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Read time: 4min.
By Coach Yan Busset
The Importance of Arm Movement in Running
When we think about running, we naturally focus on our legs and feet. After all, they’re the ones doing the work, right? Well, not quite. Here’s something counterintuitive: running actually starts with the arms. Think of them as the secret remote control to your legs. They set the rhythm, keep you balanced, and even help manage fatigue. If you get your arms working for you instead of against you, you’ll run smoother, faster, and with less effort. And who doesn’t want that?
The Role of Arms in Running Efficiency
Balance and Stability: Your arms counterbalance your legs, preventing unnecessary sway and keeping your movement streamlined.
Cadence and Rhythm: If your arms move efficiently, your legs will follow. They’re like a built-in metronome for your stride.
Reducing Fatigue and Impact: This is where things get interesting. A strong arm swing doesn’t just help keep your energy up, it actively reduces the impact on your legs. Every time your arms drive forward and upward, they create a counterforce that slightly lifts your body, reducing the force of each footstrike. This small but crucial effect lessens the impact on your joints, helping to delay fatigue and potentially lowering the risk of injury over long distances.
Posture and Energy Efficiency: Having your arms in the right position helps keep your upper body in that ideal proud and tall posture. When your arms are too low, your shoulders tend to collapse forward, making you work harder to maintain form. Keep them engaged and at a natural height, and you'll hold a strong, efficient position throughout your run.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Arms Too Open: When the angle between the upper arm and forearm is too open, it leads to an inefficient swinging motion . This exaggerated movement not only wastes energy but also increases the likelihood of disturbing the body's balance. Additionally, it makes it harder to maintain a proud and tall posture, causing the runner to lose efficiency and form over time.
Fix: Keep your arm swing compact and close to your torso, ensuring the movement is forward and backward rather than side to side.
Crossing Arms Over the Body center line: This disrupts stability and balance.
Fix: Keep arm swings forward and backward with only a slight inward movement, avoiding excessive crossing.
Overly Rigid Arms: Holding too much tension in the arms wastes energy.
Fix: Keep shoulders relaxed while maintaining an active arm movement.
Arms Too Passive: Letting the arms hang too loosely fails to support running efficiency.
Fix: Ensure arms stay engaged and synchronized with your leg movement.
Excessive or Restricted Movement: Overly wide or stiff arm and shoulders swings can reduce efficiency.
Fix: Keep your arm swing active but relaxed.
Optimizing Arm Movement
Elbow angle of Maximum 90deg: Avoid excessive opening. A Narrow forearm / arm angle reduce the effort your arm swing need to do.
Relax Your Shoulders: Tension leads to wasted energy and fatigue. muscles perform best when relaxed.
Drills to Improve Arm Mechanics
Tennis Ball Arm Control Drill: If you tend to open your arms too much while swinging, try this drill. Take a couple of tennis balls and place one between your upper arm and forearm on each side. Hold them lightly in place and start running while keeping the balls from falling. This forces you to maintain a more compact and controlled arm movement, preventing excessive outward motion. Focus on taking short, quick strides, around 20 to 30 meters, to get the feel of it. And don’t worry, I’m not asking you to run a marathon like this. Just a few meters so that you get the point!
Standing Still Arm Swings: Stand still and practice swinging your arms as if running very fast, isolating the movement.
Takeaway Tip for Your Next Race
At some point during your next run or race, you might feel a slight dip in pace or energy. Here’s a simple trick: focus on your arms. When you feel like you’re slowing down, try relaunching your arm swing,your legs will follow. Of course, this won’t prevent bonking if you’re completely out of energy, but in many cases, it helps you regain momentum and push through a rough patch.
Arms are an underrated asset in running, but using them correctly can transform your performance. Small adjustments, like keeping a relaxed yet active arm swing, avoiding excessive side-to-side movement, and maintaining a controlled rhythm, can lead to more efficient, less fatiguing runs. Next time you run, pay attention to your arms. They might just be the key to unlocking your full running potential. And hey, if nothing else, at least you’ll look a little less like an inflatable tube man at a car dealership!
Arms are an underrated asset in running, but using them correctly can transform your performance. Small adjustments, keeping a relaxed yet active arm swing, avoiding excessive side-to-side movement, and maintaining a controlled rhythm, can lead to more efficient, less fatiguing runs. Next time you run, pay attention to your arms. They might just be the key to unlocking your full running potential.
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