Quick Squat Question

Guys, I'm hoping you can settle an argument that has cropped up in the gym at work regarding squatting.

A work colleague has told me and my training partner that during a set of squats you should never fully straighten your legs at the top of each squat but should always keep your legs slightly bent at the top. The reasons given (if I understood correctly) were that straightening could damage the knee and that you should maintain tension in the quads at all times. I said I'd not heard or read anything about this and as far as I was aware it is standard practice to return to a fully straight-legged position.

I'm certainly no expert, but I realise some of you are, so I'm hoping you can tell me where the truth lies.

Thanks,

Pavel says all the talk about not locking your joints is nonsense, that they're supposed to lock, that's how they work.

FWIW.

dogsbody

You are correct.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/ BBFullSquat.html

I've never heard such a thing.

I've heard and read this. here's the typical reason given:

For squats:

Do not lock out the knees when rising from the squat position. Not only is this potentially harmful for the knee joint it can also allow the pelvis to tilt forward from the top and the lumbar spine to hyperextend (exaggerated lordosis) with very high pressure in the intervertebral discs.

For leg presses:

Do not lock out the knee joint on the extension. Although the knee joint is regarded as a hinge joint (it flexes and extends), it is not a true hinge joint because it can also rotate to some degree. Rotation naturally occurs on full extension (lock-out). During a leg press a high compressive force is applied through the joint. The joint contains extra pads of cartilage known as menisci, or semi-lunar cartilage. With a high compressive and a rotation of the joint, a sheering force occurs which can result in cartilage damage.

I personally don't lock out the knee. Locking out the knee doesn't really do much for a squat exercise anyway, so I figure why take any chances. Flame away.

This is nonsense as a general rule although I don't squat (back barbell squat, anyway) so I can't comment on that lift in particular. I lockout my elbows for overhead presses, I locked out my knees for deadlifts.

Thanks again, Jim. 'Sir Noel Plum' < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > wrote in message

Jim, at the top of a squat, (say an inch or so from the top position,) how much tension is there on the quads?

That's how much difference it makes.

Which is to say, very, very, little.

Lock the knees out just don't lock them out hard.

- CJF.