Flow through the spine to loosen up your back.
Sync it with your breathing. Inhale into cow, exhale into cat, and move slow.
Cat cow moves the spine through its full arc, from extension in cow to flexion in cat, waking up the muscles along the lower back and getting each segment of the spine moving instead of hinging from one stiff spot. Because it is slow and paired with breathing, it doubles as a nervous system downshift. It slots in perfectly as a warm-up before hinging or squatting, or as a wind-down after a heavy session.
Both work. Before lifting it preps the spine and gets you moving segment by segment, and after a heavy session it is a gentle way to loosen everything back off. Many people also use it first thing in the morning.
Five to ten slow cycles is plenty. The point is quality, not volume, so move with your breath and let each rep travel a little further than the last.
Stiffness at first is normal, it usually means some segments are not moving much yet. Slow down, shrink the range, and focus on rounding and arching one vertebra at a time rather than forcing a big shape.
