Ale Santuz: Can the Kinematics of arm movements be trained to improve Running Economy?                                                  

Can the Kinematics of arm movements be trained to improve Running Economy?

    
Can the Kinematics of arm movements be trained to improve Running Economy?

A recent study (Kumar & Verma, 2011) published in “The Anthropologist – International Journal of Contemporary and Applied Studies of Man” has shown a strict correlation between the performance time of a 3000 m run and the effects of a 90 days conditioning programme on the shoulder swing time. 50 adult males, aged between 18 and 24 years, physical active and free from any medical issue, have been selected to follow a conditioning programme of 90 days, divided into two mesocycles of 45 days each. The first mesocycle consisted of exercises targeted to improve static flexibility and cardio-respiratory endurance. The second mesocycle included those exercises which could improve dynamic flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. It has been concluded that “the three months conditioning programme has revealed statistically significant impact on right and left shoulder swing time, ratio of right and left shoulder swing time and performance time of a 3000 m run. These improvements reasonably suggest that the conditioning programme has caused a process of self-optimization of biomechanical aspects of running style to develop such a movement pattern which act as a fine tuning device to both energy expenditure and performance and thus improved performance time of 3000m running”.
Pretty interesting, isn’t it? If you’ve ever thought that Running Economy can’t be improved, you probably were wrong.

The full article can be downloaded here.

Keep on training, people!

REFERENCES

Kumar, A., & Verma, S. K. (2011). Kinematic Analysis of Arm Movements in 3000m Running: Before and After a Conditioning Programme. Anthropologist, 13(3), 211–216.


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