Skip to content

Fundamentals

Sissy Squat

Most descriptions have you rise onto the balls of the feet, bend the knees forward over or past the toes and lean back with the trunk and thighs as one line, with a hand on a support for balance. It moves differently from the squat on the Squat page (heels up, hip open); one source calls it a variation of the squat, and this page keeps the two apart.

Three positions of one smooth movement. The ball of the foot stays where it is on the floor while the heel rises and the knees travel forward; the trunk and thighs lean back as one straight line and the hip does not fold. As drawn, the lean keeps the weight over the foot. The depth, the lean and the height of the rail are drawing choices, not rules, and the sources differ on lean, heels and depth. A side view cannot show how the knees track sideways, how hard the hand holds the rail or what the foot feels.
Difficulty
Intermediate
editorial estimate
Steps to it
2 steps
Intermediate → Advanced
Usually done on
Floor
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 6 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

This skill

Sissy Squat

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

The sissy squat is a bodyweight leg exercise. You come onto the front of the foot, bend the knees so that they travel forward over or past the toes, and lean back so that the knees, hips and shoulders stay in one line. The hip does not fold. FitnessVolt and BarBend have you hold a fixed support with a hand for balance, and Liftosaur suggests a wall or support at first if needed. Not every page covers every detail: Rehab Hero and AthleanX describe only parts of it.12345

This page does not treat it as a variation of the squat taught on the Squat page, although FitnessVolt calls it a bodyweight variation of the squat. That page keeps the whole foot on the floor, bends the hips and knees together and reads rising heels as a sign that the ankles do not allow that depth. The sissy squat differs on purpose: the heels rise, the knees travel further forward and the hip stays open instead of moving back. For this page they are two different movements, so a rule from one page does not carry over to the other.124

The sources agree on some points. Weight on the front of the foot: FitnessVolt, BarBend, Liftosaur and Rehab Hero. Knees going forward over or past the toes: FitnessVolt, BarBend, Liftosaur and AthleanX. A hip that stays locked, extended or neutral: FitnessVolt, BarBend and Rehab Hero. A support for balance, at least at first: FitnessVolt, BarBend and Liftosaur. They disagree on three details, and this page does not choose. Trunk: FitnessVolt says to lean back as far as you can, BarBend says just enough to keep your balance, and Liftosaur and AthleanX describe an upright trunk (AthleanX adds a pelvis tilted back and a lean backwards). Heels: FitnessVolt has them coming off the floor in the bottom position (its ladder steps also rise onto the toes before lowering), Liftosaur and BarBend from the start, and Rehab Hero lets them rise as the movement goes on, with the balls of the toes planted. Depth: Liftosaur has the thighs parallel to the floor or lower, FitnessVolt as low as you can, BarBend down to your movement tolerance, and Rehab Hero lowers the knees all the way to the ground.12345

The sources also disagree about the knees, and none of them cites a study of this exercise. BarBend's author, a certified trainer, calls it far from dangerous and says knees travelling forward are not harmful in themselves. AthleanX's author, a physical therapist, argues the opposite: that the extreme forward position of the knees puts the line of force on the patellar tendon and that repeated loading leads to knee pain or damage. The same article says it is not the knee travel itself but the line of force that is the issue. Both are one author's reasoning. This page takes neither side.23

In most descriptions the front of the foot stays planted, the body leans back as one line and the hip stays open; the hand on the support is for balance.

02

How it is done

  1. Set the support

    Stand facing something fixed that cannot move, such as a rack, a door frame or a wall, and hold it with one hand. Some sources start with both hands. The picture shows a rail at about hip height when standing; that is drawn, not a rule.124

    CueHold the support lightly, for balance.2

  2. Come onto the front of the foot

    Let the weight move onto the balls of the feet. The first picture shows the foot flat; the second shows the heel off the floor. Sources differ on when the heels rise.1245

  3. Bend the knees and lean back

    Let the knees travel forward over or past the toes while the trunk leans back, so that the knees, hips and shoulders stay in one line. The hip does not fold: pushing the hips back would make it a squat. Rehab Hero says only that the hips and spine stay neutral and that you lean back.125

    CueKeep one straight line from the head to the knees.14

  4. Lower only as far as you can control

    This page's own wording: go down only as far as you can control. The sources give different depths (see What it is), and the picture shows one depth as a drawing choice, not as a rule. BarBend adds a pause at the bottom.124

  5. Rise through the front of the foot

    Push back up through the front of the foot, bringing the knees back and the trunk up together while the body stays in one line. The hand steadies you; BarBend says not to swing the arms to get up.124

03

Progressions

These steps let you record the version you do now. They are not compulsory unlocks, and this page sets no rule for when to move on. FitnessVolt gives the only full ladder: kneeling, then a wall (knees forward, no lean back), then two hands on a rack or a bar, then one hand, then no support. Only FitnessVolt says when to let go of the support (see the last step); the other sources give no criterion. The kneeling form is listed under variations because this page has no picture of it.

What to have first

  • The Squat page helps, but it does not teach this

    The Squat page is linked on the map as a useful first movement because both work the legs. That is this page's editorial link, not a requirement from any source, and learning the squat does not teach this movement.

  • Where to start is disputed

    No source gives a test or a number to reach before starting; only FitnessVolt gives a criterion for letting go of the support (see the last step). They rate the difficulty differently: FitnessVolt calls it intermediate and Rehab Hero advanced, and BarBend calls it both suitable for beginners and not a true beginner movement. BarBend advises bringing it in slowly if the knees are sensitive.125

  • Something fixed to hold

    The sources that describe a hand on a support name objects such as a rack, a door frame or a wall. None tested which objects are suitable. This page's own caution: use only something fixed in place that cannot slide, tip or give way.124

  1. Step 1Intermediate

    Holding a support

    The movement as drawn: one hand holds a fixed support in front, the front of the foot stays planted, the knees travel forward and the body leans back in one line. FitnessVolt's ladder goes from kneeling to a wall to two hands on a rack or bar and then one hand, BarBend names a door frame with a light grip and Liftosaur suggests a wall or support for balance at first.

