Closed-chain quadriceps strengthening program

The best known closed chain exercises for your knees and legs are squats and lunges. Here is a selection of less well known exercises for an all-round leg workout that you can add to your routine, especially if you are recovering from a knee injury. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, weight equally distributed, and knees slightly flexed. Shift you body weight so that it is all on your right leg, although you keep both feet on the ground.

Hold five seconds, then shift so your weight is transferred to your other leg and hold for five seconds. Shift back and forth, and continue for one or two minutes. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, using a door frame or counter top for balance, at first. Slowly flex your knees about 20 to 30 degrees and hold for 10 seconds. Then straighten up to full extension. As you flex and go into bent knee positions, be sure you keep your knees straight out in front over the top of your foot, and not allow your knee to bend inward toward your big toe.

Start with a few reps and build up as much as you can tolerate. As your strength improves gradually shift your weight so that most of it is on your weaker side, while you use the other one primarily for balance.

With your feet about 18 inches form a wall and under your shoulders, lean your back against the wall and slowly slide down the wall until your knees are about 45 degrees flexed. Hold as long as you can then return to your starting position.

Repeat the above quad dip exercise, but lift your stronger leg off the floor and perform the exercise with all your weight on the weaker leg. Initially you may need a hand hold to help your balance. Eventually, though, you should progress so that you develop better balance without help. You should do most of the work with your weaker leg, and repeat as you can tolerate and slowly build repetitions.

Stand on your weaker leg, holding the other leg in the air and your arms by your sides. Close your eyes and hold your balance as long as possible. The aim of this study was to examine whether the quadriceps femoris muscles are activated differently in open versus closed kinetic chain tasks. Methods: Ten healthy men and women mean age Surface electromyography EMG recordings were made from four different parts of the quadriceps muscle. The onset and amplitude of EMG and force data were measured.

Results: In closed chain knee extension, the onset of EMG activity of the four different muscle portions of the quadriceps was more simultaneous than in the open chain.