So, I was working my triceps a while ago and someone saw me doing dips and told me I was going too far up. He said that you don't want to lock your elbows when you do dips. I tried not going up as high, but it felt kind of weird. It didn't seem like I was doing a complete movement.

If your elbows are locked and your arm is in a single vertical line, you can use "joint strength" to maintain that position, which basically just means that your humerus is stuck in position because your ulna is directly underneath and in line with it, so the load on your muscles to prevent movement is greatly reduced.

The other lifter is recommending that you keep the tension on the muscle being worked and off your joints, which you don't need to limit ROM to do -- just don't lock your elbows at the top. If you do limit ROM somewhat, it isn't a very big deal from a strength perspective, which I'm sure you'll hear if zenpharaohs posts his current mantra. Strength carries over for about 15 degrees flexion/extension at the end points of your ROM.

if zenpharaohs posts his current mantra. Strength carries over for about 15 degrees flexion/extension at the end points of your ROM.

I got that from a few people; Paul Chek definitely one of them. It seems to be the modern point of view, although a lot of people didn't seem to get the memo yet.

By the way I personally think locking out is a minor sin in many cases (this being one of them). Yes, it is better to avoid it, but I think flexing too far is worse. I think this is probably widely accepted in the bench press, where going to far down is well recognized as a problem, but I don't hear a lot of coaches complaining about lockouts at all.

A pushing multi-joint exercise should be continuous in the positive and negative. No lockout is desirable. I am glad, I never got the word. :cool: