Dead-start Zercher Squats

[cunnelatio]

this exercise has insane core activation, and it's great because you don't have to think about it, it just happens

[Ramshobraja]

Odd exercise. Will be great since my 24hr fitness doesn't have a goddamn squat rack.

[Alcalino91]

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!

[NavyJonTheManimal]

Would it help using a fat grip bar?

[themax17]

@NavyJonTheManimal Since this video I have switched to using the thick bar exclusively. Check my channel for 365lbs x 5 reps with a thick bar

[InferiorThanYou]

@themax17 Any particular video you recommend I see on performing these? I would like to do these.

[themax17]

@InferiorThanYou This video is a pretty good example. They're aren't as bad as you'd think. Just start out super light.

[chublancsti]

great stuff doing my first ones tonight

[SATANA6666]

what's the song starting at 1:05 ??

[Diablo5591]

You could just chuck a folded towel across your arms to spread the load out a little.

[goatz123]

i did 225 today...i put it on an aerobic step and lifted it off there...mad deep

[Sivadomagyar]

wat musel is that work

[foraskenpic]

does it works the quad?

[emperorpartin]

Well shit. Nicely done.

[loxspliff1]

Regular back squat

Overhead squat

zercher squar

front squat

4 types

[techsan08]

wow! never seen a zercher squat. cooool!

[bishopaz]

aw some video. i love zerchers.

[911sanitarium]

whats the difference between the front squat and the zercher squat?

[OfficeThug]

If you lack shoulder mobility to position the bar on your back muscles when doing back squats, just do these instead. They hurt like a bitch but they get the job done. You can also do front squats but I found that those tended to get much harder as the weight increased due to stability issues. A mistake in zerchers is usually reperable, not so much with fronts.

The only difference between the 3 squats is the synergists/stabilizers they use. It's too minor to care about, just focus on squatting.

[asdaferasd123]

Awesome pics. Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation.

[p00pm4n3000]

well thats one way to squat lol. this looks super dangerous. what if you give out? you'll crush your knees!

[ironmonnkey15]

lol did you build calluses on your forearms?

[RockHard1830]

very nice



[sammydamaxx]

CONGRATS MAN ! You got the fuckin A word !

[jaffacec]

what a monster, i'd love to be this strong

[viralencore84]

I learned something new today. Thank you sir!

[hillsidehibbee]

legend



[secutorclaudius]

what the... how can u hold 300+ lb in your forearms? never thought of that. also, why does it look like it's 900 lbs or so, what kinda plates r those? also, how do these compare 2 a front squat? thanx.

[ghostface2006]

im no expert, quite the opposite but wouldnt that be bad for the tissue in the forearms?

[hastenbensobar]

the only thing I can imagine more brutal than that is if you were doing it barefoot on hot coals or something. Good lift man keep it up

[floatingburrito]

I ONLY do lifts in the gym that feel like butterfly kisses. Anything else is just too hardcore and a waste of my time. On a side note I'm 7 years old and deadlift 5000 pounds.

[AnonymousWillDestroy]

My god, dude. That's some beastly shit.

[karphead]

man, i wish i would have seen this video a couple of months ago. I workout at home and have only recently gotten a rack to do proper squats - before then I was just doing hack squats to compensate. Seems like these would be more effective.

[OfficeThug]

So THAT's how you set up Zerchers. Damn, that's ingeneous, I'd feel safer doing it this way than with a bench or even a squatting rack. It's like deadlifts, pick up and go, put back on the ground when you're done.

[AColonDashSix]

Thanks for the post!

Now I'm asking myself why I haven't been doing these assitance exercises all this time?

I really need to find a local powerlifting gym.

Damn.

[fmresende]

Hey dude, watching this video I feel like you're destroying your knees because you're down below 90 degrees. Am I right?

[OfficeThug]

@fmresende You're supposed to dip pretty far in squats, I'd estimate around 110 degrees to really work all the synergists. As for the knees, so long as they're always bent they are in no danger whatsoever.

[PenalCode00]

I guess I don't see the point. What's the difference between this and normal front squats?

[deadliftdux]

@PenalCode00 good if u got no rack

[Randomskateboard]

love the music, gets you pumped!

[redarmyjay]

very nice

[BMunich16]

arent these archaic from when they didnt invent squat racks yet?

[richp860]

With the positioning and the movement involved for this lift, I'm 100% sure that this has to be the most functional strength exercise a grappler/MMA fighter could ever do. Beast mode!

[tommygunnz92]

what are the point of these bro, looks like a lot of pain for something u could do standard

[gunzt3rkenfu92]

@tommygunnz92

He's got no rack. Well he's making the video for people with no rack, I'm sure he does have one..

[oxbadcoded]

man I cant even do 80 kilos on normal squats on my shoulders. and your using your arms.

[AsylumGym]

What a great variation, will be trying these on the next leg day.

[id0stuff]

I can't do regular squats due to shoulder flexibility issues but these are a great alternative, got a new PR today at 240lbs

[llrond]

oh shiet. i never thought of this exercise! imma give this a try

[Intricateshotz]

Thank you greatly!!!!!!!!

for the reason of: i can now squat heavy at home!! without a squat rack. i preferf these over hack squats by the looks of it!!

