Which exercises you should lock your joints and which you shouldn’t

There are certain exercises, in which you should lock the joints at the end of the rep. Examples are squats and leg press. Locking in these exercises might lead to overstretching of the connective tissues and consequent injuries.

Yet there are other exercises where locking is required for maximizing the range of motion and for peaking in the contraction. Such exercises include triceps push-down and leg extensions.

Here are the exercises during which you should restrain from locking: squat, leg press, leg curl, bench press.

Following are the safe for locking exercises: triceps push-down, leg extension, lat pull-down, biceps curl (standing).