Why use a full arm swing in Nordic walking

A study on the effects of minimizing arm swing while walking reinforces a point I make about full arm swings and why I prefer gloved poles.

Main points:

• “The latissimus dorsi [your large upper back muscles used for pulling movements and helping with breathing] muscle activities during walking with a minimized arm swing were significantly decreased compared with those during walking with a full arm swing.”
• “The gluteus medius [the primary hip abductor that helps you rotate your legs internally] muscle activities during walking with a minimized arm swing were significantly increased compared with those during walking with a full arm swing.” This means the walking effort remains more with the lower body rather than engaging more of the upper body.

More about it:

• “…movement of the shoulder joint affects the ankle joint, thereby increasing range of motion and trunk stability.”
• “Arm swing during gait also minimizes the increase in angular momentum and energy consumption, and has been reported to increase gait stability.”
• “…rotation of the trunk and pelvis decreases when arm swing is limited.”
• “…gait speed increases due to the increase in cooperation between the upper and lower extremities when there is no such limitation.” In other words, a full arm swing helps you walk faster.
• “…arm swing during gait can affect movement of the legs,” which is why you hear runners advise to move your arms faster if you want to run faster.
• “…muscle activity of the arms can affect that of the legs as arm swing increases.”
• For the study, a minimized arm swing “involved limiting the arm swing within shoulder flexion and extension by 30 degrees.” In other words, the subjects didn’t swing their arms more than 30 degrees forward or backward.

Why it matters:

• “Walking with a minimized arm swing may increase the load laterally and externally by decreasing latissimus dorsi muscle activity as a result of the limited arm swing.”
• Because arm swing “increases gait stability,” minimizing arm swing transfers that load to the hips, where “the gluteus medius muscle activity was increased to maintain pelvic stability during walking with minimized arm swing.” In other words, minimizing arm swing made the hips do more work to maintain gait stability.

Lessons learned:

• If you want to involve as much of your upper body as possible, use a full arm swing. That gives you the full benefits of using Nordic walking poles.
• If, for some reason, you want to focus on your hips, you can have a more minimal arm swing.
• How you can adjust your arm swing to target one of those outcomes:
• Full arm swing:
• Using gloved Nordic walking poles, let go of the handles as soon as you plant the pole in your front swing.
• Do not grip the poles during the back swing. Instead, let the gloves give you the control you need during the backswing.
• Swing from the shoulders, not the elbows.
• Your physical cue on the back swing is to let your hand travel past the seam of your pants or shorts. You know your hand has gone far enough when you can touch the back of your leg with your extended thumb.
• I recently posted a video of someone executing a full backswing on my blog.
• Minimal arm swing:
• Continue gripping the handles during the back swing. This will restrict the backswing and cause your hand not to go past the seam of your pants or shorts.
• You can also swing from the elbows rather than the shoulders to lessen the range of your arm swing.

This is why coaching from a certified instructor is important. There is a learning curve to mastering that arm swing and grip-and-go technique. In the end, you’ll realize it’s still your walking motion, but you’ll get to know it in a whole new way. As the great poet, TS Eliot, phrased it: “…to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time.”

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