# Bench Press Lock out



## icarus (Dec 31, 2011)

do you lockout on bench press?


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## gearin up (Dec 31, 2011)

only on the last couple reps for rest enough to squeze them out.


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## the_predator (Dec 31, 2011)

^pretty much the same. My elbows are shot to shit to begin with so I try not to lock them out. Plus I suppose I get the benefit of continuous tension.


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## grotto72 (Jan 1, 2012)

i used to but i think it was working my tri's harder than my chest so im trying to stop locking out till the last rep


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## icarus (Jan 1, 2012)

interesting. i over heard someone say that locking out is a bad idea if you want a bigger chest because your triceps will get worn out before your chest now this happens to be quite alot so im gonna have to give this a try, thanks all


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## aminoman74 (Jan 1, 2012)

icarus said:


> do you lockout on bench press?


 

Nope its bad on the elbows and takes away the strees on the the pecs.


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## poohiron (Jan 1, 2012)

As I've become more advanced over the years, I tend to stay almost to the point of lockout in work sets unless I'm attempting PRs in the 1-3 range.


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## aminoman74 (Jan 4, 2012)

icarus said:


> do you lockout on bench press?


 

its the same as do you lock out your knees when doing legs?no i hope not at least.you want to keep a slight bend to keep the pressure on the muscle and to keep the stress off of the joints


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## dizzyphil (Jan 4, 2012)

I do not. The primary reason is to keep stress on the muscle and save the joints....


Diz


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## enhancedmood (Jan 5, 2012)

I dont lockout my benchpress, I lock it up. So I dont workout


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## murf23 (Jan 5, 2012)

NEVER LOCKOUT ON BENCH !!!!!


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## icarus (Jan 6, 2012)

so you do not bring the bar up to make your arms straight? you stop it about an inch away from lockout? i started not locking out, it is a hard habit to stop doing


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## Usealittle (Jan 9, 2012)

Only time I fully lock out is on max singles or when I'm reping and need a small rest to get more reps out. But never on  every rep of a set no....


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## Cork (Jan 9, 2012)

This whole locking out thing is a cloudy subject if you ask me.  Olympic lifters lock out the elbows constantly.  Do they have a high rate of elbow injuries?  Nope *1.

The best thing I could find that stated to not lockout was a mention on MD about how when locked out on the squat, it puts pressure on the ACL and could potentially tear it.  I went through every reference listed on that article (except for the textbook) and found no mention of ACL damage or anything regarding lock outs.*2

I searched Google scholar for all kinds of buzzwords regarding joint lock outs, tendon strain/tearing, ACL strain/tearing.  None of it points immediately to locking out as the causation.  Most of the injuries are from sports related movements, not weightlifting exercises.

Then I plain Googled it and found only articles written by various trainers that state for beginners to not lock out explosively due to the risk of hyperextension.

*1- Injury Rates and Profiles of Elite Competitive Weightlifters
*2- Cutting Grooves Across Your Thighs with Front Squats


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## bjg (Jan 9, 2012)

olympic lifters do not train like bodybuilders all their training is based on speed and explosiveness, they have to lock their arms because this is how a lift is considered complete like in bench press competitions.
yet when training, it is not recommended to lock out while benching unless you are training for a bench press competition. Then again any competition training is not healthy and creates the possibility of injury. locking out your arms might not hurt , but in the long run it might due to hyper-extension. Many gymnasts have joint problems as they grow older.


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## Eiserner Hahn (Jan 9, 2012)

usually only on the last rep


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## stfuandliftbtch (Jan 9, 2012)

dont lock out..period. unless you are powerlifting


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## chucky1 (Jan 9, 2012)

nope! only with a 1rm maybe...


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## Usealittle (Jan 9, 2012)

As for the olyimpic lifters.... They NEVER do more then 5 reps in any one set, so they do very little in the way of reps.


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## strongrunbox (Jan 9, 2012)

aminoman74 said:


> Nope its bad on the elbows and takes away the strees on the the pecs.



Yeah, I think I could second that.

I've never done it for longer than 1 second.  It's different on the last rep and gives me that range of motion, but _never_ longer than a second, and then straight on the rack.


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## Cork (Jan 10, 2012)

I agree that for bodybuilding purposes, it is good to not lock out every rep.  But is there really any evidence that locking out is bad for your joints?

Poliquin has his tempo system rely on a 4 digit number which accounts for the lockout position.  From:Tempo Training Revisited



> The fourth number refers to the isometric pause in the shortened position. This is the type of contraction that occurs at the end of the concentric phase, such as when a bench press is locked out. Pauses in this “advantageous” position (i.e., good leverage) also increase the recruitment of more fast-twitch fibers, which are the fibers that will provide the most increases in strength and power. In my early years as a strength coach I used a three-digit formula that ignored this pause, but I eventually concluded that it is essential in the formula to determine the precise training stimulus.



I'm not trying to start an argument, but if there is one thing you have to know about me, I question everything.  There is no reason to believe what anyone says is true unless they back their shit up.

I don't know if you've read Jamie Lewis' blog, Chaos and Pain, but even he would make a huge argument for the use of locking out.

And here's one from Ironman saying that they use lockouts to lube the joints, which is completely counterintuitive to the direction this thread is heading.  http://imbodybuilding.com/articles/muscle-training-program-76/


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## icarus (Jan 11, 2012)

i have stopped locking out on each rep, i do 5x5 and it definitley feels better. cheers


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## dizzyphil (Jan 12, 2012)

icarus said:


> i have stopped locking out on each rep, i do 5x5 and it definitley feels better. cheers



Last year about 6 months into my routine, I was told about the 5X5. Did it for about 4 months. Best thing I ever did. I plan on doing it again in about 12 weeks after my cycle I start this Monday. 

Diz


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## icarus (Jan 16, 2012)

dizzyphil said:


> Last year about 6 months into my routine, I was told about the 5X5. Did it for about 4 months. Best thing I ever did. I plan on doing it again in about 12 weeks after my cycle I start this Monday.
> 
> Diz


damn right. my working out schedule wasnt that good, so i decided to haul ass and do something new and wow 5x5 is great. squat 5x5 and deadlifts 5x5 really kick my ass


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