Zercher Squat 10s · no sound

Zercher Squat

A squat with the barbell cradled in the crooks of the elbows, which forces an upright torso under load.

Primary muscle
Glutes, Quads
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Movement
Squat
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How to do it

  1. Set the barbell in a rack at about waist height and step close to it.
  2. Cradle the bar in the crooks of your elbows with your elbows around shoulder width.
  3. Interlace your fingers with the knuckles facing up and stand tall with the bar close to your body.
  4. Step back and take a stance slightly wider than your usual squat.
  5. Break at the hips and descend with your chest up until your elbows reach the inside of your thighs.
  6. Drive through the whole foot and stand back up, keeping the bar centered and tight to your torso.

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bar off center, which makes it slide sideways in the elbows under load.
  • Holding the bar away from the body, which loads the lower back instead of the legs.
  • Placing the elbows too narrow or too wide, which loses the shelf that holds the bar.
  • Training the lift while fatigued, since a failed rep with the bar in the elbows is hard to dump safely.

Muscles worked

Primary
GlutesQuads
Secondary
AbsBicepsHamstringsUpper Back

Good to know

What muscles does the Zercher Squat work?
Mainly the glutes and quads. It also works the abs, biceps, hamstrings and upper back.
What equipment do you need for the Zercher Squat?
It uses a barbell. Without it, the Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat and the Dumbbell Front Squat (Tempo) train the same muscles the same way.
Is the Zercher Squat good for beginners?
GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Band Squat.

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