Run Faster

Tips for improving your running

Run with Your Arms

April 27, 2008 By: kch Category: Technique

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?

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9 Responses to “ Run with Your Arms ”

# 1 Rachel Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 7:52 am
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…
# 2 kch Says:
April 30th, 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.
# 3 kara Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 9:21 am
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.
# 4 Jacqueline Carly Says:
April 30th, 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!
# 5 kch Says:
May 1st, 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.
# 6 Liz Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 8:17 am
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!
# 7 kch Says:
May 5th, 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.
# 8 Christine Says:
July 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
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?
# 9 kch Says:
August 3rd, 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.