Zercher Squat depth?

[BlastBeats]

I was sifting through youtube lifting vids and came across this vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdylzDG17KA

It's an insane weight to zercher but if you notice he never comes down far enough to touch his legs with the bar. He even has pins set up so he physicaly can't touch the bar to his thighs. I was under the impression that the bar has to touch the legs to count. My question is is there a certain depth to hit with zercher squats to make them count? Does it even matter? I know it's debatable since it's not a "real lift" and therefore not formaly regulated. I'm just curious cause I just started doing them today (got 225, which is pathetic but it was my first time). Any input is apreciated.

 

[Cap'n]

I think the bar should touch your thighs to count to....Craig Smith has a habit of bouncing them off the bottom pins. I'd consider touching the thighs to be like "ATG", and just above to be more like a PL squat.

Again, because it isn't a part of the "big three" it's up for debate. He still squatted 605 in his arms though.

 

[Zerocrew1984]

have the bar touch your thighs

 

[JPC]

In J.V. Askem's article in MILO on Zercher squats and deadlifts, he says to go down till the elbows touch the thighs.

 

[Zerocrew1984]

thats what i meant, elbows.

 

[BlastBeats]

My grip width and stance is such that my elbows clear my legs and just the bar touches. Ah well, I'll stick with having the bar touch. Can't wait for next squat session so I can really try to push myself on these and see where I end up.

On a related note - I had no idea how hard these stress my core. Even more so than front squats.

 

[finnegan]

I go until the bar touches the thighs personally.

 

[younggunz]

I go down until the back of my elbows are flat against my thighs...if they don't line up..I'm not low enough.

 

[Lard-ass]

I find it impossible to touch the bar on your thighs without rounding your back because of the wide stance. So I