Barbell Zercher Deadlift
What Is the Barbell Zercher Deadlift?
Barbell Zercher Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes and quads and also engages the lower back, adductors, upper back, biceps and core. It is an advanced-level movement in which you squat down to a barbell on the floor, hook it in the crooks of your elbows and stand up with it held against your body.
The Zercher hold is named after Ed Zercher, a strongman and all-round lifter from the 1930s. Because the bar sits in your elbows rather than your hands, you have to sit much lower to reach it than in a Barbell Deadlift, so the lift starts from a deep squat with your arms between your knees. That makes it more knee-dominant than a conventional pull, while the load in front of your body makes the upper back, lower back and trunk work hard to keep you from folding forward. The biceps and upper back hold the bar in place the whole time, and your hands never grip the bar, so grip strength does not limit the set.
Strongman athletes use it as an accessory for atlas stones and sandbag loading, which share its low hip position, rounded upper back and load held in the arms. It also suits combat athletes and anyone who has to lift awkward objects from the floor in their arms. In a session it usually comes after the main squat or deadlift work, for moderate sets of low to medium reps rather than heavy singles.
It suits lifters who already squat and deadlift with consistent technique and have the hip and ankle mobility to sit into a deep squat with the arms inside the knees. If the bottom position is out of reach, start with the Barbell Zercher Squat from a rack, or set the bar on blocks or stacked plates and lower it over the following weeks. The Barbell Front Squat builds the upright, front-loaded squat strength this lift depends on.
Muscles Worked
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- Erector Spinae
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- Biceps Femoris
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
Instructions
- Set a loaded barbell on the floor and stand close to it with your feet a little wider than hip-width and your toes turned out.
- Squat straight down, pushing your knees out over your toes, until your elbows reach the level of the bar.
- Lean your chest forward and slide your forearms under the bar from inside your knees, so the bar rests on your forearms just below the elbow crease.
- Bend your elbows fully, clasp your hands together in front of your chest and squeeze the bar back toward your body.
- Take a deep breath and brace your core, keeping any rounding in your upper back rather than your lower back.
- Drive your feet into the floor and stand up, keeping your knees pushed out and the bar close to your body.
- As the bar passes your knees, push your hips forward and lift your chest until you are fully upright.
- Finish standing tall with your hips and knees straight and the bar held in front of your torso, without leaning back.
- Sit your hips back and down to lower the bar under control, keeping it in your elbows until the plates touch the floor.
- Reset your brace at the bottom before starting the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Stance too narrow
Without room for your arms and shoulders between your knees, you have to round your back further to reach the bar.
Bar in the elbow crease
Setting the bar right in the crease presses on the biceps tendon, so rest it on the forearms just below the elbow instead.
Loose arms
Relaxing the arms lets the bar slide down your forearms and away from your body, which pulls your torso forward.
Hips rising first
Straightening the legs before the bar moves turns the lift into a rounded-back pull and moves the work from the legs to the lower back.
Leaning back at the top
Overextending the lower back to balance the bar at lockout adds strain instead of finishing the lift with the hips.
Too heavy too soon
Starting near your regular deadlift weight leaves no margin to hold the brace or tolerate the pressure on your elbows.
Injuries
Barbell Zercher Deadlift is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The low start means you lift with your upper back rounded and a heavy bar in front of you, so the lower back is the main strain point if the brace slips. The elbows take direct pressure from the bar, and the deep squat asks a lot of the hips, knees and ankles.
Rest the bar on your forearms just below the elbow crease rather than right in it, where the biceps tendon runs, and wrap the bar with a pad or towel or wear thick elbow sleeves. Some soreness in the forearms is normal for the first few sessions. Use a stance wide enough for your arms to fit between your knees, brace before the bar leaves the floor and keep the rounding in your upper back, ending the set when your lower back starts to round further as you stand.
To regress, raise the bar on blocks or stacked plates to shorten the range, use the Barbell Zercher Squat from a rack, or train the pull with the Trap Bar Deadlift. To progress, lower the blocks until the bar starts on the floor before adding weight, then add a walk with the Barbell Zercher Carry after standing up.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, pain, numbness or tingling running into a leg, numbness or tingling in the forearm or hand, or a sharp pain at the front of the elbow.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is a rounded back okay in the Zercher deadlift?
Some upper-back rounding is expected, because you have to reach down to the bar with your elbows. What you want to avoid is the lower back rounding further as you stand, so pick a weight you can lift while holding the brace you set at the bottom.
- Q: How do I stop the bar from hurting my elbows?
Rest the bar on your forearms just below the elbow crease instead of right in it, and wrap it with a bar pad or towel or wear thick elbow sleeves. Mild soreness usually fades after a few sessions, but sharp pain or bruising that keeps getting worse means the load is too heavy.
- Q: How much weight should I use compared with my deadlift?
Clearly less. The low start, the upper back and the arm hold all limit the lift before your legs and hips do, so start with a weight you can lift for 5 clean reps and add load slowly.
- Q: What is the difference between a Zercher deadlift and a Zercher squat?
The Barbell Zercher Squat usually starts standing with the bar taken from a rack and lowers into the squat first. The Zercher deadlift starts every rep with the bar on the floor, from a deeper position with more forward lean, so there is no lowering phase to help you out of the bottom.
- Q: What if I can't reach the bar on the floor?
Set the bar on blocks or stacked plates so it starts higher, and lower it gradually as your hip and ankle mobility improve. A wider stance with the toes turned out also gives your arms more room between your knees.
- Q: Is the Zercher deadlift good for strongman?
Yes, it is a common accessory for atlas stones and sandbag loading, which also start with low hips, a rounded upper back and the load held in the arms. It does not replace practice with the implements themselves.