Welcome back to Get Fit Guy. I'm your host, Dr. Jonathan Sue. Every week, I'll share

science-backed tips to help you get fit, stay fit, and optimize performance.

Most of us have been taught to move through a full range of motion while performing resistance

exercises such as squats, push-ups, and pull-ups.

Going through a full range of motion, also known as moving as far as anatomically possible,

during an exercise is important for giving the muscles a more robust workout.

However, if you take this advice literally and you do happen to go all the way up and all the way down during an exercise,

you risk locking or completely straightening your elbows and knees,

which can increase the risk of injuries and hinder fitness gains.

I frequently observe this common strength training mistake made by newbies and gym buffs alike.

The good news is that this mistake is easy to avoid,

and being aware of why it happens will help make it less common.

In this episode, we'll look at three reasons why locking the elbows or knees is so common, and how to avoid it so you can prevent injuries and get the best results

from your workouts. While locking your elbows or knees during exercises like pull-ups, push-ups,

chest presses, shoulder presses, squats, leg presses, and knee extensions is a problem. It's actually

super common for three reasons. One, habit. Most of us have been taught to go through a full

range of motion while exercising. I'm sure most of you recall a gym teacher, sports coach, or trainer

getting on your case at some

point for not going all the way up and all the way down while performing an exercise.

For me, it was a couple of Marine Corps drill instructors screaming,

lock out your elbows, recruit, in each of my ears while performing pull-ups and push-ups.

2.

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