Zercher Squats

He was making fun of Caesar’s trolling on the steroids forum.

[quote]Zercher deadlifts are a bitch but if you’re smaller you should try them out. I would recommend higher reps though since the hardest part is keeping tight out of the bottom; plus its a pretty compromising position.
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how on earth does anyone do Zercher DLs from off the ground? I tried it but cant get anywhere near that low to get the bar in crook of my arm in any real DL posture. maybe it’s only for really smaller guys? pics would be nice

[quote]sumabeast wrote:
I tried it but cant get anywhere near that low to get the bar in crook of my arm in any real DL posture. [/quote]

I think you answered your own question -

haha i was going to try these a couple weeks ago, then looked down at the bar and thought “now how the heck am i supposed to get down there?” lol.

what kind of weight does everyone use? i have gone up to 275 for 5 reps before, and the bar hasnt bothered my arms at all. i love seeing bruises right there too, makes me feel hardcore as the other “men” in the gym do smith machine squats

[quote]sumabeast wrote:
Zercher deadlifts are a bitch but if you’re smaller you should try them out. I would recommend higher reps though since the hardest part is keeping tight out of the bottom; plus its a pretty compromising position.

how on earth does anyone do Zercher DLs from off the ground? I tried it but cant get anywhere near that low to get the bar in crook of my arm in any real DL posture. maybe it’s only for really smaller guys? pics would be nice[/quote]

Oh, and doing zercher deadlifts in your living room = hardcore.

[quote]apwsearch wrote:
Good answer, Andy.

How’s training? Any meets coming up?

andy bumphren wrote:
They would stimulate the mid upper back mostly, the core too could be considered upper body.

Zercher deadlifts are a bitch but if you’re smaller you should try them out. I would recommend higher reps though since the hardest part is keeping tight out of the bottom; plus its a pretty compromising position.

I really wouldn’t recommend zerchers for a ME lift since they’re really best for working the torso. Front squats would be a better choice; they increase the stress on the core but still allow for an appreciable load.

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Hey sorry I never checked back on this thread. Right now I’m training for track, and I’m thinking of doing some O-lifting; by the time spring rolls around I should be able to qualify for the Empire State Games… theres a monster in my weight class though, his total was 70kg higher than 2nd place.

Louie Simmons on Zercher squats, briefly:

"One of these is Zercher squats. Their inventor, Ed Zercher, intended for the
bar to be lifted off the floor in the crook of the elbows. At 181, I made 320 off the
floor and an official deadlift of 670 in 1973. But at 198, I could no longer bend
over far enough to hook the bar in my elbows. At that point, I placed the bar on the power rack pins and squatted from there. "