In order to provide more feedback to hand position and timing with my foot stride, I grabbed a pair of these little weights @ the gym.
I ran the ST challenge 30+ mins on a high-tech new treadmill with them. It was really good, accomplished what I wanted to do. I found with the weights I could slow my pace, yet still work on the hand or arm swing to foot connection with great definition. Great workout too!
It was so much fun I did another run through 25 mins with them. I didn’t think they were such a big deal until for the last 5mins I dropped them and OMG it was insane. Not sure what to make of it but the feeling between using the weights, then dropping was dramatic.
I’d venture this has as much (or more) to do with your core as your arms. More stability to accommodate an unfamiliar load, and transverse connections lit up that might not be otherwise.
It’s a common tool used to get runners to naturally get to a good hand position while running. You don’t need to weights you can use popsical sticks. When I see someone running with dropped hands or arms that are simply static I hand them sticks and it’s instantaneous. Their hands come up. I’ve been told by a good source Michellie Jones used this trick often. She’s fairly decent. It’s well known Meb used them too.
I used to get athletes too grab two really small pebbles from the side of the road, one for each hand and then hold them lightly. It is instant feedback for where the arms are, until it’s nothing new, so around every 3-4 minutes, I’d get them to change the pebbles between hands (again to remind them where the hands are).
The dumbbells I used some little *pink *things about 3 lbs? I mean it felt good to have something in hand and brings the force of:
arm drive roughly = to forefoot leg drive
Resulting in a full body work out and strengthens the upper and lower body movement chains that are connected via the core. I went SLOW to practice the movement pattern to get it right.
My two favorite sprinters are Andre deGrasse and Gatlin. I was curious about DeGrasse because he has a distinct and animated upper body. Found a decent assessment of that movement - BUT the analysis is still missing the fundamental it’s the upward hand or arm drive (and timing of) that counterbalances the striding lower leg.
Sprinters do this for power or thrust. Distance runners will need to do this for efficiency. See the Nike breaking 2 run analysis video. Eluid’s upper body is very precise - the pacers, who are A++ runners are a mixed bag. Some are pretty ragged.
The good news for a joe-novice* like me is I can turn this sport of running into a full body workout with just a set of hand weights and some focus or concentration on timing. My speed is limited by flexibility now. I can’t get the range and turnover I need - working on it!
Back in the 80’s we had Handteens and HeavyHands, and shoe weight we laced into our shoe laces. It was all the rage for a few years. I’m not sure why they vanished, but I got a set of HeavyHands. By two weeks later I had raging shin splints. I put them away, and never used them again.
They had different weights you could screw on the ends. I was hoping they could help develop my scrawny upper body (didn’t help), and once I started training for track/xc they got left in the garage.
In terms of hand position. Many pros will hold a gel; it’s easy to get one on course and doubles as backup nutrition.
Sorry to hijack, but when I push my pace down to around 5K race pace or faster my arms get heavy/fatigued. I don’t feel like I am tensing up but the fatigue sets in and it makes keeping my pace a struggle (and really hurts my kick). Any suggestions on a fix to sort this out and to keep everything loose - popsicle sticks ya say? Just run faster more often?
Do you do strides or pick-ups? How often, how many, how long? I typically do 4-6 x 30s @ mile pace with 30s rest. Depending on the day I might do 2 sets of 4 with a few minutes between each set, or 1 set of 6.
Where do you feel the fatigue? Biceps, shoulders, back muscles, etc? How long does it take for the fatigue to set in?
Hey Tom thanks - it is all in my forearms. I’ve been trying to figure out if my wrist position is off when I run faster (like flaring my hands out). I mostly notice it when doing 800m+ intervals and especially during my 5K races (I run a low 19 5K so anytime I am holding pace ~6 or under). By the time I get to the last mile my arms are really tired. I do run 30s strides 2-3 times a week and toss in 30-45s fartleks when doing longer runs. Funny thing is I recall when I was a high school miler I had the same problem so I’m consistently “off” at least.
I don’t have the expertise to say whether there is a benefit from running with weights, but common sense tells me that for every extra pound you run with, the more stress it puts on your lower extremities.
Thus my hypothesis would be that voluntarily strapping yourself with extra weight puts you at higher risk for injury. Even if the risk is very marginal I would steer clear.
Hey Tom thanks - it is all in my forearms. I’ve been trying to figure out if my wrist position is off when I run faster (like flaring my hands out). I mostly notice it when doing 800m+ intervals and especially during my 5K races (I run a low 19 5K so anytime I am holding pace ~6 or under). By the time I get to the last mile my arms are really tired. I do run 30s strides 2-3 times a week and toss in 30-45s fartleks when doing longer runs. Funny thing is I recall when I was a high school miler I had the same problem so I’m consistently “off” at least.
Like the tops of your forearms? Either way, it sounds like you are running with your hands flat (palms facing down at the ground). My guess, is that you are trying to decelerate your wrist as it flops on the back stroke. ie, as you stop the back swing, and begin to pull the arm back forward. Sounds like you may be running with your arms swinging like a swimming motion.
Your hands should be rotated so the thumb is pointed towards the sky. When you hold a popsicle stick in your thumb and index finger you naturally rotate your wrist so the stick is facing up and angled slightly foward. You want to hold it lightly (not a death grip) between your thumb and forefinger.
You may also be over swinging where the hand passes behind the plane of the torso—which would also put a lot of strain on your wrist/forearm. Hands should not pass behind your rib cage. If you were to hold your fingers out straight, it would make a downward chopping motion—but, of course your fingers should be curled and relaxed naturally.
