A New Definition for Strength Training | Mark Rippetoe

[Mark Rippetoe]

Matt James, the leg press, bench press, and overhead press are considered open chain ones because the appendages moving the weight are not fixed, and they move away from the body.

The squat and deadlift are considered closed chain because the feet are fixed on the ground, ahem, "closing" the kinetic chain. It's that simple.

There are no intractable positions here regarding open and closed chain exercises. We have no position at all, because the terms are not useful in barbell training. I've managed to write 8 books without mentioning them, and no one has been confused by their omission. We do about 6 exercises, and no one cares what Kraemer et al thinks about their kinetic chain.

[francesco.decaro]

The squat and deadlift are considered closed chain because the feet are fixed on the ground, ahem, "closing" the kinetic chain. It's that simple.

I didn't realize I was floating during my Presses.

The rest of the world also wore a mask when they were told to, Russella. I don't see it as a good criteria to judge if something is useful or not.

[Satch12879]

Who would have thought that closed chain kinetic movements and open chain kinetic movements would be so polemical in a discussion about strength training. Who gives a shit, Rip? Well, I do. Who uses these terms? The rest of the world. They are basic terms used to codify movements.

Matt James, the leg press, bench press, and overhead press are considered open chain ones because the appendages moving the weight are not fixed, and they move away from the body.

The squat and deadlift are considered closed chain because the feet are fixed on the ground, ahem, "closing" the kinetic chain. It's that simple.

Studies have their inherent flaws, and this one is no exception because it did not include the deadlift and squat. Then again, multiple studies have already proven the superior efficacy of the barbell squat, deadlift, and pressing movements for building strength and muscular efficiency.

I still think that the study still has value despite your opinions.

I practice the NLP consistently and coach it to my family and friends, and my original post agreed with the article’s text. I’m not one of your detractors, so I sense in this group the unmistakable whiff of intractable positions upon which I have tread.

The feet are on the ground in the press.

[Matt James]

Matt James, the leg press, bench press, and overhead press are considered open chain ones because the appendages moving the weight are not fixed, and they move away from the body.
The squat and deadlift are considered closed chain because the feet are fixed on the ground, ahem, "closing" the kinetic chain. It's that simple.

I am aware. Did you happen to notice that this study used the leg press as their main closed chain exercises?

Studies have their inherent flaws, and this one is no exception because it did not include the deadlift and squat.

No, this study is flawed mainly because they draw conclusions about closed chain vs. open chain movements without any understanding of what those movements are, definitionally. It's also flawed because it doesn't take into account the inherent difference in loading of the movements for the two study groups (which easily accounts for the differences in outcomes). It's useless, beyond confirming what has already been shown for years, that weightbearing exercise of any kind improves bone density in this population.

If you really wanted to compare open vs. closed kinetic chain movements, run a study comparing squats to leg presses. It wouldn't be interesting or surprising but at least it would be honest.

[heinz83]

Who rides a bike with their feet on the ground?

[Tibby Parvin]

Kramer and the research article are wholly irrelevant to what transpired here. The strident reactivity was both unwarranted and incongruous for a benign article response.

I made a mental note that the "bad" words in the SS sect are not "shit" but "science", "study", and, oh God forbid, "open or closed kinetic chain."

[dalan]

So are presses an open or closed kinetic chain exercise and what good does it do me to know?

This place is wild.

[my_back_hurts]

The feet are on the ground in the press.

Not in the scientific variation: the feet elevated standing overhead press. Typically followed by the behind the back bench press, and the inverted deadlift. All known for their osteoporosis-preventative powers.

[francesco.decaro]

Kramer and the research article are wholly irrelevant to what transpired here. The strident reactivity was both unwarranted and incongruous for a benign article response.

I made a mental note that the "bad" words in the SS sect are not "shit" but "science", "study", and, oh God forbid, "open or closed kinetic chain."

God forbid people might question the Exercise Science, that wouldn't be scientific at all.

[Shiva Kaul]

Rippetoe movement pattern definition:

Throwing Something Up and Catching It

Movement pattern definition from said research paper, with its pristine grammar quoted intact:

Open-chain exercises involve motions in which the distal segment (hand or foot) is free to move in space, without necessarily causing simultaneous motions at adjacent joints, It performed in non-weight-bearing positions while Closed-chain exercises involve motions in which the body moves on a distal segment that is fixed or stabilized on a support surface and Movement at one joint causes simultaneous motions at distal as well as proximal joints in a relatively predictable manner which stimulate joint and muscle mechanoreceptors, facilitate co-activation of agonists and antagonists (co-contraction), and consequently promote dynamic stability. Also, provide greater proprioceptive and kinesthetic feedback than open-chain training because multiple muscle groups that cross multiple joints are activated during closed-chain exercise, which provide more stress effect on bone that help for stimulation of osteogenesis more sensory receptors in more muscles and intra-articular and extra-articular structures are activated to control motion than during open-chain exercises that improve balance and postural control (17,18,19).