[SATANA6666]

What's the song name starting at 1:04 ??? Great workout !

[losttwin]

I seriously doubt that is 292 lb. It looks more like 290 lb...

[BloodRending]

bad ass

[ericarmstrong1]

I love seeing guys do squats and dead lifts without belts. Just goes to show that if you keep a strong core with good intra-abdominal pressure a belt doesn't serve much purpose. This guy's an animal. Awesome.

[jpowerlifter181]

Awesome man! how do these feel on your inner elbows?

[themax17]

@jpowerlifter181 doesn't hurt, but doesn't feel like butterfly kisses either.

[R3ZA]

DAMN. that was incredible. Awesome work!

[grizzlov]

this is insanity,GOD ur gonna kill ur self

[grizzlov]

this is insanity,GOD ur gonna kill ur self

[sjjdiienno1]

fuckin animal bro nice job

[mcnailler93G]

Awesome man. It's the lifts that you don't see everyday that make you strong as hell.

Also this exercise in a way could lure the bicep curlers, it trains legs and isometrically trains biceps. lol

Nice work.

[pierrsons]

amazing bro....

[ste854]

HAS to be the most uncomfortable exercise ever. But you gotta love it :-)

[wesley830]

Beast homie!

[xjusticex2013x]

Good stuff. That's how I do Zerchers, too; with a pause, etc. Although my stance is a little wider.

[jmw1983]

you looks great boy

im  too pain elbow and thigh

[DazedNConfused01]

Looks like this is how I'll be squatting at home without a squat rack!

[adrenalinejunky661]

in fucking socks!!! what a beast haha

[TheDasword]

dude your an inspiration to youtubers, now be honest did that or did that not hurt your arms

[themax17]

@TheDasword Hurt like hell. But not the joints, just the skin. It'll grow back.

[nikosuave4444]

@themax17

you're a fucking beast. I'm going to try these my next workout session

[SOUTHPAW731]

@themax17 you can grab a piece of foam water pipe insulation , that brown type at home depot and cut 2 small sections out . it pops on stays put and fits inyour gym bag or locker no problem. beats using a towel that wont stay put and sure as hell beats gettin those strawberries on your arm. remember every gram of glutamine that has to go to repairing your skin is one less gram being used to restore your muscle tissue.

[richards1986]

Mate u r a god, Youve just found my solution to squats

[Nathan4894]

@richards1986 this exactly!

[planb5441]

Zercher Dead-Lifts and Squats are good stuff, they can be viciously hard on the arms

[jimmcallister]

@desolationofsmaug

The Hack Squat is a walk in the park compared to any Zercher lift as far as the potential for injury goes. We are talking about the deadlift done with the bar behind your legs, right? That's what Hack Squats are. Uncomfortable . .? undoubtedly. Dangerous . . . not really. It was a commonly used exercise of the Old Time Strongmen.

[rgmcall]

@jimmcallister Yes Thats True But Hack Squats Arent Dangerous If You Do Them Properly They Were Invented By George Hackendschmidt In The Early 1900s And Were Very Common Back Then Nowadays Many People Just Use Machines

[jimmcallister]

@rgmcall

An exercise that gave me great results years ago was the Straddle lift, also known as the Jefferson Lift. As the name implies, you straddle the bar, one foot each side, and lift till erect. As you go up in weight do two sets on each weight, one with your right hand in front of your body and one with your left hand in front. Do two heavy sets as well, alternating your grip each set. Keep your body upright and use your legs. Safer than Zercher AND Hack squats.

[rgmcall]

@jimmcallister Yes Ive Done Jefferson Squats Before You Dont See Them Around Any More Id Prefer Just A Standard Deep Back Squat Out Of All Squat Variations

[jimmcallister]

@rgmcall

Yeah, they don't call The Squat the "King of the Lifts" for nothing. All these other exercises are really just second best substitutes for heavy squatting. Every now and then a perfectly good exercise goes out of fashion while the attention of the curious is turned to a less effective, and sometimes counter-productive exercise. The Zercher lift is the ultimate example. Why do an exercise with such a high potential for injury?

[jppjpp1]

Young fella, seems like you have caught fire! When I was your age I ate this stuff up. Great hip drive, probably the most critical item.

I am now in my 40's and offer one piece of advice, even if it is a warmup set with light weight, absoloutely maintain serious technique. I, one day blewoff technique, with light weight and now I cannot litt anymore due to my carelessness. That was 20 years ago.

GOD BLESS!!

[88glory]

Doesn't this hurt your arms?

[atonium2027]

Wow! This looks really nice! I'm squatting with 230 lbs and i'm looking for a new leg exercise. I'll try this yours :)

[tdrun23]

Why?

[diwr]

gonna try these soon. such a raw-looking movement. beautiful!

[jimmcallister]

That has gotta be THE most dangerous exercise anyone could want to do! The risk of damage to the biceps insertion alone would make me run a mile to avoid that one! Ed Zercher, who invented the lift, was a well known eccentric who just wanted his name in the record books. I think he truly expected no one else would want to try the lift so his record would remain unbroken. Little did he know, eh?

