Regardless of the title, there’s nothing “sissy” about this squat. The Sissy Squat acquired its title from Sisyphus, the mythological Greek king cursed to push a boulder uphill for eternity. Very similar to 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. Should you’re critical about leveling up your leg day or wish to carry the teardrop again, the sissy squat is your new old-school greatest buddy.
Let’s dig into this quad-scorching traditional.
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, holding your toes on the bottom your complete time. It’s a motion that stretches and contracts the quadriceps muscle, the Rectus Femoris, by way of an prolonged vary of movement.
For lifters who can go deep with management, the sissy squat delivers and intense muscle contraction and hypertrophy advantages. Previous-school bodybuilders used it as a finisher, or a method to goal the quads with out weights. You solely have to take a look at Tom Platz’s quads for proof.
Do the Sissy Squat Train
The sissy squat appears to be like like one thing out of a Cirque du Soleil warm-up however when finished proper, it builds measurement and power, with zero gear. Right here’s learn how to do it with out falling flat in your again.
1. Stand tall with ft shoulder-width aside and carry out a calf increase to get on the balls of your ft.
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, holding 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 mass Educated
The sissy squat is laser-focused on the quadriceps particularly the rectus femoris, which crosses each the hip and knee joint. By holding your hips prolonged and driving your knees ahead, you’ll possible be strolling humorous tomorrow.
- Glutes: The sissy squat doesn’t immediately prepare the glutes, however they’re engaged isometrically to maintain your hips in place.
- Hip flexors (Rectus femoris): The rectus is likely one of the 4 quadriceps muscle tissue that cross the hip and knee joints. The stretch on the RF and the in depth 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 complete 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 need to take note of the setup, execution, and tempo. Listed here are the most important errors lifters make so as to turn out 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: Maintain 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—gradual it down. Use a 3–5 second reducing section, and don’t bounce out of the underside.
Heels Drop
Permitting your heels to fall in direction of the ground throughout the rep shifts your weight backward and reduces quadriceps activation.
The Repair: Keep in your toes your complete rep and take into account the calf good points that end result from staying there. This retains the load in your quads, the place it ought to 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: Keep 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 likely one of the best 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. Essentially the most important benefit of the sissy squat is that it’s efficient at focusing on your quads to construct muscle for Olympus-level like good points.
Improved Knee Joint Energy
The deep knee over toes and gradual descent workouts reinforce joint power and management, particularly ultimately ROM, the place most accidents happen. It’s a superb device for bulletproofing your knees, particularly when carried out with good kind.
Higher Steadiness
Performing the sissy squat may 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 downside. The sissy squat requires no gear, but delivers a hypertrophic punch, particularly when reps are slowed down. There’s a acquire behind the quad ache.
Programming Ideas
Begin with three units of 3-5 eccentric contractions. Decrease as slowly as attainable, then squat again up. Then observe 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 peak over time.