    Technical note: The support is for balance. BarBend says to keep the grip very light so the body does most of the work. Only FitnessVolt says when to let go of it (see the next step).124

  2. Step 2AdvancedGoal

    Without a support

    The same movement with nothing to hold; in the step picture the arms reach forward. FitnessVolt says to let go of the support only when confidence and balance allow you to lean back and lower yourself without it; it gives an angle for each; this page does not turn either into a rule.

    Technical note: Without a support, balance is the limit. This describes the movement, not a depth, a count or a speed.12

04

Community

0reached it
0working on it
0tips

No one is publicly working on this movement. Add it to your profile and be the first.

Tips from the community

Tips are personal experience, not medical advice or a training plan.

There are no tips for this movement yet.

05

Common mistakes

  • Folding at the hip

    FitnessVolt names bending at the hip as a mistake that loses the point of the exercise, and BarBend keeps the hips extended with the glutes tight. Pushing the hips back is the squat movement.12

  • Dropping the heels

    Liftosaur lists letting the heels drop as a mistake. Other sources disagree on when the heels rise, so what they share is that the front of the foot stays planted.145

  • Knees falling inward

    Liftosaur lists the knees going inward as a mistake and says to keep them aligned with the toes. A side view cannot show this, so the picture does not.4

  • Leaning the trunk too far forward

    Liftosaur lists leaning too far forward ('do not lean excessively forward') as a mistake; it describes the trunk as upright, while FitnessVolt and BarBend lean back (see What it is).124

  • Leaning back too little or too far

    FitnessVolt says too little lean loses the point of the movement as it describes it and gives about 45 degrees to the floor as the target; BarBend warns that leaning back too far costs balance and gives no measure. Both are coaching views, and this page does not repeat the angle as a rule.12

06

Variations and related skills

  • Kneeling form

    Stance

    Done from the knees, leaning back from the knees instead of the feet. FitnessVolt calls it the knee sissy squat and uses it as its first step, and BarBend names a kneeling version. This page has no picture of it.12

  • One-leg version

    Stance

    A progression chart in a public spreadsheet that links Steven Low's Overcoming Gravity book site lists 'One leg sissy squat to horizontal shin' at level 10 of its quad-dominant column; the sissy squat itself is at level 5 of the same column. A note at the bottom of the sheet says 'The above are not in the book. They are proposed progressions' and does not say which columns it covers. The chart gives names only. This page names the version and gives no instructions.6

  • Weighted version

    Load

    FitnessVolt lists weight plates or dumbbells among its equipment and BarBend suggests a light weight vest or a small kettlebell. FitnessVolt also describes a separate pendulum version, held by a belt and a rope or chain to an anchor, which is not a weighted one. This page names the weighted version and gives no instructions or loads.12

  • Band-assisted

    Equipment

    BarBend describes a band fixed to a rack to help with balance. This page's own caution: any anchor has to be fixed and unable to slip or release; it gives no setup.2

  • How deep

    Range

    The sources differ: Liftosaur has the thighs parallel to the floor or lower, FitnessVolt as low as you can, BarBend down to your movement tolerance, and Rehab Hero the knees all the way to the ground. The picture shows one depth as a drawing choice. This page gives no depth rule.1245

Related skillsPistol SquatShrimp SquatLunge

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

6 sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Sissy Squat: Target Your Quads, Glutes, and Calves Effectively! (in-body label: Sissy Squat Guide)Steve Theunissen ('PT' on the page; the author page lists ISSA certifications), updated by Patrick Dale · FitnessVolt (a commercial fitness site) · published 3 Dec 2023, modified 11 Aug 2024; read 23 Oct 2026; the only source here that gives a full ladder, no claim about knee safety, and its table lists the risk level as 'Moderate' without reasons; its repetition ranges, lever-angle numbers and spine-compression argument are not used
  2. How to Do the Sissy Squat to Build Heaps of Muscle Without WeightsJake Dickson (NASM-CPT, USAW-L2) · BarBend (a fitness media site) · last updated 19 Nov 2024; read 23 Oct 2026; its knee statements give no reference or study; the same text calls the exercise suitable for beginners and not a true beginner movement
  3. The Truth About Sissy SquatsJeff Cavaliere (M.S.P.T., CSCS) · ATHLEAN-X (a commercial training brand) · 12 Dec 2024; read 23 Oct 2026; argues against the exercise; its risk statements are the author's reasoning and the references it lists are not about this exercise
  4. Bodyweight Sissy Squat (how to perform with proper form)Liftosaur exercise database (no author or date shown) · read 23 Oct 2026 at api3.liftosaur.com; used only for what it shares with the named-author pages; it describes the trunk as upright
  5. Sissy SquatDavid Song (no credentials shown) · Rehab Hero clinic website (Canada) · dated 'Jun 10' without a year; read 23 Oct 2026; a short exercise description; its list of related conditions is a tag list and is not used
  6. Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition Exercise ChartsPublic Google Sheet reproducing the progression charts of Steven Low's Overcoming Gravity (2nd ed.) · checked 23 Oct 2026; chart cells only, no technique text; a note under the sheet says 'The above are not in the book. They are proposed progressions' without saying which columns it covers; the sheet names no author; only the first tab and its cells could be read; the book was not read (research S-0093)

A note on safety

Report a problem