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So let me just start by saying, this exercise
is not for the faint of heart...it's a Zercher
Squat done starting from the floor.

And if you train at home without the benefit of a power
rack or squat rack (also the case in some gyms), you
KNOW how tough it is to find effective leg exercises...I
promse you, THIS exercise is going to help you work
your legs HARD.

It's truly the definition of "old school" leg training...
because it's literally how squats used to be done before
the advent of racks!

If you're not familiar with a Zercher Squat, it's where you
hold the barbell in the crook of your arms out in front of
you (arms bent and locked around the bar) instead holding
it on your back or shoulders (like back or front squats).

It's excellent for developing not only legs but great core
strength as well. It's brutal just on it's own.

These days, it's most often done using a rack, so all
you have to do is get under the bar in the rack and start
the exercise.

THIS version of the Zercher Squat is basically the same
thing except you're NOT in a rack- you have to get the
bar off the floor, get it into the crooks of your arms THEN
do the exercise.

Try it with light weight the first time you do it so you get
an idea of how to wrangle the bar into position.

I like to use a bar pad for this one, to help take pressure
off the forearms when doing the exercise (honestly, it's
one of the few good uses I have for that thing!). If you don't
have a pad, you can also use a towel wrapped around the
bar for padding.

Load up a bar. It doesn't matter if you're only using 10 lb
plates or 45 lb plates here with this execution...I suggest
starting light the first time you do this even if you're a
strong squatter.

Stand in front of it with your feet out wide..equal to or a
little wider than your normal squat stance.

Bend down and grab the bar with an overhand grip (on
both hands), just outside your knees. It's not quite as wide
as a snatch-grip deadlift but still fairly wide. Deadlift the
bar up to the top.



Now squat down with the bar resting completely on your
thighs, down by your knees.



Get your right arm under the bar while maintaining a grip
on the bar with your left. Then get your other arm under
the bar. You always want to maintain solid control over
the bar while getting into position.



At this point, make VERY sure that your forearms are
fully supinated into a palms-up position. This is
important for proper loading of the forearms because
this position ensures that the load is placed over
BOTH bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) rather
than just one.

If your hands are in a neutral/hammer grip, the bar will
not set comfortably (relatively speaking, of course!) in
the crooks of your arms.

Now the fun part...standing up!

First, make sure to pull the bar in as close to your body
as you can. The closer it is to you, the more effective the
exercise will be. If it's too far away, you'll put a lot of
torque on the lower back.

Solidify your core as TIGHT as you can get it. Make
sure you have an arch in your lower back, i.e. stick
your butt out. Then PUSH.



Come all the way up to the full standing position and
hold for a few seconds. You'll really feel this one in the
core from start to finish.

Now come back down. If you're using a lighter weight
for higher to moderate reps, stop just short of putting the
bar back down on your thighs so you can keep tension on.

When using heavier weight (I've got 225 lbs on the bar
for this demo), I actually set the bar back down on my
thighs between the reps for a brief rest and to reset my
body position for maximum power and safety.

When you've completed your set, rest the bar on your
thighs, then take one arm out from under the bar then grab
on and remove the other arm from under the bar.

Grip in the deadlift grip you started with, stand up, then
set the bar back down on the floor, essentially just
reversing what you did to get the bar into position to start
with.



That's the Zercher Squat done off the floor!

It's an excellent exercise for working your legs (and core)
with very limited equipment. It's completely scalable to
whatever training level you're at and VERY effective for
performing a DEEP squat exercise to strongly target
the glutes as well. I won't say it's pretty, though.

If you'd like to see the full video of this exercise in action,
I just posted it to my YouTube channel here as well.



Enjoy!...[insert evil laughter here]

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"