Meg Gallagher is the fitness trainer that more than 600K Instagram followers know simply as ‘MegSquats’ — and with good reason. This fit female was a powerlifter before becoming a coach but still loves to squat for success when it comes to staying in shape. And, while the regular back squat may not be everyone’s favorite move, this canny coach recently offered up an alternative, suggesting that the Zercher squat is not only great for gains, but also for relieving tension. Here’s what you need to know.
The Zercher will build your quads, glutes, back, and even biceps, but you won’t be loading the barbell onto the back of your shoulders, instead, the bar rests in front of you, laying across the inside of both elbows. Keeping the bar in this position, you’ll lower down into a squat and then raise back up and repeat. Zerchers require more core action than regular squats and put greater emphasis on the quads, but holding the bar over the inner elbows can take some getting used to. Fortunately, Gallagher gladly provided some tips in an IG post.
How to Make the Zercher Squat Work For You
“You can always Zercher up from the floor, but if you have a rack then set it up (so that the barbell is) right at your belly button,” explained the trainer. “You can use a hip thrust pad on the bar, or knee sleeves to protect your inner elbows,” she added. “I’ll be honest though; you sort of get used to the pain in your inner arm. A lot of padding tends to make it a little bit harder (to lift the bar), especially if you have a larger chest.”
How to Zip Through Your Zercher Squats
“My favorite cue for the Zercher is to make sure that I’m, like, punching up towards the ceiling, so that I don’t let those elbows drop down,” said Gallagher of her process. “You also want to get a little bit wider stance, so you have enough room to kind of sit in between your legs,” advised the trainer. “If you have a hard time hitting depth in the squat, the Zercher squat could be easier in helping you do that, because you have the weight closer to your center of mass.”
So, if you’ve been shunning squats through fear of hurting your back, Zerchers are a great alternative. “A common squat or deadlift weakness is rounding in the upper back or just feeling discomfort in your back once loaded,” said Gallagher. “The Zercher works your back, your trunk, and your core more than any other squat variation,” she added. “So, if your back is a weakness, then this is a great secondary squat choice.”
Meg Gallagher concluded that her favorite benefit of the Zercher squat is that “It can unlock a lot of tension” in your upper to mid back. “You have to kind of try it to believe it, but it’s such a relieving feeling,” she said. Ok we’re sold. Race you to the rack!
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