Hunched shoulders, clenched fists, swinging the arms excessively across the body. Any of these sounds familiar?
We can forget how important our arms are when we’re running. A good arm swing will help with our forward momentum and reduce the amount of work our legs have to do. Ever tried running with your arms by your side? If not, give it a go and you’ll see immediately how much harder you have to work.
Our arm swing wants to enhance our running efficiency instead of wasting energy and slowing us down. When we carry tension in our shoulders, arms and hands it will inevitably affect how we run. The key is to keep our upper body relaxed.
So, what does an efficient arm swing look like:
✅ Elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees
✅ Drive our elbows back so the hand is level with the waist
✅ Lead the arm swing from our shoulders, not the chest. Avoid swinging our arms sideways with the hands crossing the midline of the torso.
✅ Keep the hands and shoulders relaxed. I run with my hands gently closed - thumb and index finger lightly touching.
Extra Tips
🏃♀️ When you start to feel tired on a run, check in with your arms and focus on the backwards arm swing. It can make a difference to how your run feels.
🏃 Include exercises to warm up and loosen the arms before you go for a run, especially if you’ve been working at a desk all day. Shoulder rolls and arm circles are a good place to start.
🏃♀️ If you're struggling to get your arm to swing backwards, spend time stretching your chest, shoulders and arms.
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