Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
This was a grinder!
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Barbell Zercher PR
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@Jeff Roark, interesting choice of rack height. Many people rack it for the top position, then unrack, lower, standup, return to rack.
Have you tried deadlifting it to start? That's the old-fashioned way.
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Have you tried deadlifting it to start? That's the old-fashioned way.
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Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
nah, never did it that way, never had an interest. I've done zercher deadlifts though. This rack height is a tough place to start from due to it being parallel or bit below. Realize I'm not doing Zercher Squats like you describe above, but a zercher styled lift.
It's a fine lift you're doing. Just like there is a bottoms-up squat where you start with the bar in the rack, so there is a bottoms-up Zercher Squat, at least that's what I'd call your lift. Your version is harder.
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Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
Thank you sir. Its tough, especially with the arms on the outside. John McKean one of my longtime mentors advised me to start doing the outside the legs variation as he felt it was superior way to do the lift. I'll throw a set in here or there with the arms in between style on warmups or a back off set too, just to hit that method.
Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
John,
I just mentioned in a reply to Steve about the arms on the outside style. Give it a try and see how it hits your legs, you'll get quite the surprise. Thanks for the compliment.
Antti
Level 10 Valued Member
How exactly would you compare the different arm positions and the causes behind the differences?
Personally, I've never tried having arms outside the legs. I'll have to give it a shot and see if there's something in it I can't figure out.
Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
it becomes much more of leg exercise for me with the arms on the outside. With the arms inside it has more of a deadlift feel. YMMV though, its just an option and the one I personally prefer now.
The hardest Zercher style to me is the one with the Front/Zercher Squat Harness.
Antti
Level 10 Valued Member
I take it that it's not just the arms that move but your legs move into a different stance as well?
Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
yes sir. arms inside feel like a sumo style lift for me.
Philippe Geoffrion
Level 7 Valued Member
The arms inside lift has always had a very high transfer to sumo deadlifts for me.
Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
I'd guarantee it.
Just worked up to 315 with arms outside. It felt very similar to my conventional deadlift and my double KB front squat.
Day after edit - I expected to feel it in my low back, but the next day I feel it in my quads and glutes.
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Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
It works my quads as good as anything I've found. Think you'll keep it in the mix? 315 is a nice lift, congrats.
I'm not how often I'll do it yet, but I like it enough it'll stick around.
Jeff Roark
Level 7 Valued Member
I only do them 1x per month and it hasn't held my gains back one single bit.
I like that idea, I get the itch every now and then. The zercher really didn't take a whole lot out of me, which was surprising. I was surprised at getting 315, I haven't done anything other than kettlebell front squats up to double 32s since October.
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