Side Standing Cat

Plane of Motion

Transverse

Spring Setting

Medium / Heavy

2 Light or Medium Springs

Muscle Focus

Spinal Rotators

External Oblique (opposite side), Internal Oblique (same side), Erector Spinae (same side), Semispinalis (opposite side), Deep Posterior Spinal Group (opposite side)

Rotate the trunk.
Push the bar down with assistance from the spinal flexors.
Resist the pressure from the bar with assistance from the spinal flexors.

Other Muscles at Play

Spinal flexors work with the spinal rotators to push the bar down in the twist.
Spinal stabilizers assist with the articulation in the twist and lumbo-pelvic stabilization.
Hip extensors maintain alignment of the hips on top of the legs and co-contract with the core muscles to aid in pelvic stabilization.
Knee extensors keep the knees straight.
Scapular protractors (abductors) separate the shoulder blades to assist with the push down on the bar.
Scapular depressors keep the shoulders down away from the ears.

Objectives

Mobilizes the spine through flexion and rotation, stretches the side body opposite the bar, and challenges the trunk, hip, and shoulder stabilizers to maintain control throughout the movement.
Trains the body to keep the hips stacked over the feet, avoiding counterbalancing and instead using a strong midline connection to roll down and up with control.
Focus on breathing to synchronize the movement.