Lockouts

Lockouts... do them or avoid them?

by Jonathan Marshall, NSCA-CPT

Through out the years I’ve heard trainers tell their clients not to lock out the knee or elbow joints. They feared that their client might injure themselves. So once again a myth overpowers research. I cannot think of any bad exercises, only bad ways to do them. So the question is, lock outs, are they bad for you?

There is little research to back up the idea that locking out a joint will cause damage to normal healthy joints, if done correctly. A lock out of an exercise is the strongest position of a lift. This is why most people rest between reps and a full extension. If someone didn’t fully extend his or her muscles would fatigue much faster. Body builders are known for this due to the incredible pump they receive by not locking out a particular joint.


If you have experienced knee problems I would recommend avoiding any locking out of the knee joint while doing leg extensions. These movements will probably aggravate the joint even more. The same goes for the elbow. High volume of the elbow extension can cause irritation, but if the movement is properly controlled there shouldn’t be a problem.

Even though there is no research saying lockouts are bad there are practical reasons why some should do them. For example, beginners should always avoid lockouts. They are just learning the movements of an exercise and they might end up hyperextending their joints. A hyperextension of a joint occurs when the velocity of the movement is too strong. This can cause the joint be in an unwanted position and may cause damage.

In conclusion exercises should be performed with proper technique and with full range of motion. Remember everyone has differences in their ranges so know your limits. The "No lockout rule" is there to keep lifters safe. So train smart, lift correctly and you should not have any problems.

References:
Dan Wathen, ATC, CSCS, *D
Marla Graves, Ph.D.
Lee E. Brown, EdD, CSCS, *D, FACSM