Quads exercise
Sissy SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Quads
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Advanced
How to do it
How do you do the Sissy Squat?
- Stand beside a post and hold it with one hand.
- Rise onto the balls of your feet.
- Bend your knees forward and lean back, body straight from knees to head.
- Lower until your knees are bent to about a right angle.
- Straighten your knees to bring your body back upright.
Cues
- Hips stay straight; don't sit back.
- Knees follow your toes.
- Slow on the way down.
Common mistakes
- Bending at the hips like a normal squat.
- Going deeper than you can control.
- Pulling yourself up with your arm.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Stand side-on to a fixed upright (a rack post) with the post on the athlete's left, just in front of the hip, so the side camera sees the athlete's right side clear of it. Hold the post with the left hand at about waist height, elbow soft; the right hand rests flat on the chest. Feet hip-width apart, toes forward to slightly out, about 25 cm from the post's line. Stand tall: knees soft, hips straight, stomach braced, glutes squeezed, gaze ahead.
The movement
Rise onto the balls of the feet and bend the knees, letting them travel forward and down while the trunk tips back. The hips stay straight, so the knees, hips and shoulders form one straight line that leans back as one piece; the bottom does not move back as in a normal squat. The knees stay in line with the toes. Lower slowly until the knees are bent to about a right angle. Pause briefly, then press through the balls of the feet and straighten the knees to bring the straight body back upright, heels settling as you reach the top. The left hand steadies the body; it does not pull it up.
End position
Bottom: knees bent about 100°, shins tipped well forward, knees far in front of the toes, heels high, the knee-hip-shoulder line leaning back about 40°. The straight body above it leans back far enough that its centre of mass sits near the ankle, behind the balls of the feet, so the hand on the post is what stops the body tipping back. That is why the sources use a support and why the trunk lean stays moderate.
Tempo
2 s down, 0.3 s pause at the bottom, 1.5 s up, 0.7 s standing tall. Both phases slow and controlled, as [2] asks.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stance width, heel centres | hip-width | hip- to shoulder-width | [4] |
| Toe-out, each foot | 5° | 0–15° | [4] |
| Knee flexion at the bottom | 100° | 80–120° | [2] |
| Hip flexion through the rep | 0° | 0–15° | [1][2] |
| Knees, front view | over the 2nd–3rd toe | within 3 cm | [4] |
| Knee flexion at the top | 5° | 0–10° | [1] |
| Support hand | left hand on the post, waist height | either hand | [2] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Sissy Squat is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- Pereira and Costa de Oliveira 2016, EFDeportes.com (Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes) no. 214, "O Sissy Squat"
- Michael Yessis PhD, The Sissy Squat (2013)
- Fry, Smith and Schilling 2003, J Strength Cond Res 17(4), "Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat"
- ACE, Bodyweight Squat
