The sissy squat is a serious misnomer, possibly being a purposeful ironic name in the same sense as you might call a really small guy 'Big Geoff'.
The reason for this is that there's really nothing sissy about the sissy squat at all, which is in fact one of the most difficult exercises you're likely to attempt any time soon.
Fortunately it also happens to be one of the most effective and one of the most practical to perform without equipment or much space.
The sissy squat is much like the ordinary squat and trains the legs, but the position of it makes the movement so difficult that you won't need any additional weight (though some crazy people still opt to add dumbbells to it).
For the sissy squat you see, rather than having your feet placed flat on the ground as you would in an ordinary squat, you are instead on your tip toes with your knees point forwards and your back leaning backwards.
The best way to describe it is that you'll look a bit like Neo dodging bullets in the matrix, or as though you're trying to touch your toes.
From here you then bend at the knees keeping your back straight as though you were doing the limbo and should feel an intense burning in your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
One of the things that makes this so difficult (other than how much muscle power required), is that it can be very hard to balance while performing this move.
If you struggle then, support yourself by placing one hand on a surface.
Eventually with practice it should become easier - at which point you can introduce dumbbells by holding them in your hands and having them dangle directly down by your sides.
The reason for this is that there's really nothing sissy about the sissy squat at all, which is in fact one of the most difficult exercises you're likely to attempt any time soon.
Fortunately it also happens to be one of the most effective and one of the most practical to perform without equipment or much space.
The sissy squat is much like the ordinary squat and trains the legs, but the position of it makes the movement so difficult that you won't need any additional weight (though some crazy people still opt to add dumbbells to it).
For the sissy squat you see, rather than having your feet placed flat on the ground as you would in an ordinary squat, you are instead on your tip toes with your knees point forwards and your back leaning backwards.
The best way to describe it is that you'll look a bit like Neo dodging bullets in the matrix, or as though you're trying to touch your toes.
From here you then bend at the knees keeping your back straight as though you were doing the limbo and should feel an intense burning in your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
One of the things that makes this so difficult (other than how much muscle power required), is that it can be very hard to balance while performing this move.
If you struggle then, support yourself by placing one hand on a surface.
Eventually with practice it should become easier - at which point you can introduce dumbbells by holding them in your hands and having them dangle directly down by your sides.
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