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Sissy Squat Progressions

Muscles worked

  • Quadrizeps

Form Cues

  • Stand on the balls of your feet with heels elevated off the ground

  • Push the knees forward while leaning the torso backward

  • Keep the hips fully extended — maintain a straight line from knees to shoulders

  • Engage the abs and squeeze the glutes to lock the pelvis in a posterior tilt

  • Lower yourself slowly by bending the knees, not the hips

  • Go as deep as you can while maintaining control and the straight body line

  • Pause briefly at the bottom, then press back up through the quads

  • Use a wall, pole, or band for balance as needed in earlier progressions

Progressions

  1. 01

    Floating Heel Squat

    • Stand with feet hip-width apart on the balls of your feet, heels floating off the ground

    • Keep the torso mostly upright — a slight backward lean is fine

    • Push the knees forward over the toes to initiate the descent

    • Squat down as deep as you can while keeping the heels elevated

    • The hips can sit back slightly here — this is a precursor, not a full sissy squat

    • Maintain balance through the balls of the feet throughout

    • Control the tempo: 2 seconds down, 2 seconds up

  2. 02

    Floating Heel Cyclist Squat

    • Stand with a narrow stance on the balls of your feet, heels elevated

    • Keep the torso completely vertical — more upright than the floating heel squat

    • Push the knees forward aggressively while keeping the hips under you

    • Squat as deep as you can while maintaining a fully vertical torso

    • Avoid any forward lean — the torso stays perfectly upright throughout

    • This trains the quad-dominant position needed for the sissy squat

    • Control the tempo: 2 seconds down, 2 seconds up

  3. 03

    Negative Sissy Squat

    • Stand on the balls of your feet with heels elevated

    • Extend your arms forward for balance

    • Push the knees forward while simultaneously leaning the torso backward

    • Keep the hips fully extended — maintain a straight line from knees to shoulders

    • Lower slowly with control, taking at least 3 seconds to descend

    • Go as deep as you can while maintaining the straight body line

    • This is a negative-only progression: use your hands on a wall, the floor, or sit the hips back to return to the top

    • The lowering phase is the exercise — make it as slow and controlled as possible

  4. 04

    Band Assisted Sissy Squat

    Bands
    Bands

    • Anchor a resistance band above and behind you, hold it at chest level

    • Stand on the balls of your feet with heels elevated

    • Lean the torso back while pushing the knees far forward

    • Keep the hips fully extended — straight line from knees to shoulders

    • Squeeze the glutes and brace the abs to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt

    • Lower yourself slowly, using the band for assistance as needed

    • The band should help, not do the work — reduce band strength as you improve

    • Pause briefly at the bottom, then drive back up using the quads

  5. 05

    Sissy Squat

    • Stand on the balls of your feet with heels elevated off the ground

    • This is the full unassisted sissy squat — no band or hand support

    • Push the knees far forward while leaning the torso backward

    • Keep the hips fully extended — maintain a straight line from knees to shoulders throughout

    • Squeeze the glutes and brace the abs to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt

    • Lower yourself slowly through the full range of motion, taking 2-3 seconds

    • Pause briefly at the bottom, then drive back up using quad strength alone

    • Avoid letting the hips break at any point during the movement

Common mistakes

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