Ripped Abs and No More Back Pain Series - Part III

The Benefits of Zercher Lifts



You would be hard pressed to find a strength professional that wouldn’t back up the benefits of zercher style lifts. They are irrefutably some of the toughest means of core training that should be part of any serious strength program.



A zercher lift involves the weight, typically a bar, being held in front of the body in the bend of your arms. When the weight is in place you perform a basic movement, instantly turning the exercise from basic to a “big money” movement; getting more bang for your buck so to speak. Try for yourself and experiment with one of the following combinations and see if you can find a muscle group that you weren’t aggressively engaging.



Zercher lifts can be performed with:



* Sandbags

* Barbells

* Axles

* EZ Curl Bar

* Rocks

* Logs

* Partner's Bodyweight



Zercher movements include:



* Lunges

* Step-ups

* Squats

* Deadlifts (sometimes called Prisoner Squats)

* Walks

* Torso Rotations



Zercher lifts require the athlete to aggressively brace and maintain a static upright torso position while the rest of the body executes some type of movement. This immediately teaches the athlete how to transfer force and breath while under great tension.



This is the most basic requirement of creating great power and remaining injury free.