OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Arms

The arms are the "jockey" to the body and legs, which are the "horse" during running. The faster and more explosive you run, the more critical arm movement becomes to counterbalance the torque and forces from the trunk and legs (i.e sprints).
During long distance running, remember to relax wrists, fingers and hand to avoid tension. If it accours, tension in neck and shoulders is often related tension in arms. Let your arms swing in a natural symbiosis with legs. There's been some debate about the importance of elbow angle (80 - 100 degrees would be considered normal and most effective) as well as the arm swing. Many trainers would recommend to keep a straight arm swing to advocate forces going forward and go along with running direction. With that said, "one-fits-all" guidelines are hard to swear by, something that top world class runner Kennisa Bekele demostrates by his somewhat wild, lateral arm movements.

Next post in the OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE series will feature role of the HIPS.

Stay strong!