SQUAT SHOWDOWN! Zercher Squat vs. Front Squat (Which is BETTER!?)
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Should you do zercher squats or front squats? Are these movements low key interchangeable or actually complete opposites? Which one of these two fantastic but underrated squat exercises is the better choice for YOU? What are the different benefits of each? Find out in today's video!
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Zercher squats & front squats are interchangeable
1:47 Bob & Brad D6 Pro Massage Gun!
3:55 ...actually they are complete OPPOSITES!
4:35 Front squat is most quaddy
5:55 Zercher squat is more hip dominant
7:55 Front squat OBLITERATES the upper back
9:11 Zercher squat TRASHES the middle back
10:31 Zercher squat has greater loading potential
13:08 Front squat has greater range of motion potential
15:15 Different benefits, so do both!
Local Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
#zercher #frontsquat #legworkout #bodybuilding #strengthandconditioning #strengthtraining #legday #muscle #fitness #fitnesstips #workout #workouttips #fitnesstrainer #fitnesstraining #personaltrainer #personaltraining #enkirielitefitness #powerlifting #squat #squats #squatworkout #squatvariations #conjugatemethod - Розваги
Zercher is the safest squat variation and has the least skill and mobility requirement. This is very important for a huge portion of the population.
Why it is safest?
@@individuo7618you can dump the bar forward if you fail a rep
Never been a fan of front squat and trying zercher was a revelation. Quads literally fried the day after 💥
i try zerch for first time with 60kg, quads are instantly stone rock
Excellent analysis!
Great video, thanks
It’s good to know that zercher squats thrashes the middle back because my middle back felt sore afterwards. I was a little concerned but not anymore after watching this video!
I have been waiting for your long videos!
Have liked. Will watch tomorrow
thank you for the support my friend. means a lot!
Love your content bro it keeps me motivated in my life
thanks man. I appreciate that
Whoa! You got sponsored by Bob and Brad, congratulations.
the two most famous, physical therapist, on the internet
I agree. I was able to zercher squat more than I could high bar squat and front squat. It's way more hip dominant than the front squat. Good stuff!
Always a good day when Alec releases a new vid
thanks!
Maybe it's because my short arms in relation to upper body but i can get pretty much get atg zercher squats staying pretty upright. It demolishes my mid back, core, quads and glutes in such a glorious way that it's my favourite exercise. By the looks of it you could also stay more upright allowing for more ROM. The more the bar is near the hip crease the more ROM you can get. Having said that, i'm sure you've tried that, so it can be a anthropometry thing.
proportions will definitely play a role! I have long arms for my frame size so the bar probably sits lower. when I button the bar up real snug I end up running out of ROM (due to obstruction of the bar) right around a parallel squat. so I ended up turning it into a purposeful uber hip dominant movement to artificially make myself run out of joint ROM by around that same depth, while still being able to catch a good bounce and use the stretch reflex well.
one of my fav leg accessory is the zercher rev lunge especially done from a deficit. smokes the mid back and obliques and also a great unilateral movement.
You understand.
Every day is a good day when you post. You’ve been the most influential person in my fitness journey and education, bar none. Please keep posting
He's baaack!
sort of.
New sub here I really like this channel wow already one of my top channels now bcz I’m currently back on a lifting program rn I like your style it’s like mine I love compound lifting
Glad to hear you are enjoying the content man!
I do both, start with front squat and use zercher squats as accessory to pump my quads
Hey Alec, could you do a guide for the perfect zercher squat similar to the one you did for the front squat a few years ago? Most guides on youtube completely ignore the hinging pattern and I'd love to do the zercher squat like you in the future.
I love front squats and zercher squats because you can get yoked gains ❤ most bang for your buck exercise
I had a similar realization about the zercher squat myself.
While improvising a training session with some cinder blocks, I found that squatting while holding the block in my hands and dropping it to the ground mimicked almost perfectly the low bar squat. Obviously not much of a strength stimulus due to the block only being idk 30lbs more or less, after doing a lot of reps I did discover that though movement pattern almost perfectly matches the low bar squat, the emphasis on the entire back musculature is greatly increased and for high reps is actually very therapeutic for someone like myself who suffers from low back issues which squatting low bar has been solving.
