Weighted Sissy Squat

Cómo hacer el Weighted Sissy Squat

1. 1Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, holding a weight plate flat against your chest with both hands. Position yourself next to a sturdy support — such as a squat rack upright or a wall — and lightly grip it with one hand for balance if needed.
2. 2Rise up onto the balls of your feet so your heels are elevated off the floor. Keep them raised throughout the entire set.
3. 3Brace your core and squeeze your glutes slightly to keep your body — from knees to shoulders — in one straight, rigid line.
4. 4Begin to lower yourself by letting your knees travel forward over your toes while simultaneously leaning your torso back, maintaining that straight line from knee to shoulder at all times.
5. 5Continue descending in a controlled manner until your shins are nearly parallel to the floor, or until you feel a strong stretch across the front of your thighs.
6. 6Pause briefly at the bottom, keeping the weight plate controlled and your body alignment intact.
7. 7Drive through the balls of your feet and contract your quadriceps to reverse the motion, rising back to the starting upright position.
8. 8Complete your reps with smooth, controlled movement before stepping down and setting the weight plate aside.

Consejos de técnica

• Keep your torso and thighs locked in a straight line throughout the movement — any break at the hips turns this into a different exercise and reduces quad isolation.
• Move slowly, especially on the descent. A two-to-three second lowering phase keeps the quadriceps under tension and reduces the risk of losing control.
• Start with a lighter plate than you think you need. The sissy squat is already demanding without added load, and form breaks down quickly when the weight is too heavy.
• If balance is an issue, hold a fixed object lightly with one hand rather than relying on it to pull yourself up — use it only for stability.
• This exercise places significant stress on the patellar tendon and knee joint. Master the bodyweight sissy squat first, and avoid this movement entirely if you have existing knee problems.

Errores comunes

• Breaking at the hips instead of keeping the torso-to-thigh line straight, which shifts the work away from the quadriceps and defeats the purpose of the exercise.
• Letting the heels touch the floor during the movement, which reduces quad tension and destabilizes the knee position.
• Descending too fast and losing control at the bottom, placing sudden uncontrolled stress on the patellar tendon.
• Using a weight plate that is too heavy too soon, which compromises form and dramatically increases injury risk at the knee.
• Pulling on the support object to help you rise, which offloads the quadriceps and masks weakness rather than building it.

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