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Direction-of-travel diagram for the knee extension pattern. Photography for the Assisted Sissy Squat is not shot yet.
CalisthenicsIn review

Assisted Sissy Squat

A knee-dominant squat that leans the body back while the heels rise, with one hand on a wall.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern
Knee extension
Modality
Calisthenics
Difficulty
Intermediate
Mechanic
Unknown
Force
Unknown
Laterality
Bilateral
Impact
Low
Trains where
Gym, Home
At home
Yes

How to do it

Set up

  1. Stand tall side-on to the wall with the feet hip-width apart, and rest one hand on it.

Do the rep

  1. Rise onto the balls of the feet and push the knees forward.
  2. Lean the body back in one straight line from the knees to the head, as far as you control.
  3. Push the knees back and return to a tall stand.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when the knees travel forward with the hips straight and the body in one line, and you return to a full stand.

One rep starts standing tall, bends the knees forward while the heels rise and the body leans back in one line from the knees to the head, and ends at a full stand.

Breathing

Breathe in as you lower; exhale as you stand.

Cues

  • Keep the hips straight.
  • Knees forward, shoulders back.
  • Go deeper when the reps get easy.

Common mistakes

  • Bending at the hips

    What you seeThe hips move back and the body folds forward like a normal squat.

    FixSqueeze the glutes and keep one line from the knees to the head.

    Straight hips keep the load on the front of the thighs.

  • Going too deep too soon

    What you seeThe knees ache or the body drops at the bottom.

    FixLower only as far as you control, and add depth over weeks.

    Gradual depth lets the knees adapt to the load.

Stop the set if

  • Stop if you feel sharp pain in the knee.
  • Stop if your hand slips or you lose balance.
  • End the set when you cannot keep the hips straight.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

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