Execution
- Assume a standing position in front of a pole or bar that you can grasp to support the upper body. Stand back so that the arms are straight and the feet are approximately 2-3 feet away from the base of the pole.
- Lean into the pole with the head and shoulders so that your weight moves onto the balls of the feet.
- When you are ready, inhale and hold your breath as you go into a squat.
- Keep the trunk erect and move your weight forward so that the knees travel in front as you go into the squat.
- Lower the body until the thighs are almost level. Be sure to maintain your trunk position during the descent.
- After reaching the lowermost position, keep holding your breath and come up out of the squat and reassume the standing position. Exhale after you pass the most difficult point on the assent.
- Pause momentarily in the up position and repeat when you are ready.
WORKOUT TIPS
- Be sure to keep your weight forward so that greater stress is placed on the vasti muscles of the quadriceps close to the knee. If your muscles cannot handle the stress in the knee joint, you should not do this exercise. Or, you can shift less weight forward and keep the heels lower so that the knees do not come as far forward.
- It is important that you hold your breath as you do this exercise. It is needed to stabilize the body and to create more muscular force. Exhaling on the descent or assent can weaken the body and lead to possible knee injury.
- Keep the trunk basically erect during the descent. It inclines forward from the feet so that the weight is over the balls of your feet. Do not bend at the hips or waist to do this. Holding the pole for support is very important in enabling you to keep your trunk erect and to lean into the squat.
- Because of the forward knee position, do not use any extra weight. The stress on the knees in this position is extremely high.
- Be sure not to go too deep in this exercise especially if your knees are far forward and the major stress falls on the knees. In this position, you may be literally pulling the bones of the knee joint apart which can cause injury.
- Keep in mind that the vasti (teardrop) muscles contract most strongly to hold the knee and patella in place. When the knees are far in front of your base of support, when the stress in the knee joint is much greater than in the regular squat, muscles are severely taxed.
- The hamstrings are not strongly involved in this exercise as they are in the regular squat when executed correctly. Thus, this exercise is used mainly for lower quadriceps development, not hamstring.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
The major muscle involved in the sissy squat is the quadriceps femoris muscle group located on the front of the thigh. It is partially made up of the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis, whose mass is located close to the knee joint on both sides. These muscles are commonly known as the teardrop muscles. Also involved is the vastus intermedius which has it’s muscle mass slightly higher in the middle of the thigh and the rectus femoris which also crosses the hip joint and has an action at both the knee and hip. Because the hamstring and gluteus maximus muscles are not strongly involved, they are not discussed here. Suffice it to say that the hamstrings are located on the back of the thigh and the gluteus maximus on the back of the hips (the large muscle of the buttocks). In addition, the erector spinae of the lower back, located on both sides of the spine, is isometrically contracted to hold the normal curvature of the lumbar spine as you execute the exercise.
MUSCLE AND JOINT ACTIONS
The quadriceps is involved in knee joint extension in which the thigh and shin move away from each other in a leg straightening action. In the hip joint, the gluteus maximus and hamstrings are involved in hip joint extension in which the thighs move to the vertical to bring the trunk in line with the legs. The erector spinae muscle in the lumbar area of the spine, remains under isometric contraction to hold the normal curvature of the spine.
SPORTS USES
The sissy squat is especially helpful for bodybuilders to develop and define the anterior thigh, especially the lower portion. The muscles and actions involved can assist in many weight training exercises especially when you find yourself in a position with the weight on the balls of the feet when rising up out of a squat. Thus, the muscles and actions involved can be helpful in preparing you for any deviations in the deadlift and squat events, in power lifting, and in the snatch and clean and jerk in weightlifting. The combination of knee and hip joint extension and the muscles involved play a very important role in jumping for both height and distance. This includes sports such as basketball and volleyball, and the track and field events. The muscles and actions also play a role in running, especially if you land on the ball of the foot when you make contact with the ground as occurs in sprinting. Changes in direction in many sports also take place with the weight on the ball of the feet, so that this exercise can prove of value in sports such as football, baseball, and soccer. In general, however, the regular squat with the weight equally distributed on both feel is the preferred variant both for safety and effectiveness. The sissy squat becomes important for select actions and should not be overused, especially when defining the teardrop muscles.