Barbell Zercher Hold

Muscles worked by the Barbell Zercher Hold

Primary

AbsRectus AbdominisDeep CoreTransversus Abdominis

Secondary

BicepsBiceps BrachiiLower BackErector SpinaeObliquesOblique AbdominalsQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Also called: abs, six-pack, rectus abdominis, abdominals, stomach muscles, transverse abdominis.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Barbell Zercher Hold

1. Set a barbell on a rack at about the height of your lower ribs and place the crooks of your elbows under the bar.
2. Fold your arms and clasp your hands together in front of your chest to lock the bar against your body.
3. Lift the bar off the rack and step back, standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
4. Stand tall, brace your abs and keep your ribs down, so that the bar rests against your abdomen without pulling you forward.
5. Hold the position for the planned time, breathing slowly and keeping your elbows pressed together.
6. Return the bar to the rack, or lower it to the floor with control.

Form tips

• Wrap a towel or a barbell pad around the bar, since it presses into the elbows and the abdomen.
• Keep the bar close to your body and do not lean back to carry it; if you do, the weight is too heavy.
• Start with a bar a little lighter than your Zercher squat load, since the bar rests on your arms for the whole hold.

At a glance

Barbell Zercher Hold in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Balance Dome Squat
• Balance Dome Squat Hold
• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Barbell Box Squat
• Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
• Barbell Isometric Squat Hold
• Barbell Zercher Squat Hold

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "barbell-zercher-hold",
  "name_en": "Barbell Zercher Hold",
  "name_de": "Langhantel-Zercher-Halt",
  "name_es": "Sostén Zercher con Barra",
  "description_en": "A standing hold with a barbell cradled in the crooks of your elbows against your abdomen. The abs and the trunk stabilizers resist the pull of the bar, while the biceps and the upper back keep it close to your body.",
  "description_de": "Ein Halt im Stand mit einer Langhantel in den Ellbeugen vor dem Bauch. Bauchmuskeln und Rumpfstabilisatoren wirken dem Zug der Stange entgegen, während Bizeps und oberer Rücken sie nah am Körper halten.",
  "description_es": "Un aguante de pie con una barra apoyada en el pliegue de los codos contra el abdomen. Los abdominales y los estabilizadores del tronco resisten el tirón de la barra, mientras que los bíceps y la parte alta de la espalda la mantienen cerca del cuerpo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "rectus_abdominis",
    "transverse_abdominis"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "biceps_brachii",
    "erector_spinae",
    "obliques",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "strength",
    "endurance"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "core",
    "knee_safe",
    "shoulder_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set a barbell on a rack at about the height of your lower ribs and place the crooks of your elbows under the bar.",
    "Fold your arms and clasp your hands together in front of your chest to lock the bar against your body.",
    "Lift the bar off the rack and step back, standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart.",
    "Stand tall, brace your abs and keep your ribs down, so that the bar rests against your abdomen without pulling you forward.",
    "Hold the position for the planned time, breathing slowly and keeping your elbows pressed together.",
    "Return the bar to the rack, or lower it to the floor with control."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Lege eine Langhantel in einem Rack etwa auf Höhe deiner unteren Rippen ab und platziere die Ellbeugen unter der Stange.",
    "Verschränke die Arme und falte die Hände vor der Brust, um die Stange am Körper zu fixieren.",
    "Hebe die Stange aus dem Rack, gehe zurück und stelle dich mit etwa schulterbreit stehenden Füßen hin.",
    "Stehe aufrecht, spanne den Bauch an und halte die Rippen unten, sodass die Stange am Bauch ruht, ohne dich nach vorn zu ziehen.",
    "Halte die Position für die geplante Zeit, atme dabei langsam und halte die Ellbogen zusammengedrückt.",
    "Lege die Stange zurück ins Rack oder senke sie kontrolliert auf den Boden."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Coloca una barra en un rack a la altura aproximada de las costillas inferiores y pon el pliegue de los codos bajo la barra.",
    "Cruza los brazos y entrelaza las manos delante del pecho para fijar la barra contra el cuerpo.",
    "Levanta la barra del rack y da un paso atrás, colocándote con los pies separados aproximadamente al ancho de los hombros.",
    "Mantente erguido, contrae los abdominales y mantén las costillas abajo, de modo que la barra descanse contra el abdomen sin tirar de ti hacia delante.",
    "Mantén la posición durante el tiempo previsto, respirando despacio y con los codos pegados entre sí.",
    "Devuelve la barra al rack o bájala al suelo con control."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Wrap a towel or a barbell pad around the bar, since it presses into the elbows and the abdomen.",
    "Keep the bar close to your body and do not lean back to carry it; if you do, the weight is too heavy.",
    "Start with a bar a little lighter than your Zercher squat load, since the bar rests on your arms for the whole hold."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Wickle ein Handtuch oder ein Hantelpolster um die Stange, da sie in Ellbogen und Bauch drückt.",
    "Halte die Stange nah am Körper und lehne dich nicht zurück, um sie zu tragen; tust du das, ist das Gewicht zu schwer.",
    "Beginne mit einer Stange, die etwas leichter ist als deine Last bei der Zercher-Kniebeuge, da die Stange den ganzen Halt über auf deinen Armen ruht."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Envuelve la barra con una toalla o un protector de barra, ya que presiona los codos y el abdomen.",
    "Mantén la barra cerca del cuerpo y no te eches hacia atrás para cargarla; si lo haces, el peso es demasiado alto.",
    "Empieza con una barra algo más ligera que la carga de tu sentadilla Zercher, ya que la barra descansa sobre los brazos durante todo el aguante."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/barbell-zercher-hold-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "barbell-zercher-hold");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.