Will swinging your arms make you walk faster? - Sport Walking Top Tips

Originally shown as a part of show one of The Sport Walk Show, Season Two - this was a question asked by a number of our viewers - should you swing your arms more to go faster? Roger explains what's behind a good walking form and whether or not this is something to try.

[@Maya-vs7mv]

I always wondered about the arm swing while walking, and this is very helpful and informative! Thank you 🚶‍♂️!

[@sportwalk]

Hi! Yeah, a normal walking style does have its limits in terms of ultimate pace but it’s kind of a fluid process & it does depend on individual capabilities, so rather than looking at pace itself, it’s a question of you reaching the maximum speed you can achieve with a normal technique & then the only way to go faster really is to morph into a pseudo race walking style by swinging your arms more to gain more momentum. Of course that’s then going to increase your effort, so everything has consequences & at the end of the day, you have to just make a judgment call on what you can sustain for the duration of the challenge. Hope that all makes sense? Best of luck with it & do let us know how it goes. 👍

[@IamBMM]

Hi Roger. Do you think this sport walking technique has its limits regarding pace? I’m trying to cover 10 miles in 2 hours (12 min/mi) on the flat. Does that sort of pace require more arm swing than, say, an ultra marathon distance at 14 min/mi (such as what you’ve demonstrated here). I should add that I’m not wanting to adopt a racewalking technique.