Acute effect of open and closed kinetic chain training on lower limb muscle strength in young adults

Abstract

Among training prescription variations for improving muscle strength, we can highlight open kinetic chain (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of OKC and CKC exercises on lower limb muscle strength in young adults. Subjects were invited to participate in an acute training consisting of three OKC exercises and three CKC exercises and performed three sets of ten repetitions. To evaluate the torque and muscle power, an isokinetic dynamometer and a force platform were used. The analyzed variables were: peak of torque, time to peak torque, mean power and average power. Univariate analyses were used to compare the performance of participants in OKC and CKC exercises in torque and power tests. Peak torque was higher in the extensor and plantar flexion movements than knee and ankle joints, respectively. When comparing OKC and CKC exercises, OKC exercises produced a higher peak of torque and mean power in all the joints than CKC. We concluded that OKC exercises can be used for improving strength in young adults.