Adaptive balancing means that the mechanical structure of the manipulator is modified in order to achieve the decoupling of dynamic equations. This work deals with a systematic formulation for the adaptive balancing. Basically, two traditional balancing techniques are employed here: the addition of counterweight and counter-rotating disks coupled to the moving links. In addition, the feasibility of the dynamic decoupling for three distinct types of serial manipulators is discussed regarding the achievement of such balancing and the complexity level of the modified mechanical structure. The balancing conditions are developed here for 3-dof spatial and planar open-loop kinematic chain mechanisms, whose topologies are composed of revolute and prismatic joints.