This realization then lead to my realizing the same thing about how the zercher squat really is a much closer variant to a low bar (hip squat) rather than any kind of front or high bar squat. Now it’s been more of a staple for accessory low bar squatting volume for myself.
And I’ve continued utilizing the loading of plates in people’s hands (essentially doing a zercher squat variant) squatting down to where their hands meet the floor and have successfully been able to teach people how to find their low bar squatting form.
Solid video as always man!
interesting idea man! I'm glad to hear that you are getting your back pain issues sorted out and that you are teaching people how to squat well. thanks for watching!
I do front squats and Zercher Jefferson curls. we love range of motion and mobility in this household
The advantage of both is that you don't need a rack to do either. (clean it off the floor/deadlift it drop it to the quads). and both are safety conscious. i.e. easy to drop. There's none of the OMG i'm gonna die with all this weight on my back.
lol true they are easy to bail. but that shouldn't be a concern with back squats either because racks are so prolific now.
you technically don't need a rack to do back squats either if you learn to do it steinborn style.
granted, you won't be able to lift as heavy as you could with a rack, but the same is true for front and zercher squats.
i mean, you can perform a clean to get into the front rack, but you'll always be training at a pretty low % of one rep max if you do. There are certainly times where this is beneficial (I know I will have a month soon where I will not have access to my gym and need to lift at home. I have a barbell, but no rack), but it shouldn't be considered a primary benefit.
That guy on YT who died doing that back squat about 3 months ago (poorly spotted to be sure) disagrees. @@EnkiriElite
I use a very wide stance, and narrow elbow position on Zerchers, so I "fold up" doing them, with my elbows below the underside of my thighs.
hey, u could try using the cambered bar for zercher squat as it give a bit more rom
Wow! Thanks for the detailed explanation! Can you please give me a sense of the ratio between zercher/front/back squat?
What are you 1rep maxes in these three lifts?
It's all gonna depend on the person and what their build is / what their strengths and weaknesses are. That is to say, it's all relative and I wouldn't concern myself too much with ratios. My best back squat is 530, best front squat is 430, and best zercher is 405 (but the only thing holding back my zercher was the ability to hold the bar in my arms - my hips and back and legs were good for more, but my arms couldn't hold it).
@@EnkiriElite Appreciate the reply! Your channel is very underrated, probably because you are showing the holistic picture of what real fitness is, unlike what the social media is promoting to us to focus on few compound lifts! Keep up the great work and greetings from Macedonia!
i’m glad there’s someone out there who recognizes the importance of the front squat!! people can’t handle the intensity😂
That's my theory as well. It's just too damn hard for most people to stomach.
@@EnkiriElite I'd say it's the learning curve. You don't really see significant weight increments during the first month or two depending on the individual (mobility and upper back yoke are a different story). I don't really think that a front squat is particularly more hardcore than a back squat or a bench press (which are performed more often than front squats).
@davidrioux611
0 seconds ago
I’m reworking my front squat motivated by you. Reached a depth where I can box squat off 2 bumper plates ( 35 & 45 stacked). Rack mobility has increased so I can maintain grip on the bar, elbows high and elevate my shoulders keeping the bar off that plate on my clavicle from surgery. 👍
that's solid depth for a front squat man! good work. I hope the exercise has been treating you nicely.
Rotating Zercher and Front squats biweekly.
Front squat com kettlebell são otimos também!
Legend says Alec still responds to comments on his oldest videos
lol sometimes! I appreciate when somebody is going through the archive and has a good question
What's your opinion on zercher deadlifts from the floor?
My favorite squat variation is SSB squats. I do them exclusively but I see the benefit of doing multiple squat variations. Just need to work on my shoulder mobility so that my elbows and wrists don't hurt getting underneath a barbell
I have been doing probably 10-15 different variations of squats in the last few months and loving it.
