Parkour Cat Balance: How to Crawl Along a Rail

A cat balance is crawling on all fours along a rail. You grip the rail with both hands, place both feet on it behind you, keep your back flat with your hips not too high, then move forward by stepping the opposite hand and foot together. Start on a level rail a few inches off the ground and build up from simple holds before you crawl any distance.

What Cat Balance Trains

In an introduction to the move for 24 Hour Fitness, Dan Edwardes describes cat balance as quadrupedal movement on rails. He says it works the hands, forearms, legs, core, shoulders and back, and builds balance and proprioception, your sense of where your body is. It’s also one of the rail progressions in our guide to rail and ledge walking, where we note it gives you a lower profile and more contact points than walking.

Pick the Right Rail

Breaking Muscle’s beginner rail skills guide suggests a level handrail at least ten feet long. Flat bar or round tubing both work, and the guide prefers tubing. Make sure the rail is free of dust or condensation. Start low, on a rail you can step off without a second thought.

Build Up With Holds First

Breaking Muscle builds the cat balance from static holds:

1. Set up. Get onto the rail in a semi-kneeling position: hands side by side, hips raised, knees bent and spine horizontal.
2. 3-point balance. Lift one foot, then the other, then one hand, holding each and learning to control every limb on its own.
3. 2-point balance. Once you can hold a 3-point balance for at least 10 seconds, lift the opposite arm and leg together.
4. The cat balance position. Hold the four-point position with your opposite arm and leg staggered, for at least 30 seconds, and find your ideal hip height.

How to Do a Cat Balance, Step by Step

1. Get on carefully. Edwardes says to take a firm grip, lift one foot at a time onto the rail, and set up a strong position before you move.
2. Share the weight. Stretch out along the rail with your weight spread between your arms and legs.
3. Keep your back flat. Edwardes’s cue is a back parallel to the rail, with your hips not too high.
4. Move opposite limbs together. Reach one hand forward along the rail and move the opposite foot with it. Breaking Muscle’s cue is to keep each opposite arm and leg in sync. Edwardes describes the back arm moving past the front arm, then the back leg moving past the other leg.
5. Keep going. Once the pattern feels familiar, aim to move smoothly and continuously along the rail rather than in stop-start steps.

Your thighs will burn. Edwardes recommends taking regular breaks to stretch your legs, because the position is hard on the quadriceps.

Progressions and Variations

• More distance. Breaking Muscle’s first goal is simply covering more of the rail.
• A gentle upslope. Once level rails are manageable, try one that rises slightly.
• Backwards. Edwardes suggests moving backwards in the same position.
• Turning. He also suggests turning 360 degrees while moving along the rail.
• The rail plank. Breaking Muscle’s related drill: hands on the rail, press up into a plank, and aim to hold it for 30 seconds.

Common Problems

• Hips too high. Edwardes’s cue is a back parallel to the rail with the hips not too high. If your hips are well above your shoulders, lower them.
• Losing the pattern. Breaking Muscle pairs opposite limbs. If you find yourself moving the hand and foot on the same side together, slow down and go back to the static holds.
• Training on a dirty or wet rail. Dust and condensation are how people slip off low rails. Check before you start.
• Adding height too early. Keep the rail low until the movement is smooth in every direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a cat balance?

Because you move on all fours along a narrow surface, the way a cat walks along a fence.

Is cat balance easier than walking on a rail?

It feels more stable, because you have four points of contact and a lower centre of gravity. It’s also hard work for your arms and thighs, so expect it to tire you out quickly at first.

Can I practise cat balance at home?

You can practise the crawling pattern on the floor, which is the quadrupedal movement covered in our home conditioning exercises. The balance part needs a sturdy, level rail.

Where to Go Next

Build the standing version with Rail and Ledge Walking, then put your balance to work with How to Do a Precision Jump.