Find out during what time period you need to use such specific squats and who will benefit from doing this exercise. Sissy squats are aimed at strengthening the lower quadriceps. To get the maximum effect from movement, you need to correctly introduce it into your soy training program. This movement is isolated and at the same time performed without weights or with a small working weight.
Most often, sissy squats are used by athletes to adjust the proportions of the muscles, or they are added to the superset. You must remember that this movement is not intended to gain mass, and there is no point in paying special attention to the working weights. If you think that you need to work out the lower quadriceps, then this exercise will be an excellent assistant in achieving this goal.
If you have knee problems, then cissy squats should not be used. It does not matter that the movement is performed only with the weight of its own body, but when its weight approaches or exceeds 100 kilos, the knee joints may begin to "creak". If you have included this exercise in your training program, then you need to perform it at a slow pace, completely controlling all movement.
It should be said that the movement can be a great warm-up before doing heavy classic barbell squats. Don't forget that cissy squats help develop flexibility and coordination. Thanks to the ability of this movement to perfectly stretch muscle tissue, you can use it in the final stages of leg training.
How do joints and muscles work on Sissy Squats?
We have already noted that most of the load is focused on the quadriceps, and more precisely, the lower part of these muscles. In addition, the calf muscles also take part in the work. All other types of squats involve the placement of the center of gravity in the heel and outer part of the foot, and during this movement the athlete stands on his toes, which leads to the extension of the knee joints far beyond the level of the toes.
Only this one fact suggests that during the exercise the knee joints have a serious load. Therefore, using large operating weights is strongly discouraged. To make it easier to maintain balance when performing a movement, you should stick to an object. Otherwise, you may fall.
When performing the movement, two joints are involved in the work - the knee and the ankle. This can be considered an advantage as well as a disadvantage at the same time. The main negative point in this situation is the increased risk of injury. Actually, this makes this exercise unsuitable for the use of additional weights. The positive thing is that the athlete has the opportunity to qualitatively stretch the ankle. This is the main reason that professionals often use the cissy squat to improve the sense of balance needed to perform the classic form of this movement. When doing sissy squats, you can put pancakes under your heels, which will make the exercise somewhat easier. Keep in mind, however, that your priority should always be a slow pace of exercise and correct technique.
Sissy Squat Technique
This movement has an average level of difficulty, and now we will tell you in detail about the technique of its implementation. Position yourself near a stand or support. It is necessary to stand upright, placing your feet at the level of the shoulder joints. Rise on your toes and grasp the support with one hand. Slightly bending the knee joints, tilt the body back slightly. This is the starting position for the exercise.
Inhaling air, begin to bend your knee joints, pushing them forward. At the same time, the body is tilted back as far as possible. Please note that your back should always be flat. It is necessary to descend as low as the knee joints allow. As soon as you begin to feel discomfort in your knees, stop moving down. At the lowest point of the position, pause for two counts. As you exhale, begin to return to the starting position.
Now we talked about the technique of performing the classic version of the sissy squat. However, this exercise has several options:
- In a frame with a belt and a bar.
- Upper blocks with rope handle.
- With dumbbells located behind the back.
- With a pancake at the chest.
- In a Smith machine with a bar at the bottom.
The main mistakes and secrets of doing sissy squats
Perhaps it seemed to you that this is an extremely simple exercise, but we do not recommend rushing to draw such a conclusion. Often, novice athletes begin to use weights without having mastered all the subtleties of this exercise. This could result in serious injury.
Let's take a look at all the secrets of cissy squats to help you get the most out of the movement:
- Throughout the set, you should stand on your toes and not touch the ground with your heels.
- Pay special attention to the fact that the knee joints are heavily loaded, and it is necessary to lower so low that there is no discomfort.
- In the lowest position, it is necessary to pause for two counts.
- As you progress, you can start using weights, such as a pancake, placed on your chest. However, you should not get carried away with increasing the weight of weights.
- Follow your breathing technique, inhaling as you move down, and exhale as you move up.
- Sissy squats should be done in three or four sets, with 20 reps each.
Anatomy of a Sissy Squat
One of the largest muscles in our body is the quadriceps. It consists of four departments, which suggests a wide variety of pumping options. In addition, it is necessary to work a lot on the quadriceps, which is also a consequence of its large size.
Using cissy squats, you can qualitatively work out those departments that do not work so actively in other exercises and, as a result, they lag behind in their development. It should also be said that this exercise provides not quite the usual load, and, therefore, stress.
All this leads to the fact that, even in the absence of additional burdening, they can help you overcome a plateau in the development of this muscle. However, once again we draw your attention to the fact that cissy squats are not a basic movement and the decision to include it in your training program is entirely up to you.
We already noted at the beginning of this article that cissy squats are a very specific movement. They do not have to be performed by every athlete, but in certain situations they will be very effective. When performing the movement, you must use a slow pace so that you can control muscle tension. It is very important to thoroughly master the technique of movement, because otherwise you can injure the knee joints. If you do not have problems with your knees, then using the cissy squat should be at the beginning of the set of exercises for the legs.
How to build quads with squats?
Not everyone has the opportunity to visit fitness centers, but a large number of people have the desire to engage in bodybuilding. If you want to pump up your quadriceps at home, then follow a few simple guidelines:
- It is worth starting classes with a rope, working with it for five minutes.
- The core of your training program should be three basic movements (wall squats with legs extended forward with dumbbells to parallel, squats with dumbbells with narrow stance of legs, approaches to the bench with dumbbells), as well as isolated - cissy squats.
- In basic movements, it is worth doing three sets with 8-10 reps, and in an isolated movement, five sets with 20 reps.
- After completing each set, it is worth stretching the quadriceps.
- Weekly it is necessary to increase the working weight in basic movements and the number of repetitions in cissy squats.
- During the week, do two activities, between which you need to rest for 48 hours.
- Use this scheme for three months.
I would also like to give some recommendations to girls for whom one of the problem areas is the knee joint. Most often after the age of 30, although possibly earlier, fatty tissue, swelling or bags appear in the area of the knee joints. To correct these negative phenomena, we recommend using the following training scheme:
- Work on the problem area at the beginning of the session.
- The most effective in this situation are cissy squats, dumbbell bench approaches, and seated leg extensions.
- In each movement, it is worth performing five sets with 20 repetitions each.
- During the week, it is worth doing two such complexes with a pause between classes of 48 hours.
Surely many athletes, and first of all, of course, beginners did not even know about the existence of this movement. However, even those who knew about it rarely use cissy squats. At the same time, movement can help you in certain situations. It is especially useful for those athletes who have stopped progressing in the development of their leg muscles or athletes who prefer to train at home. If you have just started doing fitness, then first you need to focus on basic movements, the same classic squats. Sissy squats should be used by experienced athletes.
For the technique of performing sissy squats, check out this video:
