spinal mobility benefit.

Move at the pace of your breathing. Each full breath should correspond to one full movement — there is no hurrying this exercise.

Mistake

Limited range in one direction

Many people have good spinal flexion (cat) but limited extension (cow), or vice versa — only exploring one side limits the mobility gain.

Consciously push to your maximum range in both directions. The stiffer direction is the one that needs more attention.

Mistake

Wrists directly under shoulders not maintained

When the hands drift forward, the load on the wrists increases and the shoulder position changes.

Before starting, double-check that wrists are directly under the shoulders and knees directly under the hips. Maintain this throughout.

Variations · Progressions · Regressions

Adaptations for every level

Variation

Seated Cat-Cow

Performing cat-cow while seated in a chair makes it accessible for those with wrist pain or knee issues.

Variation

Cat-Cow with Hip Circles

Adding circular hip movements between the cat and cow phases adds a three-dimensional mobility element to the exercise.

Progression

Bird-dog

Extending one arm and opposite leg from the table-top position builds on the spinal stability trained in cat-cow.

Included in

Workouts featuring this exercise

0110-Minute Mobility Reset
10 min · Novice