Sissy Squat (Bodyweight or Assisted) — form guide
Quads (rectus femoris) · Knee Extensors. Equipment: Bodyweight or Sissy Squat Bench. Difficulty: Intermediate.
Knees travel WAY forward — this is intentional. Stretches and overloads the rectus femoris like nothing else. Build to it slowly.
Sets & Reps
Programming defaults depend on your goal. Pick the row that matches yours:
Cues
- Heels lifted, knees drive forward
- Lean back to counterbalance
- Lower until knees are deep + thighs near vertical
- Drive up through quads
Common mistakes
- Jumping straight to BW without conditioning the knees
- Cutting depth
Injury notes
Skip if you have any current knee pain. Build with assisted version first.
Progression
Hold a counterweight → BW → weighted vest.
Indian gym reality
Zero-equipment lift — works in a hostel room, PG, or a park. No excuse for skipping it on travel or gym-closed days.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- No bench? Two aerobic steps + a rolled towel works. For decline, prop the head-end on a lower step.
Home & hostel version
Bulgarian split squats with a chair for the back foot work for months, then load them with a backpack.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Programs that feature Sissy Squat (Bodyweight or Assisted)
Full workout plans where this lift sits in the main slot — pick the goal, split, and frequency that fits your life.
Eat to support this lift
Recovery and growth happen at the plate. A meal plan matched to the training goal:
Frequently asked
What muscles does Sissy Squat (Bodyweight or Assisted) work?
Primarily Quads (rectus femoris) · Knee Extensors. Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Sissy Squat (Bodyweight or Assisted) per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
What if I'm training at home in India?
See the home & hostel version above. Bodyweight variants of every major pattern exist and progress for months if you're intentional about it.
How often should I do Sissy Squat (Bodyweight or Assisted)?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.