Closed-chain versus Open-chain exercises: Which one is right for me?

There has been much debate about which of the two types of kinetic training exercises known as closed-chain and open-chain  exercises are more efficient and effective.

Questions such as these muster up even more familiar ones, such as which are better: dumbbells or barbells?

Of course, a lot comes into play before one has been dubbed such a title, especially once you take into consideration of people’s specific goals, physical statures, and/or each individual's inherent preferences, among many other factors.

Nevertheless, here I’m going to go through the pros and cons of each of these two training aspects:

Closed and open-chain exercises   in trying to help you decide for yourself which type of exercise is better suited for you. However, if you are unsure of the specifics of what these two types of exercises entail, let me give you a quick summary of what they are exactly.

So, what the heck are closed-chain and open-chain exercises anyway?

In layman’s terms, they basically explain the way that a specific exercise is performed in relation to the confinement of its extremities (hands or feet).

Let’s start off with closed-chain exercises.

This type of movement is essentially an exercise who’s arms or legs (depending on the exercise of course) are in a fixed, unmovable position. A hallmark example of a closed-chained exercise is the squat. When performing such a dynamic and explosive exercise, your extremities (in this instance your feet), are both firmly planted into the ground and in a fixed position.

Another good way to think about this is to think of its polar opposite. If barbell squatting is to closed-chain exercises, then barbell lunges must be to open-chain exercises (given the obvious un-restriction of the legs throughout the movement).

Ok, so with this being said, an open-chain exercise is one where the hands or feet are free-moving and un-restricted. Besides the barbell lunge example, some other great examples of open-chain exercises are dumbbell bicep curls, box jumps, and dumbbell fly’s just to name a few.

Alright, now that we have a good understanding of the differences of closed and open-chain exercises, the question remains…

Which one is better:  closed-chain or open-chain exercises?

Well, in the next few paragraphs I hope to shed some light on this ongoing question and help you to decide for yourself so you can better meet your goals. Because I’m sure most of you know that there are NO cookie-cutter answers to fitness questions such as these, only recommendations based on what your goals and aspirations are, as well as your personal preferences of course.

Ok, so let’s start off with some pros and cons of closed-chain exercises…

Pros and Cons of Closed-chain exercises

Advantages: With these types of movements you will be able to lift much heavier weights versus its open-chain nemesis. And by much heavier, I really mean significantly heavier , like upwards to hundreds and hundreds of pounds more.

Closed-chain exercises are commonly akin to “power” or strength type movements like the squat, deadlift, clean and jerk, barbell bench press, dips, pushups, leg presses, and calf raises just to name a handful. You can think of your core and limbs as a chain with links. If your feet or hands are firmly "planted" in a locked position (like with a squat or barbell bench press), the "chain" is much more powerful as it's working together as a solid link, as opposed to open-chain exercises, which have a much more "loose" chain alignment to them.

In addition to the major lifts before mentioned, there is of course the machine aspect of closed-chain exercises that greatly benefit tons of people for countless of reasons. From making it easier on their joints, to allowing them to isolate a specific muscle more efficiently, there are definitely some great advantages to these kinds of movements. Realizing that almost all weight resistance machines are closed-chain exercises, there is minimal effort exerted (wasted) balancing the weight or being over concerned with form.



Now that I've brought some light of the brighter side of closed-chain exercises, let's check out some of the disadvantages of these types of exercises...

Disadvantages:  There aren't many disadvantages to closed-chain exercises as you may have imagined. I mean, come on now. What serious lifter opposes barbell bench pressing and squatting? Nevertheless, there are some key disadvantages of closed-chain exercises. The main one arises because with closed-chain exercises  you are essentially bound to one confined space. As the name entails, "CLOSED"-chain exercises force you to be confined in one specific area.

[caption id="attachment_21736" align="alignright" width="300"]Nothing beats barbell therapy - am I right?[/caption]

This may not be a problem for most people, but it can be a significant disadvantage if you're primary focus is strictly on plyometric or specific sport type training. This is a significant disadvantage that can greatly limit you and your potential if you were to hold these goals while sticking strictly with closed-chain exercises.

Pros and Cons of Open-chain exercises

Advantages:  A notable advantage of open-chain exercises are your FREEDOM to move as you please! As before mentioned, an open-chain exercise is one where the hands or feet are free to move. So, that means that plyometrics, crossfit, and most dumbbell exercises all fall under this category. Of course, plyometrics and crossfit are more so like hybrids, due to them both falling under each category in some capacity given the vast mechanical complexity of many of their exercises.

Another great advantage is that open-chain type exercises are well known for helping people to lose weight and trim up! This is due to the complexity of the movements allowed with open-chain exercises. I'm sure you have either heard of or seen an Insanity video or any other type of high energy exercise video where they go through several plyometric type movements with very short rest periods. This, along with good nutrition will obviously produce results if done correctly.

Besides that you have more freedom to move your hands and feet, I feel that you have a greater capacity to increase the creativity of your workouts as well. With open-chain exercises, the sky is the limit!

Disadvantages: A decrease in the overall weight load of your lifts are to be expected with open-chain exercises. This, with the fact that there are almost zero Olympic style or "power" lifts specifically designed to truly test an individuals strength are also a downside that you may meet with these types of exercises.

So, if you have expectations of becoming a champion powerlifter one day, open-chain exercises shouldn't be on the top of your training list. I'm not saying to hasten them completely. They are obviously very helpful and effective. Plus, depending on what type of event you are training for (strongman competition for instance), then open-chain exercises are of vital importance. Remember though, that there is almost always a sense of relativity to the significance of any training technique.

With that being said, let us now see which type of exercise is best for YOU and YOUR goals...

And the final verdict is...

Depending on your goals and aspirations, this will be the determining factor which will give light to whether or not closed-chain or open-chain exercises are better for you. As I have before mentioned, closed-chain exercises are known more for power movements such as the barbell bench press and the squat. If your goals are to get as powerful as you can and increase your strength gains insurmountably, then closed-chain exercises should be right up your alley.

On the other hand, if you are more interested in multi-body movements such as with plyometrics or are simply just a fan of dumbbells over barbells, then open-chain movements will most likely be your type of go-to exercise due to the freedom that your extremities will enjoy, like with box jumps and lateral bounds.

Henceforth, there is of course always the third and most popular option, which is to merge both types of exercises into your routine in trying to yield you the best results possible. Overall, it all boils down to what you truly want out of your training and what your deepest aspirations are. Feel free to try both types of exercises and always remember to have fun while doing them!

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Author Bio: Thomas Hlubin

When I was little I was as skinny as a rake, but at the ripe old age of 18, I started lifting weights seriously. I trained and competed as a natural bodybuilder in the SNBF and NANBF organizations, placing 4th in the novice men middleweight division at the 2012 Atlanta SNBF Championships. A year later, I competed and placed 2nd in the collegiate men division at the 2013 NANBF Natural Southern States Classic in St. Louis, Missouri. That solidified my goal to help others achieve greater levels of fitness. Today, I'm an avid blogger focused on creating content to help people improve their physical and mental health. For more of my work, check out my website  Disorders.net  to get information on how to improve your mental health.

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