Kettlebell Double-Jointed TGU and Press

[Boles]

Both of my elbows and knees are double-jointed. I read one thread here about double-jointed work, but I'm specifically curious if an arm lockout for a Press and the TGU should include the full extension of my elbow into its, for me, natural double-jointed state, or if I should more rely on keeping a straight arm without the backward bend?

In testing, the double-jointed lockout feels a little more unstable, but the "straight" arm is harder to maintain because my arm, in my world, is actually bent forward and not really "straight" in my physiology.

In Pavel's book, Return of the Kettlebell, his female Press model is double-jointed, and her "straight" arm is actually locked out in a double-joint that sort of looks like mine:



Sidenote: A while ago, pre-Kettlebell, I slightly hyperextended my left knee doing a plyometric HIIT exercise on a Bosu Ball (yes, I know, I'm done with HIIT, got the Pavel message on that one, too!) where the knee joint bent a little too far backward in the opposite of natural direction, so I'm a little tender, and sensitive to pushing a double-joint into extension, risking hyperextension under weight even though I guess, for me anyway, that's the natural lockout state of a straight arm.

 

[Brett Jones]

Typical advice for a hypermobile person or person with a hypermobile joint(s) is that straight for you is "slightly bent" meaning you go not go into the hyperextended range but go to the "straight" position. This takes some focus on grinds and ballistics.
Learning to control the end range and avoiding "snapping" into the hyperextended position is important.
"Slow motion" work is important.

 

[bluejeff]

I have worked with handbalance training for a few years, and double-jointed folks often had similar questions about straight arms in a handstand. One thing you can do help protect the joint is to strengthen the biceps and brachialis in the fully straight/ hyperextended position. To acheive this, do forward raises in a supinated position (palms towards the sky) with light dumbbells. The motion is a raise of the arms to about 90 degrees in front of your shoulders. Start very light (5 lbs is plenty) and very gradually add weight. You should feel tension in the biceps. Actively think about squeezing the biceps but do not let the arm bend. Do something like 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps a couple days a week. It should feel like prehab, not bodybuilding.

Alternatively you can do them laying down. It's worth noting that Dave Durante here has fairly double-jointed elbows:

As Brett Jones stated, it's best that you don't fully lock overhead with a heavy weight, especially if it feels unstable to you.

You could also add a few chin up lock-offs a couple days a week to target the other end of the contraction.