The Zercher Squat is a intermediate-friendly barbell strength exercise that targets the quadriceps and glutes, with the hamstrings, abdominals, lats, middle back and biceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Set the barbell in a rack at about waist height and step close to it.
Cradle the bar in the crooks of your elbows with your elbows around shoulder width.
Interlace your fingers with the knuckles facing up and stand tall with the bar close to your body.
Step back and take a stance slightly wider than your usual squat.
Break at the hips and descend with your chest up until your elbows reach the inside of your thighs.
Drive through the whole foot and stand back up, keeping the bar centered and tight to your torso.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Removes direct axial spinal loading while still training a heavy squat pattern.
Forces an upright torso, which suits lifters who tend to pitch forward in a back squat.
Produces lower knee compressive force than an equivalent posterior loaded squat.
03 Don't do this
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.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Zercher Squat, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
