Kinetic Chain Exercises: Open and Closed

OverviA healthy body is often described as a well-oiled machine. Like a machine, it’s made up of otherwise fixed segments given mobility by jointA kinetic chain is the notion that these joints and segments have an effect on one another during movement. When one is in motion, it creates a chain of events that affects the movement of neighboring joints and segmentsPhysical therapists, chiropractors, and personal trainers use kinetic chain exercises to help with injury prevention

and recovery, boperformance enhancementOpen vs. closed kinetic chain exerciThere are two kinds of kinetic chain exercises: open and closeIn open kinetic chain exercises, the segment furthest away from the body — known as the distal aspect, usually the hand or foot — is free and not fixed to an objeIn a closed chain exercise, it is fixed, or stationDr. Eric Hegedus, founding chair of the doctor of physical therapy department at High Point University in North Carolina,

explains the easiest way to determine the distance: “In closed chain exercise, the foot or hand is in contact with the surface on which you are exercising. In open chain, they are notA squat, for example, where the foot presses against the floor to raise the body, is a closed chain kinetic exercise. Using a leg curl machine, where the lower leg swings freely, is an example of open chainBoth have advantages, according to Dr. HegeduBenefits of kinetic chain exercis“The biggest

advantage of open chain exercises is that they are far better at isolating a muscle,” says Hegedus. This can be useful when rehabilitating a specific muscle or when training for a sport that requires the use of open chain activities. An example is throwing a balBut closed chain exercises are more functional, “or closely approximate to movements that you would use in daily life or sports.” This includes squatting to pick up furniture or bending to pick up a child. Because the

load is shared with other nearby muscles, closed chain exercises may be preferred in some injury recoverThough some physical therapists and other professionals prefer using one type of kinetic chain exercise over the other, research indicates that both have uses in pain management, injuryTrusted Source, post-surgical careTrusted Source, and athletic traininDr. Hegedus says there are both open and closed chain exercises available for most muscle groups. Here are some open and closed kinetic chain exercises for the chest and calf muscles.Chest exercisChest fly using dumbbells (open kinetic chain)