Liftworthy
ExploreTrainFeed
Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

Rankings
  • All rankings
  • Add an exercise
  • Build a workout
About
  • How scores work
  • The app
  • Your tiers
Legal
  • Privacy
  • Terms & community rules
General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
  • Explore
  • Train
  • Feed
  • You
Explore/Quads

Sissy Squat

BodyweightIsolationTakes some practice
Front
Back
Primary

Works

Quads

You need

Nothing but the floor

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Bottom
Main muscles
  1. 1Hold a support for balance
  2. 2Lean back as the knees travel forward
  3. 3Hips stay extended the whole time

Most common mistake

Sitting the hips back, which makes it a regular squat.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched

Compare with

vs Reverse Nordicvs Leg Extensionvs Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat
A
For quads
#12 of 33
See the full list →
Research
75
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 75
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionFair
Low costGood

The knees travel far forward and stretch the quads hard, but it’s tough to load and stresses the knees.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SHack SquatMachine
  • SPendulum SquatMachine
  • SSingle-Leg Leg PressMachine
  • AReverse NordicBodyweight

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280