The reaction can be under kinetic or thermodynamic control depending on the exact reaction conditions, catalyst, and substrate. Common rings, 5- through 7-membered cycloalkenes, have a high tendency for formation and are often under greater thermodynamic control due to the enthalpic favorability of the cyclic products, as shown by Illuminati and Mandolini on the formation of lactone rings. Smaller rings, between 5 and 8 atoms, are more thermodynamically favored over medium to large rings due to lower ring strain. Ring strain arises from abnormal bond angles resulting in a higher heat of combustion relative to the linear counterpart. If the RCM product contains a strained olefin, polymerization becomes preferable through ring-opening metathesis polymerization of the newly formed olefin. Medium rings in particular have greater ring strain, in part due to greater transannular interactions from opposing sides of the ring, but also the inability to orient the molecule in such a way to prevent penalizing gauche interactions. RCM may be considered to have a kinetic bias if the products cannot reenter the catalytic cycle or interconvert through an equilibrium. A kinetic product distribution could lead to mostly RCM products or may lead to oligomers and polymers, which are most often disfavored.