It's been a few weeks since I noticed that my hips and middle back muscles are my bottleneck.
This video came right on time for me, I'll interchange zerchers squats with front squats.
good luck man!
If they make me as awesome as you then I’m all in
hahah thanks man!
Do the front squat advantages mentioned in the video also apply to the zombie front squat? The video only showed the clean grip front squat.
They are the same thing.
Guys are 5 sets of weighted pullup at 0-1RIR twice a week too much or too little for lats (i dont do anything else btw no isolations)?
what about the barbell hack squat?...
I think Zercher squat is just easier for a beginner.
Front squat for beginners can feel horrible. Shoulder mobility. Wrist mobility. Bar on the neck. And struggling to stay upright worried the bar is going to drop.
In comparison zercher squat well even if your form is bad good morning it up no problem.
Totally agreed, zercher squat is basicaly a goblet squat, for a front squat you should probably practice the form a lot before overloading.
yeah, its s pretty easy movement to get the hang of in comparison to fronties.
I wish I could do front squats. Any squat. I’m dealing with a groin/adductor strain. Do you have any advice for this?
Rest, then work on them.
Want to front squat more but always struggle with bar slipping when the set gets hard. Can you give some tips / do a video on how to do a solid front rack. Saw your lastest video on front squat widowmakers. Seems you have no problem with bar positioning and holding.
What helped me was introducing DB Pullovers into my program for the last 6-8 months, which increased my lat mobility by ALOT, I went back to doing front squats after a year of not doing them and I can keep my elbows up easily without any wrist pain (which was unimaginable before pullovers, it hurt so back lat year that I quit front squats after a month, but it has become my fav squat motion now!)
@@DavideGalic thank you for your answer! will try this.
bro just dicovered back extension can i replace my , good morings and rdls form it , good moring is very akward doing in gym and rdls are great but i think back extensions are much beeter for hams and glutes easy on recovry so i can be doing lot more set , will it help my sumo deadlift , i just want to get rid of rdls and good mornigs from my workout i dont like doing that , plz tell me should i do it
by the way your channel is great i learn a lot
also i do i need to inclued leg curl its nessary?
Zercher pin good mornings will thicken your lower back.
Lot of great points here but the problem with front squats and quad development is that the quads are not the limiting factor! You’re going to have other parts of the body cause failure long before your quads.
that's bodybuilder talk
Nah that’s talk for 99% of the population that doesn’t have the mobility for the quads to be the limiting factor
Exactly. The first thing that gives out for me when I front squat is the bracing. After 6 reps I am done!
@@schorschmcgill For sure. Plus saying “that’s bodybuilding talk” is ridiculous when I’m arguing for zercher squats over front squats. How many bodybuilders are out there doing zercher squats? Virtually zero. But there are some doing front squats.
@@leroyjankins7368 100%, he's just trashtalking. I mean he definetly can haha but yeah^^
How were you able to productively do zercher squats so fast? I probably would need months until my elbow adapt to the huge load that is suddenly placed directly onto it. The few times I tried it the pain was unmanageable for anything above 225 for 1-2 reps.
You get over the pain.
I workout most mornings before work (construction) and usually i don't push it too hard, except for weekends. Well today, i said let's do 5 sets high rep back squats and 3 sets high rep front squats (recently high rpe). And let's just say I'm not sure ima be very productive after lunch 😂
6 sets of high rep squats will put anybody out of commission. Good luck!
@@EnkiriElite you can call me a damn fool, I won't be offended... I actually felt half decent in the afternoon but now beyond wiped out. You're the man tho, buddy.. even tho I lift for equal parts aesthetic and performance, you are consistently one of the best content creators because you do you without hesitation. Zombie Squats and high pulls been in my rotation for years and I have you to thank
👌
1000% I spent late 2019 to early 2021 emphasizing Zercher squats with the goal of growing some tree trunks.
By the tale end of my journey, I was repping in the 5-8 zone at around 255; eventually peaking to a 305 single.
