The “Best” Squat according to Pavel Tsatsouline (If you don’t know who Pavel is by now, start reading.)

The squat that I put on the top of the pedestal is the Zercher squat that requires that you hold the barbell in the crooks of your elbows. The ZSQ offers many unique advantages over the back squat and the front squat.

A safe ZSQ technique is much easier to learn. The Zercher enables you to fully extend your hips on the top. Zerchers work your midsection very intensely. When the load is held in the front your diaphragm has to work extra hard to stabilize your spine and your whole midsection has to get on with the program. A Z squat with 50% of your max deadlift feels like a max dead to your abbies.

The Zercher squat appears to have the greatest carryover to the deadlift of all squat variations, which is a big deal. The Zercher squat is a favorite exercise in Dan John’s “armor building” arsenal.

The Zercher is easy on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. The back and the front squats demand good flexibility and skill in carrying the bar. In Zerchers it is a no-brainer. (Zs are hard on the inside of the forearms, but it is just pain, you can deal with it.)

And because in Zerchers the center of gravity is a lot lower than in the back or front squats, the weight is easier to balance and you can “grind” harder without losing your form.

Last but not least, when you are done with your set, you feel ready to walk through walls.

The Zercher wins the squat category by landslide.

Warmup
Dynamic Athletic Movement
Hip Mobility Series

3 Sets
10 Kettlebell Swings
10 Ring Rows
20 Squat Jumps
10 Push-ups

Strength
5/3/1

Conditioning
5 Rounds AFAP
10 Toes to Bar
10 Sandbag Zercher Squats

Whole30 Day 26: Cakewalk from here on out. (A grain, dairy, soy, legume, sugar, alcohol free cake of course.)