Zercher Squat: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The Zercher squat works your quadriceps, which straighten your knees to stand up, while your glutes and hamstrings extend your hips and your calves stabilize your ankles. Holding the bar in the crooks of your elbows instead of on your back changes your torso angle compared with a back squat.
- Primary muscle:
- Quadriceps
- Secondary muscles:
- Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings
Muscles worked
Your quadriceps drive the upward part of the squat, straightening your knees as you stand. Because the front-loaded bar position tends to keep your torso more upright through a deeper squat, your quads often take on a large share of the work.
Your glutes and hamstrings extend your hips to finish the lift, working alongside your quads rather than instead of them. Your calves stabilize your ankles and help you keep your weight balanced over your midfoot as you rise.
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How to do it
- This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack that best matches your height. The correct height should be anywhere above the waist but below the chest. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, lock your hands together and place the bar on top of your arms in between the forearm and upper arm.
- Lift the bar up so that it is resting on top of your forearms. If you are holding the bar properly, it should look as if you have your arms crossed but with a bar running across them.
- Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times as looking down will get you off balance and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances discussed in the foot stances section).
- Begin to lower the bar by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees (which is the point in which the upper legs are below parallel to the floor). Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
- Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the ball of your foot mainly as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Cradle the bar in the crooks of your elbows, close to your body, not out toward your hands.
- Keep your elbows up and your torso as upright as your mobility allows.
- Pad the bar or wear long sleeves if the position pinches your arms.
- Sit your hips down and back into a comfortably deep squat before driving up.
- Start with a lighter weight than your back squat while you learn the front-loaded position.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Barbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Expert |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Zercher squat feel different from a back squat?
Holding the bar in your elbow creases shifts your center of gravity forward, which usually keeps your torso more upright and can let you squat deeper comfortably. Your quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings still do the main work, just through a slightly different torso angle.
Is the Zercher squat harder on your arms than your legs?
Your legs, quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, still do the primary work of standing up. The bar position mainly changes how you carry the load and can feel uncomfortable on your forearms and elbows at first, which is more a tolerance issue than a sign your legs aren't working.
Should beginners try the Zercher squat?
It's a more advanced squat variation because of the bar position and the mobility it demands. Building comfort with a standard squat or front squat first makes the Zercher easier to learn once you do try it.
More quadriceps exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
