Sissy Squats Exercise to Build Lower Quadriceps muscle

Why are sissy squats so effective?

Sissy Squat is the best bodyweight exercise to train thighs and leg biceps or hamstrings muscles.

Sissy Squats builds muscle, strength and flexibility in leg muscles. It and can be done at home or gym. Men and Women both benefit.
 

When you see someone doing Sissy squats, it might seem easy. but once you try it you will realize that the name sissy is a misnomer and there is nothing sissy about it.
 

How to Do Sissy Squats Exercise
 

3 Things before you begin:

1. Start with bodyweight sissy squats only
2. Get hold of a sturdy object to hold like a machine bar or post of a multi-station gym or a desk or door handle.
3. Warm up with regular squats.

Now lets begin...

Step 1: Stand upright with feet shoulder feet apart. Grab lightly to a support object like table or machine bar.

Step 2: Start going down as in regular squats but instead of going down in a straight line, get down by leaning back and using only your toes as shown in the picture. You should bend your knees and bring your legs forward. A cool tip is to point your chest towards the ceiling.
 

Go as low as you comfortably can on your toes with heels off the ground. Don't worry about your knees going over your toes, a move prohibited in regular squats.
 

Make sure your feet are close together. Your back and thighs should be in a straight line. Use your legs for the entire move using your hand only for support. You can also use both hands for support on separate bars or any other object to hold.

Step 3: Raise yourself up from the low position using legs alone and get back close to lockout position. Do not go beyond this three-quarters position if you want to build muscle.

If you want to build strength alone then continuous tension is not desired and you can get back to standing position and even do a calf raise at the top. It is not just an upper leg exercise!
 

Lets Make sissy squats better
 

1. Once you can do at least 20-25 repetitions, you can do this exercise with a backpack for additional resistance. You can also hold a plate or dumbbell on to your chest.

2. Another advanced tip is to do sissy squats one leg at a time - single legged sissy squats.
 

How many repetitions to do?
 

I would insist to aim at least 20-25 repetitions and 1-2 sets for strength building and 3-5 sets to build muscle mass.

Women generally do well with high reps {>20} and keeping sets to less than 3.
 

How to incorporate sissy squats into leg workout?
 

Sissy squats are great stretching exercise and can be done as warm ups, between leg exercises like squats and leg presses or done after a workout. I would suggest doing them at the end or between sets for additional muscle tension and stretching. As you know stretching between sets build muscle and strength.

Sissy squats Benefits: It build muscle mass, strength and stamina in your thighs {quadriceps}, leg biceps or hamstrings and act as a great stretching and strength building exercise for calf muscles too.
 

Also check out Lunges, Free Weight Squats  and Calf Raises Leg Exercises.

Back to Weight Training Tips Homepage.