Currently my arms come across my body, especially when I'm tired.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make my arm carraige more effective? So that it produces more of a forward momentum than wasted motion?
Many thanks
Currently my arms come across my body, especially when I'm tired.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make my arm carraige more effective? So that it produces more of a forward momentum than wasted motion?
Many thanks
Unlock your elbows.
At any speed, there should always be a little bit of play in the elbow: it opens some as it swings behind, closes again when it's in front. This is most obvious among sprinters, whose elbows will be open as much as 140 degrees at their farthest point behind the trunk, closing to 90 degrees or less in front; however, this relaxed opening/closing (completely natural, no effort required) should always be present to some degree, even at 10min miles.
If you lock your elbows at a single angle, regardless of what that angle is, then your arms *must* work across your body, inducing a twist of the trunk and wasted energy.
In addition to the unlocked elbow, it helps to remember that only the *backward* swing of the arm propels you forward. Some runners want (probably subconsciously) to see what they're doing, and tend to keep the arms in front of themselves. You lose energy--and, again, induce a twist--that way.
So if you're in the homestraight of a tough race, and a coach yells "arms" at you (they've been known to do that) or you've switched your brain over to your arms all on your own, to take your mind off your legs--what you should be thinking is "relax-back-relax-back-relax-back": the backward swing of a relaxed (= able to open and close) elbow.
PS Years ago I saw a tape of Lynn Jennings winning the world x-c championship. She and another runner (sorry, can't remember who) were together on the final straight. Then Jennings, with her elbows moving straight behind her shoulder (regularly stretching the chest/deltoid muscles helps with that), simply powered away from the other woman, whose elbows were locked and whose arms were swinging around and around. I've often wished I'd had a copy of that, to show my own athletes.
"carriage"
And you can practice that armswing thing in front of a mirror. I did, and it helped a lot.
Suzy Favor used to lock her elbows in the final straight as Reginaroid would come past her. I found it hard to respect Tegen fully for allowing such a fundamental error that cost SF several races.
Another good trick is to squeeze the back of a chair between your elbows as you sit. The idea is to employ the muscles that bring the shoulders back and the upper arms to parallel with the body. This makes it easier to keep an upright position, with arms swinging freely from relaxed shoulders and a strong upper back/torso. All arm swing should be directed either forward or back.