Anthony Murphy - Personal Trainer at EXOfit

Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 | Personal Training | Personal Trainer | Small Group Training

03/09/2026

EXOfit Ballsbridge Dublin 4 | Personal Training Studio | Personal Trainer Advice

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Zercher Squats & Chin-Ups: Two Exercises Worth Adding to Your Training

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At EXOfit Ballsbridge Dublin 4, we like exercises that give you plenty of return for your time. Two great examples are the barbell Zercher squat and the bodyweight chin-up.

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Both are challenging compound movements that work multiple muscle groups and can be easily adapted to suit your current ability.

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3 Benefits of the Barbell Zercher Squat

The Zercher squat involves holding the barbell in the crease of your elbows rather than across your back.

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1. Great for the Legs

Like other squat variations, the Zercher squat works the quads, glutes and hamstrings, making it a great lower-body strength exercise.

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2. Challenges Your Core

Because the weight sits in front of your body, your core and upper body have to work hard to keep you upright and maintain a strong position throughout the movement.

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3. A Different Squat Variation

Not everyone needs to rely solely on traditional back squats. The Zercher squat gives you another way to load your squat pattern and can be a useful addition to your personal training workout/session.

 

Making Your Zercher Squat More Manageable

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A simple option we often use is placing a bench behind you.

Squat down until your bum gently touches the bench and then drive back up. This gives you a consistent target for your squat depth and can help build confidence with the movement.

As you progress, the bench can be adjusted slightly lower or placed on a slight decline to gradually increase the range of motion.

Always start with a manageable weight and concentrate on good positioning before increasing the load.

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3 Benefits of Bodyweight Chin-Ups

Chin-ups are one of our favourite upper-body exercises at our personal training studio.

 

1. Build Upper-Body Strength

Chin-ups primarily work your back and biceps while also involving your shoulders, forearms and core.

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2. Improve Grip Strength

Supporting and pulling your own bodyweight places a significant demand on your hands and forearms, making chin-ups a simple way to develop grip strength alongside your upper-body training.

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3. Easy to Measure Progress

Chin-ups give you a very clear measure of improvement. You might begin with assistance and gradually reduce it until you're able to complete your first unassisted repetition. From there, you can build towards more repetitions or eventually add additional weight.

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Can't Do a Chin-Up Yet?

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That's completely fine.

Resistance bands are a great way to make chin-ups more accessible. Looping a band around the bar and using it for assistance reduces the amount of bodyweight you need to pull.

You can start with a stronger band and gradually move towards lighter bands as you get stronger.

 

EXOfit Personal Trainer Advice

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Whether it's a Zercher squat or your first chin-up, you don't need to jump straight into the most difficult version of an exercise.

Start at a level you can perform well, track what you're doing, and gradually progress the exercise as your strength and confidence improve.

That's exactly how we approach personal training at EXOfit Ballsbridge Dublin 4 — simple but great exercises, appropriate starting points and progressions and consistent tracking over time.
 

Anthony Murphy - Personal Trainer at EXOfit

Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 | Personal Training | Personal Trainer | Small Group Training

MSc, REPs

03/09/2026