20-Rep Sissy Hack Squats?

Im doing a lot of sissy squats in quarantine, and was thinking about applying the widowmaker training style to the sissy hack squat or another form of weighted sissy squats.
Anybody tried this or has any thoughts? My knees are fine btw :wink:

So you just want to do weighted sissy squats? Heavy enough that you can only do about 20 reps?

Yeah but doing it with a 10 or 12 rep max and using rest pause until hitting 20 reps

How would you add weight? Holding dumbbells?

I don’t see why not. This would probably be a really good way to clean up / protect from any patellar tendon problems too

Like in a hack squat machine

Wouldn’t make a huge difference, loaded knee flexion is loaded knee flexion

There are plenty of sissy squat variations. Look for videos on Vince Gironda’s sissy squats. You could also do variations with a dumbbell or 2 dumbbells, in a goblet squat/front squat
position, or with a weighted vest.

You could experiment with a smith machine front squat, if you have access.

Because of balance and being at a mechanical disadvantage you probably won’t need much weight to get a good workout.

There are sissy squat machines(not really a machine because there are no moving parts, actually a Roman chair, but still great for quads)

If you check out old photo’s of Tom Platz, you will see him doing 2 sissy squat variations, up on his toes,(and also with the hips off the back rest ) on a hack squat machine.
You are going to want to go real light or have seriously bulletproof knees.

I think the OP is talking about something different. A true Widowmaker ala Dog Crapp is not a standard 20 rep quad exercise, and certainly not comparable with any form of sissy squat.

If he is just after a killer high rep quad movement, especially given the lockdown climate, then there have been plenty mentioned in this thread already. I do high rep work for legs. This includes blood flow restriction which, has some good science behind it when it comes to hypertrophy. The upshot is: light resistance can build muscle, which is exactly what folks need during lockdown.

Is the smith machine version a sissy squat or just a very upright squat? Im looking for exercises that targets the rectus femoris and vastus medialis more (not isolating of coruce) as opposed to my vastus lateralis as my outer quad is way out of proportion :wink:

Yeah it can’t be replicated exactly because there are less helping muscles in a sissy squat as opposed to a regular squat, but im talking about applying the same rest pause mentality with a sissy squat ala 12 rep max for 20 reps.

I have always personally found the sissy squat difficult to execute so the idea of doing as you suggest sounds technically difficult to me, especially if you are doing it loaded. I think there are other options. I use rest pause myself on quads but have a small home gym, which makes that more practicable. If push came to shove, I would probably pre-exhaust the quads via band leg extensions (these have featured recently on TNation) or something, then move into some quad dominant squat, e.g. heels raised goblet - constant tension, slow eccentric, etc.

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It depends on how you do it, Foot placement in relation to the bar, width of your feet, whether you go down on your toes.

I’ve read somewhere on the site that a frog stance with toes pointed out helps with teardrop development, might try that on smith machine squats