Squat · Intermediate
Sissy Squat
- Movement pattern
- Squat
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Sides
- Bilateral
- Main plane
- Sagittal
How to do the Sissy Squat
Setup
Stand holding a stable support at chest height, heels can rise off the floor throughout this movement (unlike a standard squat).
Lean back from the knees while rising onto your toes, keeping hips extended (don't fold at the hips -- this is a knee-dominant movement, not a squat pattern).
Lower until you feel a strong stretch through the front of the thigh.
Reverse by driving the knees forward and standing back up.
Common mistakes
Bending at the hips partway through, which turns this into a different movement entirely and takes tension off the target muscle.
Going for full range before building real control -- this movement punishes poor control more than most, since there's no way to "muscle through" a loss of balance.
Muscles worked
How the knowledge graph models this movement
Knee extension
Hip flexion
Spine extension