Weighted Sissy Squat

Description

How to Do Weighted Sissy Squat

1. 1
   Setup

   Stand tall, holding a dumbbell or weight plate close to your chest with both hands. Place your feet hip-width apart or slightly narrower.

2. 2
   Setup

   Elevate your heels slightly on a wedge or small plates, or keep them flat if balance allows, for increased knee flexion and quadriceps engagement.

3. 3

   Keeping your torso upright and core braced, lean back slightly as you simultaneously bend your knees, allowing them to travel far forward over your toes.

4. 4

   Lower your body until your knees are deeply bent and your hips are close to your heels, feeling a strong stretch in your quads.

5. 5

   Drive through your forefeet and engage your quadriceps to push back up, extending your knees and returning to the starting upright position.

Tips

• Maintain a tight core throughout the movement to help stabilize your torso and prevent excessive arching of the lower back.
• Focus on a controlled eccentric (lowering) phase to maximize time under tension and enhance quadriceps engagement.
• If balance is a challenge, initially perform the exercise near a wall or power rack to lightly hold onto for support.
• Keep your chest up and shoulders back to maintain good posture and emphasize the stretch in the quadriceps.

Common Mistakes

• ×Losing balance and falling forward or backward can be avoided by bracing your core and performing the movement slowly and controlled.
• ×Not achieving full depth reduces quadriceps activation, so focus on letting your knees travel far forward and your hips drop low.
• ×Using momentum to stand up diminishes muscle engagement; instead, drive up by consciously contracting your quadriceps.