[thefuture067]

am i the only person that thinks this looks like it hurts ur arms ? i mean seriously .

[Drewzker]

Killer. I have to try this one...

[ttraynor1]

@Menla1 How so? Not the old North American (in which I reside) 90-degree knee bend squat argument again, I hope.......

[Menla1]

90 degree is fine? below 90 is debatable, holding at the end of a squat is the problem, especially with so much weight, may not happen to this guy but a meniscal tear is highly probable if you kept doing it like this.

back form on th 312 one is also putting huge pressure on his knees.

that doesnt mean this isnt incredible strength but it is awful for ur knees.

[ttraynor1]

What do Ross Enamait and Danny John think about below parrallel squatting? I have heard 90-degree is the WORST possible angle to turn a squat around (Poliquin, i believe). I am interested in your views and hopefully some research backed data as i have a client scheduled to return and the PTs keep clamoring for 90-degree bend--which is actually FAR above parrallel. Thanks.

[jlavileze]

at 90 degrees your knees are very unstable. At full flexion they become much more stable.

[ttraynor1]

@jlavileze Agreed.

[66666596]

arent these front squats but if ther not this guy is a fucken beast

[zombiesecurity]

Is that Nailbomb or Sepultura in the background?

[beekayaye]

how come the bar does not bend? im guesing they alloy.

[omfgapolarbear]

It looks like those are old school bumper plates, around 45lbs each.

[wagnep42]

solid man, keep workin hard

[ajaxmon]

holy shit brutal.

[belal3]

man, thank you, i learned something so useful that changed my life! it's great, and after trying it, its incredible! but i cant do more than 200 pounds.

[silverback973]

very nice

[MolonLabe84]

gunna try this today, zerchers w/o the bar, thanks for the tip guy.

[Mu5clehead]

hoyl fuck... you are a fucking beast

[DAPESKO]

You're a don son. I want to do this with very heavy weight.

[ibiza20072008]

RESPECT

[svcreeper]

LOOKS LIKE 500 LOL

[cyberselly]

This is one of the best lifting videos I've seen online. Dude is 100% raw, not even shoes. This is pure strength. Very impressive. I did 255 for 10 this morning and I'm going down in the basement to do some more. Very motivating. Keep it up.

[mmmikeyxx]

holy shit that was awesome

[BRETZERR]

Great job bro...very strong. Keep it up!

5 stars.

[BRETZERR]

Hey bro...I gave these a try...what a challenge! I hit 4 plates (405 lbs), but man, it was tough!!!

Thanks for the idea and inspiration...I appreciate it.

(vid's up if you want to see)

[daimmigrantz]

you are gonna herniate an intervertebral disc doing that

[semicroma]

was there anything wrong with his form?

[dWombat]

people think anything other than bench press and bicep curls will ruin your body

[tlast2012dude]

lol that's true

[MewtwoShadow]

you speak the truth lmao =P

[bigred121189]

@dWombat most people over do them... and over do them poorly, and ruin their bodies, oh the irony...

[hellomynameis151]

@dWombat hahaha when really its the bench press that's rounds the shoulders and predisposes them and the spine for injury!

[AikidoSaintTKE]

The human spine, when properly aligned can support well over 1000lbs. He has great form and isn't even loading his spine with half the amount of weight his body can support. Don't be a sissy or you're doomed to weakness.

[watainttaken]

dont pull stuff out of ur ass first everyone body is different second no ones spine can support 1000lbs the body can when used right not the spine

[marxistsoldier]

the human spine can support 1000lbs? where did u get that ludicrous information?

[mwich40]

@AikidoSaintTKE

well said, sir

[12meor]

@AikidoSaintTKE exactly right man well said....excuses are the nails used to build a house of faliure!!!!!!

[sjjdiienno1]

@AikidoSaintTKE YES YES YES YES!!!! people see any form of squat and freak and say how bad any squat is for your back...funny enough those people are also the ones who are to scared to squat

[radamez85]

@AikidoSaintTKE amazing stat!

[beansncheese]

@AikidoSaintTKE Totally on point, so much unlocked potential in the human body!!

[klined]

bad ass, zerchers still the best shit out there

beast mode. great twist on the dead start idea, totally forgot that zerchers count as a dead start

[lazaruslol]

Thats crazy!

[bruce9241]

great job. That's tough stuff

[thoomoo]

excellent technique

[cyclonus07]

very stron..man

[patrickhdonnelly]

Really solid stuff. You certainly have earned the title of "strong as hell."

[ewanmethane]

Nice one Max!

Zercher squats are a real test of true strength. I really feel them hitting my upper quads (if that's possible) , they're the only exercise that give me this feeling!

Great stuff

[itsdavedm]

hows your lower back when you do those? any elbow pain? looks pretty intense .. nice work

[themax17]

As long as you brace your abs low back is fine. Elbows are good too--at least as much as one could expect...

[jockeBJJ]

Awesome

[jhashey]

Good power Max.

[ScottishStone]

Like it!