While it’s true that the lower half of our bodies do the bulk of the work when we’re running, it’s good to keep in mind that running really is a whole body activity. If you don’t believe me, try a quick experiment: run for about 100 yards with your arms folded across your chest or hanging at your sides. Awkward and slow, isn’t it?
Even though it’s pretty easy to establish that your arms do play an important role in running, it seems that there isn’t complete agreement about the best way to move them:
- In Galloway’s Book on Running, Jeff Galloway says “the less arm swing, the better” and that you should “let gravity do your arm work”. If you don’t have Jeff’s book, you can see an excerpt from this section of the book on google book search.
- Danny Dreyer of Chi Running says you should concentrate on swinging your arms to the rear rather than to the front because a frontward swing will cause your legs to swing too far forward and create too much heel strike, and that you should use your arm swing to set your cadence. See this article on the ChiRunning site for more of Danny’s thoughts about arm swing while running.
- Dr. Romanov, author of the Pose Method, seems to agree with Jeff Galloway, saying that you should keep your arms bent at the elbow and relaxed, allowing them to react to your leg movement. See a short article on this at the Pose web site.
Personally, if I try to just let my arms react to my leg movement like Galloway and Romanov seem to advocate, I feel like they start to drop a bit and slow me down. So I tend to buy a bit more into Danny Dreyer’s philosophy that your arms should play a slightly more active role in your running.
Despite the slight disagreements about how active your arms should be while you run, most experts I’ve read seem to agree on at least these points about arm movement and positioning:
- You should keep your arms tucked in close to your body and relaxed
- Your arms should move forward and back, not across your body
So what do you think? What do you do with your arms while you are running?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!No related posts.
{ 10 comments }
I run with my arms fairly close to my body already. But I prefer to not think about technicalities like where my arms are because then it really sets off my rhythm. And then it makes for a tough run because I’m constantly worried about something as crazy as where my arms are. Running is an enjoyment for me and if I were to get down to the nitty gritty like that then it wouldn’t be as much fun. I just have them where they naturally fall…alot easier than trying to contort myself into some position that might or might not help my run…
Twitter: kchealy
April 30, 2008 at 8:22 am
@Rachel – I don’t think you should worry about your form all of the time. It’s just something that you may want to think about occasionally, especially if you know there’s something about your mechanics that could be improved.
For example, I tend to tense my shoulders and drop my arms when I’m tired, which probably makes me tire even faster. So, if I check in with myself occasionally during a run to make sure I’m not doing those things, and correct them if I am, it makes for a better run.
The only time I swing my arms is when I’m power walking – to pump up the workout.
Don’t need that extra workout while running.
Twitter: fitarella
April 30, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I remember when I first started running I had this crazy all over the place swing. It got so bad that I ended up at the doc’s office w/tendonitis in my shoulder…so not fun! Anyway, now I try to keep it close to my body with more of a back swing as if I were being pulled back from my elbows. I also try keeping my shoulders down & relaxed so I don’t end up all discombobulated later.
Just started my training for NYC marathon so this is a great reminder for those long runs. Thanks!
Twitter: kchealy
May 1, 2008 at 11:43 am
@Jacqueline – I see so many people out running that do the ‘crazy all over the place’ arm swing that your talking about! Yours must have been really severe to cause you that much of a problem.
Sounds like you’ve really improved in this area. Keeping my shoulders relaxed is the hardest thing for me – I have to check in with myself a few times during each run – especially hard/long workouts – to make sure I’m doing this.
Good luck with your NYC Marathon training – I’m going to start mine in earnest after I run the Colfax half.
I’ve just started running again after the birth of my son (2 years ago) and a friend noticed that my left arm doesn’t swing when I run — a side-effect of post-partum troubles, so I have to consciously get it going. The good thing is that it made me really pay attention to how I use my arms when I run — it makes a big difference uphill!
Twitter: kchealy
May 5, 2008 at 8:54 am
@Liz – That was really nice of your friend to mention – sometimes it’s not so easy to notice on your own when your mechanics are off! And I think you’re right…if I’m on a tough hill, it does help to pay attention to your arms, and perhaps work them more slightly more aggressively than you would on the flats.
I often find myself swinging my arms across my body instead of moving them forward & back. Are there any excercises I can do to improve my arm swinging form?
Twitter: kchealy
August 3, 2008 at 10:57 am
@Christine, I don’t know of any specific exercises you can do to correct this. I think the best you can do on this is just check your positioning occasionally during your runs to see what you’re doing, and if you notice yourself swinging across your body, consciously concentrate on your arm swing and arm position for a few minutes. If you do this a few times on every run, you should start to see some improvement and you’ll need to do this less and less.
Great question and it raises a multitude of answers – the best answer I can give is – it depends!
As running encompasses short distances (100m) to ultra-marathons, varying terrain (flat tracks to mountains), different tactics and appeals to different skill levels, the arms are an important, if not essential, part of a runner’s efficiency.The arms provide the rhythm for the legs – pump the arms faster and the legs will follow, push the arms up and it is easier to bring your knees up, or swing them like a pendulum and the feet will follow a straighter path. Once the arms stop moving the legs will not move as well. Watch the 100-200 meter runners and their exaggerated arm action to keep their knees up and legs driving, to the smoother arm action of a marathon runner to conserve energy. But watch the end of a close long distance race and you’ll see the arms pumping, like the sprinter, to generate the drive.
The best analogy I can think of is in swimming – the arms pull the swimmer through the water but the kick (legs) set the pace. The reason for this, and I am not a sport physiologist, is the range of motion of the arms (and legs in swimming) is less than the legs (or arms in swimming). It is easier accelerate the arms in running than the legs and this provides additional momentum for the legs to follow.
Another concern with the arms, starting at the fingers and ending at the shoulders, is keep them relaxed. As soon as any part of the arm stiffens or tenses up, the rest of the arm (from shoulder down or finger up) will also tense up. Relax the fingers (shake them out) or shrug your shoulders (and let them relax) will allow your arms to move freely (not wildly) and allow the runner to be more fluid. If the arms are tense, the result will tension will throughout the body and slow down or inhibit leg movement.
I’m a keen advocate of running with your arms and encourage younger runners during training to concentrate on their arm action.
Comments on this entry are closed.