Closed kinetic chain exercises or closed chain exercises (CKC) are

physical exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

s performed where the

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...

(for arm movement) or

foot The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

(for leg movement) is fixed in space and cannot move. The extremity remains in constant contact with the immobile surface, usually the ground or the base of a machine. The opposite of CKC exercises are open kinetic chain exercises (OKC). Closed chain exercises are often compound movements, that generally incur compressive forces, while open-chain exercises are often isolation movements that promote more shearing forces. CKC exercises involve more than one muscle group and joint simultaneously rather than concentrating solely on one, as many OKC exercises do (single-joint movements), lending the former to more utilitarian and athletic activities.

Properties

These exercises are typically weight bearing exercises, where an exerciser uses one's own body weight and/ or external weight.

Closed kinetic chain upper body exercises

Push-ups The push-up (sometimes called a press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics exercise beginning from the prone position. By raising and lowering the body using the arms, push-ups exercise the pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterio ...

and their derivatives (including handstand), pull-ups (or chin-ups),

Supine row The inverted row (also known as "horizontal pull-up") is an exercise in weight training. It primarily works the muscles of the upper back—the trapezius and latissimus dorsi—as well as the biceps as a secondary muscle group. The supine row i ...

and dips, concentrate on a co-contraction of the triceps,

biceps The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join ...

deltoids The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle appears to be made up o ...

, pectorals,

lats Lats or LATS may refer to: * Latissimus dorsi muscle * Latvian lats, former currency of Latvia * Latin American Test Symposium of test and fault tolerance technologists * Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, a UK scheme to reduce biodegradable waste ...

, abdominals and

lower back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...

for stabilization in various ratios depending upon angle and leverage.

Closed kinetic chain lower body exercises

Squats, deadlifts, lunges, power cleans: these concentrate on a co-contraction of the quadriceps,

hamstrings In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

, hip flexors, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles. The joints of movement include the knee, hip, and ankle.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises Physical exercise