How to do the Cat-Cow with Reach
Step by step
- Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Round your back up toward the ceiling (cat), then drop the belly and lift the chest (cow).
- After a few rounds, thread one arm under the body and reach through for a side stretch.
- Reach the arm back up and open, then repeat on the other side at an easy pace.
- Take short breaks whenever you need - this should warm you up, not wear you out.
The thing people get wrong
Move slowly with your breath and let each vertebra move - this is a gentle spinal warm-up, not a hard stretch.
Coaching cue
On the thread-under, let your shoulder settle toward the floor instead of forcing the reach.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Lats, Upper Back
- Secondary: Core
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.