A
Full Range Quadriceps Exercise... Sissy Squats to Barbell
Leg Press In the Power Rack
Ok, so here's one I can pretty
much PROMISE you've never seen anything like before. It's
one of THE most insane exercises I've ever come up with
and believe me...if you want to really hammer your quads,
it's going to leave you on the floor after the first set.
This one requires only a few
simple pieces for set...a barbell, a rack and a bench. Optional
is a barbell pad (which is helpful for the leg press part
of the movement).
Now, you might have seen something
similar to this set up with a few other exercises I've got
on the site.
This exercise incorporates
THAT exercise plus a huge range of motion sissy squat style
of exercise to hit the quads from top to bottom...full stretch
to hard contraction.
Here's what it looks like...when
you see it in action, you'll know exactly how tough this
one is to do and how effective it is.
First, set a flat bench inside
the rack, parallel to the safety rails.
Next, set one of othe safety
rails up high (like up near the very top as high as you
can). Set the other safety rail about a foot and a half
below that.
Set the barbell on the rails
- it'll be angled down pretty steeply (make sure you have
good collars). Load the barbell on both ends (can be lighter
on the high side).
I've got one plate on the
high end and two plates on the lower end. You don't need
a whole lot of weight for this one. The barbell pad should
go down near the bottom end.
Now the fun begins...
Stand up on the bench and
get your back under the barbell so it runs lengthwise down
your back. The pad should hit you right on hip/lower back
area. Grab onto the bar up near the safety rail at the top.
The video shows me getting
into position under the bar. You'll need to experiment with
the height of the safety rail on the low side so that you
start the squat/leg press at a good angle.
And yes, my knees ARE in front
of my toes...don't tell the squat police ;)
Honestly, it's not bad for
your knees, as you may have been told. If you can perform
a barbell squat without your knees moving forward of your
toes, then my hat is off to you - I can't do it!
Your feet are going to be
positioned on the bench so the forefoot area is right in
the middle of the bench - you're NOT going to be setting
your whole foot on the bench surface. Your heels will be
off the back edge. This comes into play during the sissy
squat portion of the exercise (I'll explain why this is
when I get to that).
Straighten your legs. This
is the top position of the exercise. Nothing too crazy here.
Since only your forefoot area is on the bench, this actually
puts more tension onto the quads.
Now for the transition to
the sissy squat...
Lower the bar back down and
set the low end on the safety rail. Now, holding on tight
to the bar with your hands, squat down and forward.
You're going to come forward
and down, using your grip on the bar to hold your body up
off the ground. You're still on your forefoot area here.
Here's where that foot position
comes into play...
Let your body stretch forward
and down until your body is completely stretched out and
your knees are down near the ground.
Your toes are now hooked over
the edge of the bench.
Push your hips forward and
you'll get a HUGE stretch on the quads at the bottom here.
Now the fun part...coming
back UP.
Use your arms to help as much
as you need to, but try to use mostly quads. Push down hard
with your toes onto the page to get your body moving up
again, then bring yourself back up underneath the bar and
into the leg press position.
In a smooth motion, come all
the way and do the press/squat movement.
This takes you from full stretch
straight up into a hard contraction. Come back down and
repeat, coming all the way down to the full stretch again.
I recommend about 6 to 8 full reps on this one.
Trust me, this will KILL your
quads. When I finished this exercise the first time I did
it (which is actually in the video!), you'll see just how
hard a time I had walking to stop the camera.
Freaking brutal and not for
the faint of heart this one is, but INCREDIBLY effective
for the quads.