My leg growth was subpar, but my glutes grew like a mf. When looking back at my training footage, it makes perfect sense. The zercher resembled more of a trap bar deadlift with extra rom than a squat.
It actually took me some time after to undo that hingey squat pattern I reinforced with the zerchers. Rn I’m in my front squat and ssb arc. But I’d definitely go back to them once my quads catch up.
I'm going to start with front squats. but my ankle mobility is bad and it doesn't allow me to go down. Is putting a treasury under your heels allowed?
yea it's allowed lol I would use the minimum height needed to find good form, and work from there.
What bench do you use for your back extensions?
the heavy duty one by titan fitness. they have 2.
I'm thinking that if the range of motion is shorter it might be good to use a wider stance, and really hammer those groin muscles.
I use to love wide stance low bar squats for that, but my back got big enough that I had to keep my shoulders in a position that fucked them up to do it. So I can't fw it anymore.
One of the draw backs of the wider stance is that you can't get as deep.
So they have the same drawback, why not get that extra work on the groin? It's a relatively vulnerable muscle that could use some attention.
The wider stance encourages more hip dominance as well. I think this is a solid idea right here man!
@@EnkiriElite I'm gonna put it in after I hit what I set out to hit on my bent rows.
I hate front rack position. I wish I had a SSB or Hack squat machine.
Can't really replicate a front squat with either of those imo!
my experience with zerchers has made me categorize them with deadlifts in terms of what they work. in terms of body position it ends up being like a deficit sumo/frog deadlift. great upper back builder, mediocre quad builder.
pretty much dead on brotha
Basically. It's mainly a posterior chain movement
What's wrong with different muscles being used during the same excercise? There is no need to do 20 different variations focussing on individual muscles.
I agree with this assessment. If someone absolutely hates front squats, they might be better served with a barbell goblet squat for a closer equivalent
barbell goblet squat would definitely be closer!
Low bar squats 👑 >>>>
Front squats: more upper back and quadriceps
Zercher squats: more mid back and glutes
I would say SSB good mornings are the best lower back and hamstrings movement? Alex Leonidas deems it superior to RDLs.
Loaded 45 degree back extension variations would be the best hybrid from a stimulus to fatigue and safety perspective then.
I think all true hinging exercises are the best lower back and hamstrings movement. I don't think there is any single one that reigns as the one true best. The best results, and the strongest posterior chains, will come about from years and years of doing multiple different hinging movements.
Just do Zercher Good Mornings.
I think one of the most interesting and undiscussed topics in "lifting" is why any exercise range of motion should be explored and improved to an extent. I think the 14:00 piece touches on it perfectly.
This might sound elitist, but the zercher squat feels like the front squat substitute for people that can’t be bothered to build front rack mobility
Front squats have far more value overall imo. No one can change my mind on that.
You're right. Zercher squats can be considered the starting squat via some experts. Do both though
Wrong. Zerchers are great for those with herniated disc issues because it takes a lot of focus off the posterior chain. It has a very good purpose.
Heel elevated
1st place - Low bar squat
2nd place - Zercher squat
3rd place - Front squat
And why not, time to time some BSS
Hopfuly santa will bring me an SSB 🥹
Zerchers hit only hips, not quads
I mean, not really lol. It just depends on how you execute the movement..
@@EnkiriElite maybe it's only my thing, but I tried different options of zercher's, my glutes and arms were in pain, but quads weren't sore at all
@@UserUser-dp3bm like I said brotha, just depends on how you edecite the movement. you can change the muscular emphasis by changing the execution
You must be hinging way too much. I can feel my quads if I want to feel my quads. Do super upright Zercher squats with heels elevated for 20 reps. Let me know if you feel them or not after that.
@@WilliamsWrestlinThe only reason why people don't feel their quads with zercher squat is because they do them with extreme low bar squat technique, using a ton of hip and minimal knee movement. I like to do them super heel elevated.
I might just be being a pussy but does zercher squats wreck other peoples arms
nope your not! because zercher hurts everyone even the strongest people need to get used to it.