Does anyone have Sissy Squats in their program? What do you think about the exercise, does it work well? And does it have any impact on sprinting?
Primary I’m thinking of using it to increase ROM, I think tight quads hinders my sprint.
I’m assuming you’re referring to Vince Gironda’s old exercise (want to make sure I’m picturing the right movement). If you are, my question is, why would you want to minimize the participation of the posterior chain? That’s where all of your power comes from. Vince used this exercise because he thought regular squats would make bodybuilders’ butts too big.
If your quads are tight, I simply recommend stretching them and maybe getting some soft tissue treatment for them as well (ideally both).
Here it is:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/WTSissySquat.html
I would go much deeper then Gironda to get a good stretch.
I think they could be very useful as a rectus femoris/hip flexor strengthening movement. I prefer to use isometric holds while my knees are hooked into a lat pull down station though, as this allows the same loading for the abs and hip flexors without stressing most of the quad muscles or the knees.