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

Regardless of the identify, there’s nothing “sissy” about this squat. The Sissy Squat obtained its identify 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 energy, steadiness, and psychological toughness.

No machines. No barbells. Simply you, gravity, and tears of ache whereas your quads develop. When you’re severe about leveling up your leg day or need 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 a substitute 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 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 Outdated-school bodybuilders used it as a finisher, or a approach to goal the quads with out weights.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 appears to be like like one thing out of a Cirque du Soleil warm-up however when completed proper, it builds dimension and energy, with zero gear. Right here’s the right way 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 steadiness, lengthen your arms in entrance of you or at your sides for counterbalance.

3. Drive your knees ahead whereas leaning again along with your higher physique, holding your glutes squeezed.

4. Decrease till you’re feeling a deep quad stretch and powerful 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: Muscular tissues 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 doubtless 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 among the 4 quadriceps muscle groups 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 steadiness all through this train.

Widespread Sissy Squat Errors and Fixes

To reap the total advantages, you could 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: Hold 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—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 complete rep and contemplate the calf good points that end result from staying there. This retains the load in your quads, the place it needs 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 sport 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 along with your knees.

Advantages of The Sissy Squat

The Sissy Squat is among 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. 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 good points.

Improved Knee Joint Energy

The deep knee over toes and sluggish descent workout routines reinforce joint energy and management, particularly ultimately ROM, the place most accidents happen. It’s a wonderful software for bulletproofing your knees, particularly when carried out with good kind.

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.

Features 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 achieve behind the quad ache.

Programming Options

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.