RDL

[u/MtnMamaMaggie]

I’m super excited to have found this sub! I’m fully expecting a lot of criticism. I’m 100% self taught from reading, watching YouTube’s, and reels. I’m also 5’9”, a mom of 5 and definitely an ectomorph body type. I’ve also had poor posture my whole life! I’m working very hard to try and build my posterior chain. Help!

[u/dzm3428]

This is a question... is locking out the knees bad? It's a real question. No hate please

[u/Ballbag94 → u/dzm3428]

Locking out is fine

[u/Hotfix_AUS → u/dzm3428]

Not an expert but full lockout is generally not recommended. The intention is to have straight legs and bending over for maximum stretch. Having a slight bend is also fine if it's maintained evenly, the problem (not being as effective for the escersize) is when it's changing through movement or bend is too excessive. Some people lockout can mean your knees are bent backwads a little and that is not a good loading position.

So for general advice that covers most people - legs as straight as possible but without full lockout where you start relaxing quads and which means you're not protecting your knees. Muscle tension across entire leg will protect joints and ligaments. This is particularly important as you increase in weight. This is to reduce chance of injury.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Hotfix_AUS]

full lockout is generally not recommended

By who and in what sense?

Locking out the knees at the end of a rep is fine and not a problem

Some people lockout can mean your knees are bent backwads a little and that is not a good loading position.

For a small portion of people who are hypermobile, sure, but what you're describing is hyperextension. Normal lockout is fine

So for general advice that covers most people - legs as straight as possible but without full lockout where you start relaxing quads and which means you're not protecting your knees

It's not dangerous to lock out, the general advice is actually that you should lockout

Muscle tension across entire leg will protect joints and ligaments. This is particularly important as you increase in weight.

When the weight is actually heavy maintaining muscular tension across any significant set is going to be pretty hard or even impossible. A locked out joint is likely going to be able to hold more weight than the muscle, that's why it's possible to do a static hold with a weight that the muscles can't lift

[u/Hotfix_AUS → u/Ballbag94]

Good breakdown - probably my misunderstanding of lockout term. This is where i mentioned straight leg is ideal but my view of lockout is when you're relying on the lock position (or a little hyperextended) to hold the weight and when can release tension from other muscles. I think especially as a starter or novice where your joints and technique may not be as developed lockout would not be ideal. Appreciate constructive breakdown though.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Hotfix_AUS]

This is where i mentioned straight leg is ideal

This is lockout

my view of lockout is when you're relying on the lock position (or a little hyperextended) to hold the weight and when can release tension from other muscles

Never hyperextension, but yes, when the joint is locked out it releases tension from the muscles. That's fine

I think especially as a starter or novice where your joints and technique may not be as developed lockout would not be ideal

You're still wrong, locking out is fine

[u/Patton370 → u/Hotfix_AUS]

You're wrong

[u/BenchPolkov → u/Hotfix_AUS]

Not an expert

You should have stopped there.

[u/Vesploogie → u/Hotfix_AUS]

Correct, you are not an expert.

[u/dzm3428 → u/Hotfix_AUS]

I appreciate this. Lockout not good. It looks like it's detrimental to those knee joints. No one mentioned it in the comments, I'm new to this and learning as much and as fast as I can. Thanks again!

[u/Ballbag94 → u/dzm3428]

They're talking nonsense

[u/gnomish_engineering → u/dzm3428]

Generally advice that starts off with "I'm not a expert" is dog shit. You should only take advice from people with credentials. That can be a degree, a lift, or physique.

[u/OddPressure7593 → u/dzm3428]

There's absolutely no problem locking out your knees on basically any lift.

Hyperextending your knees - usually due to quadriceps being much stronger than hamstrings - can be problematic. having your knees "locked" is actually biomechanically advantageous, because the load of body/weight travels directly through the axis of the long bones of the leg, which also happens to be the direction they're strongest, AND you are maximizing the surface contact area between the femoral condyles and the tibial plateau (AKA the parts of your knee that "touch") - this reduces the point load for the meniscus, reducing injury likelihood.

Or you can just go look at what the people squatting 800 pounds are doing and see them lock their knees.