Running News Daily

Fix your running arm form in three easy steps

Arm swing, and the way you hold your arms while running play an important role in your running efficiency and pace, despite most runners’ tendency to focus on foot strike, turnover, or stride length when they are thinking about their running form.

While running is a leg-dominant activity, swinging your arms forward helps propel you, and even more importantly, having a less-than-ideal arm form wastes energy. Here’s how to have the best arm form on your next run.

Avoid swinging your arms across your body

Your arms should swing forward and back like your legs do as you run, minimizing as much side-to-side motion as you can. Focus on making sure your arms don’t cross the midline of your body: lateral motion in your arms is a waste of energy and efficiency.

Similarly, work on sending your arms straight back behind you and avoiding any outward motion. Keep your elbows tucked in, and imagine your sleeve or arms almost grazing your ribs as they move.

Tip: Imagine an electric fence running from your chin to your torso, and don’t allow your hands to cross this midline when you run.

Bend elbows at 90 degrees

While this changes when running hills, when you’re running on level ground your elbows should be close to a 90-degree angle. Ideally, your forearm should be roughly parallel to the surface of the road when you go through the neutral part of the arm swing.

When you’re running uphill, the angle of your arms can become less acute (less than 90 degrees) and more obtuse (more than 90 degrees) when running downhill.

Tip: Try a quick reset if you notice your arms and shoulders are tense and creeping upwards. Shake arms out, take a deep breath and reposition.

Relax your hands and swing from the shoulders

Arm swing should begin from your shoulders, which should remain relaxed and as stationary as possible. Think of Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s fastest marathoner: his upper body is the epitome of relaxed and still when he races at extremely fast paces. Try consciously relaxing your hands–many of us tense up when running on tired legs or during a tough race.

Hands should be gently cupped as if trying to loosely hold (without crushing) a potato chip.

Tip: If you struggle with this, try running with a real potato chip in each hand to feel what proper hand and arm form is like.