Zercher Deadlift

[UrbanSavage**]

I had to stop where you said "not off the floor." If it's not off the floor, I don't know what it is, but it's definitely not a zercher deadlift.

For the record, I'm not attacking rounded back lifting or zercher deadlifts in general. I think some rounded back training is prudent, and I used to be a big fan of zercher deadlifts (find the challenge thread around here, I think I was in the top 3 or so). I don't do zerchers anymore...there's only so many hours in a week, and I believe that time and energy is better spent squatting (or front squatting), deadlifting, power cleaning, etc.

But, if you're asking are zerchers good for stones? I don't really think so, the movements bear little resemblance to one another, except perhaps during the initial pick-up...which, like I said, is not usually where people fail a stone (at least, if they can't even lap it, they don't have chance at being able to load it).

Fair enough. I still think it's a solid lift and an excellent option for those who are injured and can't deadlift or squat, but it's obviously not the best option for most people.

 

[MatterOverMind]

I think zerchers build strength more in exploding the stone up and forward onto a platform than they do in the pick up.

Very few people perform zerchers by underhooking the bar right from the floor. The majority of people perform zerchers by starting from a squat rack, off of pins or by deadlifting the bar to their thighs and squatting down before underhooking the bar and finishing the lift in a zercher position. The last option mimics lifting stones as much as can possibly be done with a barbell. It even perfectly mimics the movement of squatting down and resting the stone (barbell) on your thighs while you re-set and adjust your grip (switch to a zercher position).

If you perform the zercher in any of the three ways I just described, your back will never have to round more than it would in a good morning or deadlift. There's only one way to perform a zercher that will most likely require you to round your back, and that's when you pick the bar up off the floor already in a zercher position. If you don't want to do zerchers that way that's fine, pick one of the three other (better) variations and do them that way. I don't see any reason to pick the bar up off the floor already set up in a zercher position anyway, it's the most dangerous and least stable of the variations and it doesn't even mimic lifting stones the best.

So, if there are three safe zercher variations that strongman competitors, powerlifters or any average lifter can use, then why go out of your way to avoid them or dismiss them as an ineffective assistance exercise?

Okay, our argument (discussion) doesn't even make sense because you aren't talking about zercher deadlifts.

I dismissed zercher deadlifts as a good assistance exercise and your argument is that zercher squats are good assistance. I don't disagree with that.

 

[UrbanSavage**]

Ah, yeah I usually just say zerchers and am referring to any of the zercher variations. Although, the post I made saying that you can use a leg extension attachment for zerchers was referring specifically to zerchers deadlifts. If you have something like that or a cambered bar, then zercher deadlifts become possible without a rounded back.