Are Sissy Squats Good?

I’ve heard several times that sissy squats are good and are the only way to fully lengthen the rectus femoris.
Does anyone here include sissy squats in their routine?

They are good. I do them a couple of times a month, especially if my low back is bothering me.
If you focus on the quads by keeping your torso back, they give a good pump and stretch, like a front squat.
If you focus on squeezing the glutes and thrusting the pelvis, it’s a good hip hinge, like a Richard Simmons cheek squeeze.

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My patella tendon never liked sissy squats. They were never a leg exercise for me. I should say that I had over stressed my patella tendon doing a leg extension with a lot of weight without warming up.

It’s not quite as stupid as it sounds, but it was still very stupid. It was about 1973. My gym had a plate loaded cable leg extension machine, all 25lb plates loaded vertically on a single post. I was late to the workout with my two workout partners and didn’t want to unload most of the plates to warmup. I knew I was strong enough to do the set. You know the type: Big, Strong, and Dumb.

I think they are good but can be hard on the knees.

thanks for the information.

Only a few exercises are haram (close-grip upright rows come immediately to mind), and sissy squats is not one of these. However, this doesn’t mean you must (there are plenty of highly-developed rectus femori muscles out there that have never met a sissy squat) or even should do them…They might not suit your proportions (in which case they won’t ‘feel right’), or they might irritate your knees (as mentioned by several posters above). So if they intrigue you, start doing them. If you respond well, keep them in your routine; if not, ditch them.

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Imma fan of sissy squats, they hit the quads directly in the absence of leg extension machines.

But then again, BSQ’s hit the quads pretty good too

How do you guys do sissy squats?

Body weight? With weights? With a machine?

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I’ve got one like this. They can be found for under $100. Stiff leg deadlifts are brutal using one of these.

I went to an old gym years ago that had a set up like that. I never tried it with any appreciable weights, but doing a few strict sets after my usual leg routine always felt great.

Obviously if you have patellar tendon issues be wary of anything that causes excessive strain.

S

When I did you them, I used a pair of hex dumbbells to hold my feet.

I’m an old guy with knees that hurt with things like extensions, so here is what I do and they actually make my knees feel better. The best thing is you can move forward and backward to change the load.

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I much prefer natural leg extensions.