What the Heck is a Zercher?
This past weekend Jess and I were blessed to celebrate our 17th anniversary together. We celebrated the best way we know how…….. homemade margaritas. Jess is most certainly one of the biggest reasons why I’ve been able to accomplish what I have over the years and I am beyond lucky to have her in my life. In honor of being with my favorite person for the past 17 years, today, we're diving into one of my favorite exercise variations, the zercher squat.
The zercher squat claims its origin from a weightlifter and strongman from the 1930’s and 1940s, Ed Zercher. In a time of no squat racks, the most efficient way to squat the barbell was to tilt the barbell on its side, get in position underneath, and lift the weight up onto your back while controlling the momentum of the barbell leveling out. Ed decided that was too inefficient of a process.
He pioneered the process of getting your elbows underneath the barbell while it sat on the ground, deadlifting into start position, and subsequently squatting the weight.
In today’s day and age of power racks, here’s 3 reasons why we still use this lift today?
1) Beginner Friendly
Due to the positional set up of the variation, the barbell places us in a naturally balanced position. It feels this way due to the fact that our torso is more upright, thus our center of balance falls directly underneath us. For anyone new to squatting with a barbell or lifting in general, this can be a great way to safely and effectively transition into more heavy lifting.
2) Limited mobility
While I love most people being able to do a front squat or back squat, not everyone we work with has the shoulder mobility to actually hold the bar in place for these set ups. The zercher position, because the barbell is held in front in our elbow crease, makes the necessity of mobility non-existent. We eliminate the challenge of holding the barbell on our back, while still being able to lift heavier loads.
3) Increased Trunk Activation
With the barbell placed anteriorly to our trunk, this directly changes how our bodies control and manage the weight. The result of a zercher is increased upper back and abdominal engagement. As the weight increases, I can tell you from personal experience, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold your breath and brace properly through the lift. So not only are we receiving the benefits of a squat pattern but increased trunk strength as well.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve answered the question "What the heck is a zercher squat?" I can tell you, I’ll still be answering this question for as long as I’m a physical therapist. I love zercher squats and everything that comes with them. So if you’re new to lifting, maybe looking for something different, or maybe just exploring lifting, the zercher squat may just be the barbell squat for you.
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