Sissy Squat Information: The Brutal Train That Hits Your Quads and Core

Regardless of the title, there’s nothing “sissy” about this squat. The Sissy Squat obtained its title from Sisyphus, the mythological Greek king cursed to push a boulder uphill for eternity. Very similar to that boulder, this motion may have your quads screaming for mercy. As soon as a go-to quad finisher for Tom Platz, the Sissy Squat is a mix of energy, steadiness, 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 finest pal.

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, maintaining your toes on the bottom the whole time. It’s a motion that stretches and contracts the quadriceps muscle, the Rectus Femoris, via an prolonged vary of movement.

For lifters who can go deep with management, the sissy squat delivers and intense muscle contraction and hypertrophy advantages. Outdated-school bodybuilders used it as a finisher, or a solution to goal the quads with out weights. You solely have to have a look at Tom Platz’s quads for proof.

The best way to Do the Sissy Squat Train

The sissy squat seems like one thing out of a Cirque du Soleil warm-up however when accomplished proper, it builds measurement and energy, with zero tools. Right here’s the best way to do it with out falling flat in your again.

1. Stand tall with toes shoulder-width aside and carry out a calf increase to get on the balls of your toes.

2. Maintain a squat rack for steadiness, lengthen 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, maintaining your glutes squeezed.

4. Decrease till you’re feeling a deep quad stretch and robust rigidity all through your anterior thigh.

5. Drive your toes into the ground and stand as much as the beginning place, sustaining good posture and rigidity.

Sissy Squat: Muscle tissue Educated

The sissy squat is laser-focused on the quadriceps particularly the rectus femoris, which crosses each the hip and knee joint. By maintaining your hips prolonged and driving your knees ahead, you’ll probably be strolling humorous tomorrow.

• Glutes: The sissy squat doesn’t straight practice 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 mass 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 the whole motion focuses on knee flexion and extension.
• Core: Sustaining a impartial backbone and an upright torso is essential to steadiness all through this train.

Widespread Sissy Squat Errors and Fixes

To reap the total advantages, you will need to take note of the setup, execution, and tempo. Listed below are the largest errors lifters make in an effort to develop into 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 rigidity 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 shortly with no management will increase joint stress and reduces quadriceps rigidity.

The Repair: That is a simple one—gradual it down. Use a 3–5 second decreasing 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 the whole rep and think about the calf positive factors that outcome from staying there. This retains the load in your quads, the place it ought to be.

It’s Not A Recreation

Leaning the torso again is about counterbalance, so that you don’t fall. Don’t deal with it like a recreation of limbo; lean your torso far sufficient again to steadiness your self.

The Repair: Keep in mind, the torso is a counterbalance, not a limbo stick. Lean far sufficient again to take care of steadiness; 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 only body weight train for changing 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 vital benefit of the sissy squat is that it’s efficient at focusing on your quads to construct muscle for Olympus-level like positive factors.

Improved Knee Joint Power

The deep knee over toes and gradual descent workouts reinforce joint energy and management, particularly ultimately ROM, the place most accidents happen. It’s a superb instrument for bulletproofing your knees, particularly when carried out with good type.

Higher Stability

Performing the sissy squat may also help enhance your dynamic steadiness 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 tools, but delivers a hypertrophic punch, particularly when reps are slowed down. There’s a achieve behind the quad ache.

Programming Ideas

Begin with three units of 3-5 eccentric contractions. Decrease as slowly as potential, 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.