December 15, 2004

Long-Forgotten Exercises that Work: Sissy Squats

A lot of people liked the article I wrote in February about the Roman-chair squat – one of the most effective leg-building exercises I know. The simple apparatus that you perform the exercise on has no moving parts and can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of other leg equipment. The problem is, despite how simple and inexpensive the Roman-chair apparatus is, not many gyms have one. As a result, not enough people do this remarkably effective exercise.

However, you don’t need a machine, or even a gym, to perform the next leg exercise I’m going to tell you about – one that’s strikingly similar and just as effective as the Roman-chair squat. It’s called the "sissy squat," but don’t let the name fool you. This is one of the toughest and most effective leg exercises out there. In fact, some people say it’s called the "sissy squat" because it makes sissies out of some of the heaviest barbell squatters. Frankly, I don’t know if that’s true about how it got its name, but I do know that the exercise is very tough. In fact, it’s a killer. If you can do this exercise correctly, you’ve got legs. And if you can’t, this exercise will give you legs that you’ll want to show off.

When teaching people how to do the sissy squat I always tell them, "If you master the sissy squat, you’re also going to be a master limbo dancer. Next time you go down to the tropics and there’s a limbo contest, there’s a good chance that you’re going to win." The sissy-squat movement is quite similar to the limbo under a pole. In fact, I just had a grade-A refresher course on the exercise when I was filming a video about Vince Gironda’s unique exercises with nutritional guru Ron Kosloff and fitness star Chantal Dicaire. Vince was a big proponent of the sissy squat and similar exercises. However, Ron’s method is a "modified sissy squat" because what Gironda called the "sissy squat" was actually a complex set of maneuvers that, it seemed, only Gironda could do.

For Ron Kosloff’s version, first stand beside a sturdy device and grab hold of it with one hand to balance yourself. (Be careful just to use it for balance; don’t use it to pull yourself up by your arms – that’s what your legs are for in this exercise.) Then put your heels close together and point your toes out to the side at about 45 degrees. Now, form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, raise your heels off the floor, and tilt your neck back so that you’re staring at the ceiling. This "strained" position, which will immediately tense your thighs and let you know that the worst is yet to come, is your starting position. Yes, I said starting.

From this position, lower your knees to the floor, or as close as you can get them, all the while holding on to that sturdy device for balance, maintaining the straight line from your knees to your shoulders, and with your eyes still looking at the ceiling. When you are at the "low" position, you simply reverse yourself using your thigh muscles to get yourself back to the starting position, all the while keeping your body in a straight line from the knees to the shoulders and your eyes still looking at the ceiling. That’s one rep.

Starting position with the heels off the ground.	Descending while keeping the body straight and staring at the ceiling.
Keeping perfect form, get as low as possible, safely.	Return to starting position but don't let the heels touch the floor.

When Kosloff teaches the sissy squat, he has people lower themselves until their knees actually touch the floor. The first time you attempt the exercise you might wonder if it’s possible, and I can assure you that it is. I’ve learned over time, though, that not all people can get very low – at least when learning. Beginners, particularly, probably won’t be strong enough to get low and keep good form. Heck, strong squatters aren’t often strong enough to do it! To do a proper sissy squat you need really strong leg muscles, and if you don’t have them at the beginning you will get them over time – but it will take time.

As a note of caution, some may find the sissy squat a touch tough on the knees – as in painful – like a lot of other leg exercises are. That depends on the person, mostly. My one piece of advice here is the same as I preach for any exercise: practice caution, and if you ever experience the wrong kind of pain – as in an injury – stop, since that’s your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.

The key to making the sissy squat effective is to maintain perfect form and to keep constant tension on the thighs. That’s why the starting position is the way it is. Some people make the mistake of rising from the low position until they’re back down on their heels. That’s wrong. The moment you stand upright again and put your heels on the floor, the thighs relax. Don’t do it. Return to the starting position – up on your toes with your heels off the ground, leaning back in a straight line from the knees to the shoulders, and eyes pegged to the ceiling. This puts the thighs in a state of stress that’s never relieved until the sets are complete. Only when you’re done do the heels touch the floor.

Finally, it’s probably worth mentioning what happens after you master perfect form and your own body’s weight doesn’t provide enough resistance anymore. Advanced sissy squatters can actually do the exercise without holding on to anything for balance, and some can even hold on to additional weight to make it even more difficult! But first things first – get the movement right before you start doing it freely or while holding a barbell across your chest.

After learning both the Roman-chair squat and the sissy squat some might wonder which one is best. The answer: both. They’re both remarkably effective leg exercises that isolate the thighs as few others can. And although the execution and resulting effect are similar, they are not identical. People will certainly get benefit from doing both exercises, even within the same workout. The only real advantage that the sissy squat has over the Roman-chair squat is that you don’t need any special equipment to do it. You can do it at the gym, or even in your home right now.

...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com

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