Regardless of the identify, there’s nothing “sissy” about this squat. The Sissy Squat bought its identify from Sisyphus, the mythological Greek king cursed to push a boulder uphill for eternity. Very like that boulder, this motion will have your quads screaming for mercy. As soon as a go-to quad finisher for Tom Platz, the Sissy Squat is a mix of power, stability, and psychological toughness.
No machines. No barbells. Simply you, gravity, and tears of ache whereas your quads develop. In the event you’re severe about leveling up your leg day or wish to carry the teardrop again, the sissy squat is your new old-school finest buddy.
Let’s dig into this quad-scorching basic.
What’s the Sissy Squat?
The sissy squat is a body weight quad-dominant variation that works by eradicating your hips and glutes from the equation. As an alternative of sitting again in a typical squat, you drive your knees ahead whereas leaning your torso again, conserving your toes on the bottom your entire time. It’s a motion that stretches and contracts the quadriceps muscle, the Rectus Femoris, by means of an prolonged vary of movement.
For lifters who can go deep with management, the sissy squat delivers and intense muscle contraction and hypertrophy benefits. Outdated-school bodybuilders used it as a finisher, or a strategy to goal the quads with out weights. You solely have to take a look at Tom Platz’s quads for proof.
Easy methods to Do the Sissy Squat Train
The sissy squat seems to be like one thing out of a Cirque du Soleil warm-up however when carried out proper, it builds dimension and power, with zero tools. Right here’s the way to do it with out falling flat in your again.
1. Stand tall with toes shoulder-width aside and carry out a calf elevate to get on the balls of your toes.
2. Maintain a squat rack for stability, prolong your arms in entrance of you or at your sides for counterbalance.
3. Drive your knees ahead whereas leaning again together with your higher physique, conserving your glutes squeezed.
4. Decrease till you’re feeling a deep quad stretch and powerful pressure all through your anterior thigh.
5. Drive your toes into the ground and stand as much as the beginning place, sustaining good posture and pressure.
Sissy Squat: Muscle groups Skilled
The sissy squat is laser-focused on the quadriceps particularly the rectus femoris, which crosses each the hip and knee joint. By conserving your hips prolonged and driving your knees ahead, you’ll doubtless be strolling humorous tomorrow.
- Glutes: The sissy squat doesn’t instantly prepare the glutes, however they’re engaged isometrically to maintain your hips in place.
- Hip flexors (Rectus femoris): The rectus is without doubt one of the 4 quadriceps muscle groups that cross the hip and knee joints. The stretch on the RF and the intensive ROM right here assist strengthen and mobilize your hip flexors.
- The Different Three Quads: The quads are the first movers on this train, as your entire motion focuses on knee flexion and extension.
- Core: Sustaining a impartial backbone and an upright torso is essential to stability all through this train.
Widespread Sissy Squat Errors and Fixes
To reap the complete advantages, you have to take note of the setup, execution, and tempo. Listed here are the largest errors lifters make to be able to grow to be a grasp from the beginning.
Letting the Hips Flex
Dropping the hips like a squat turns the sissy squat right into a partial squat, decreasing quad pressure and shifting load to the glutes.
The Repair: Preserve your hips squeezed all through the train. Take into consideration driving your knees ahead whereas leaning your torso again, like doing a standing limbo.
Crashing the Eccentric
Driving the knees over the toes too rapidly with no management will increase joint stress and reduces quadriceps pressure.
The Repair: That is a straightforward one—sluggish it down. Use a 3–5 second reducing part, and don’t bounce out of the underside.
Heels Drop
Permitting your heels to fall in the direction of the ground throughout the rep shifts your weight backward and reduces quadriceps activation.
The Repair: Keep in your toes your entire rep and think about the calf beneficial properties that outcome from staying there. This retains the load in your quads, the place it must be.
It’s Not A Sport
Leaning the torso again is about counterbalance, so that you don’t fall. Don’t deal with it like a sport of limbo; lean your torso far sufficient again to stability your self.
The Repair: Bear in mind, the torso is a counterbalance, not a limbo stick. Lean far sufficient again to take care of stability; your backbone ought to keep impartial, and your torso ought to transfer in sync together with your knees.
Advantages of The Sissy Squat
The Sissy Squat is without doubt one of the handiest body weight train for turning into a quad God. Right here’s why it deserves a spot in your leg day rotation:
Unmatched Quad Isolation
It’s higher to be one of many Gods than to be punished by them, sorry, Sisyphus. Probably the most important benefit of the sissy squat is that it’s efficient at concentrating on your quads to construct muscle for Olympus-level like beneficial properties.
Improved Knee Joint Power
The deep knee over toes and sluggish descent workouts reinforce joint power and management, particularly ultimately ROM, the place most accidents happen. It’s a superb software for bulletproofing your knees, particularly when carried out with good kind.
Higher Steadiness
Performing the sissy squat will help enhance your dynamic stability as a result of it takes a good quantity of physique management and consciousness.
Beneficial properties With out Weights
No squat rack? No drawback. The sissy squat requires no tools, but delivers a hypertrophic punch, particularly when reps are slowed down. There’s a acquire behind the quad ache.
Programming Strategies
Begin with three units of 3-5 eccentric contractions. Decrease as slowly as doable, then squat again up. Then follow partial vary of movement for 3 units of 8-10 repetitions. Place a goal in entrance of you to dam your ROM. Decrease down and lift again as much as the goal, decreasing the goal’s top over time.
