Zercher Squats

[cuppa]

I've never done Zercher Squat before and I just peeked my workout of the day for tomorrow. It looks awfully uncomfortable and we were told that we will bruise doing this (was told to do 95# for women).

 

So questions for those who have done this? Any pain? What's the good thing about this squat? T-man, you mentioned this in the other thread as this gives you the most pain. Care to share?

 

This is the instruction video for tomorrow, we are supposed to do tabata for 4 mins (as many as possible)

 

[tman666]

Cuppa,

 

I've been away from my computer all weekend, so hopefully my advice doesn't come too little too late.

 

Zercher squats are great for building the upper quads, the glutes, and your lower back. It's almost like mashing a deadlift and a squat together. They're one of my favorite exercises because they just look so beastly doing them.

 

They do produce some pain in your arms. If done properly, this isn't joint pain, but rather pain from having a loaded bar pinching your skin. Basically, once I hit 275 lbs or more on them, I put those neck pads that some silly people use for squats around the bar to add some cushion.

 

My other advice is to use a fairly wide squat stance. These don't work well with narrow stances, and will put excessive strain on your lower back if you use a narrow stance. Be sure that your knees are tracking over your feet, just like in every other squat. The movement feels very similar to moving a heavy, awkward object like a refrigerator.

 

I personally find the pain motivating. As long as you get that wild look in your eye and attack the weight, you'll do fine. It's pretty hard to do Zercher squats and not be an intense maniac.

[cuppa]

Ah thanks. I'm not keen on getting the bruise (although part of me find it motivating too). I usually get some bruises from my martial arts but not in the visible places.

 

Also the Monday CF trainer is scary, I feel like I might end up injuring myself since I'm scared of him LOL. But yeah, I want to learn new thing esp if this is highly effective. I think I will go tonight, thanks for your advice.