Members of the Classic City Roller Girls held a practice last month in Athens, Georgia.
Many of us walked to take breaks from work, burn calories and be more active outdoors during the pandemic. As we prepare for warmer weather, you might be looking for a fun way to kick your walking up a notch. As a full-body cardio and strength workout, roller skating is a heart-healthy way to get out and move. This might just be the kind of workout you need to kick your time outdoors into high gear.
As with many recreational sports, once you master skating you can start doing it daily. Whether you’re skating for fun or skating to a destination, skate assured that the American Heart Association recommends roller skating as a way to stay active and heart healthy. Plus, because skating is a full-body aerobic resistance training exercise, you’ll improve muscle strength and aerobic fitness, research shows.
Finally, you don’t have to commit to 30 or 60 minutes of skating to see positive effects on your mood. In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it only takes about five minutes of aerobic exercise to begin boosting anti-anxiety effects.
Pushing off one foot then the other while skating requires you to use your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves every time you lift a foot to move. Alternatively, when you slide with both feet on the ground, your lower body is still working, but it stabilizes you rather than pushing you forward. This type of movement is similar to using an elliptical trainer or other cardio machine at the gym, but it’s even better because your body is working with both feet stationary and both feet moving. Additionally, the stability required in the ankle, calf, and foot to balance on an elevated skate each time you stride is more intense than having your foot flat on the ground while running or on a cardio machine.
Before heading outside with your skates, there are a few things to consider besides the benefits of skating. Read on for tips on getting started safely.
Benefits
Besides being fun, roller skating can build core strength and improve lower body stability.
Roller skating and inline skating build core strength and improve lower body stability. Skating also improves upper body strength and mobility due to the pumping and swinging motion of the arms. When you rotate your torso using your abdominal muscles, you are using your shoulders and arms to propel yourself forward. The legs and glutes also push you forward. Not only do you move forward, but you also move side to side, which improves mobility and hip strength. Your quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes and hips work in unison to start skating, stop skating, speed up and slow down.
To start
As a fitness trainer, I always recommend having the right equipment before starting a new workout activity. Whether you rent skates or buy them, test roller skates and inline skates to see which ones you feel most comfortable with.
Roller skates have four wheels aligned like car wheels: two in the front and two in the back. The wider base makes these skates a bit easier for beginners. When you are stationary, you will feel more stable thanks to the base of the skate. However, it is more difficult to accelerate with roller skates than with inline skates.
The wheels of the inline skates allow you to have a smoother ride and skate faster.
Most inline skates usually feature four wheels inline fore and aft and a break behind the rear wheel, and the top boot of the skate fits snugly. The wheels allow you to have a smoother ride and skate faster.
As a child, I learned to skate with roller skates. I twisted and turned around the indoor rink and practiced skating in my driveway. When I became an adult, I switched to inline skates because I could skate to my friend’s house a mile away and show off my speed in the indoor rink.
I recommend these steps for adults as well – a testament to the design, structure and stability of the different types of skates. Start out on roller skates for fun, then switch to inline skates once you feel comfortable on the wheels.
Safety tips
Make sure you have the right equipment such as helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards for your safety.
Helmets, wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads – they are all necessary for skating. Falling and scratching your knee is one thing, but falling sideways onto your wrist or landing on your head can be a traumatic injury. The most common reasons for falling are loss of balance or trying to swerve to avoid a collision or an object in your path.
As a kid, I was always embarrassed to wear so much gear. But as I got older, I realized I looked more serious with my gear. Also, I felt more confident going fast, knowing that I had taken protective measures to stay safe.
For beginners, find a safe place to skate. Start on a smooth, level surface, like an empty parking lot or even a tennis court. Be sure to choose a well-lit area with no traffic or obstacles in your way. Avoid skating in the rain as the slippery surface can cause you to fall more easily.
Skate forward and aim for stability, not speed. Get used to starting and stopping. Next, start skating to the right for a few meters, then change direction to the left. Continue this deviation pattern as a practice.
Ultimately, listen to your body and do what’s best for you for your current fitness level.
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8 strategies to help you maintain your strength as you age
Invest in a trainer
Update
A licensed, credentialed trainer can design a custom program and teach you proper form and technique. Get referrals from local gyms and many trainers are now offering virtual workouts. After learning the basics, you can practice on your own.
Get free
Update
Training with free weights, like dumbbells, kettlebells and dumbbells, is often better for building muscle than machines, says Shawn Pedicini, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. “However, the machines are great if you have balance issues or other limitations that make it safer to sit down while weight training,” he says. You can also switch back and forth between free weights and machines depending on the type of exercise and the muscles you are working on.
leg up
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While you need complete workouts that target all of your major muscles, seniors should pay special attention to their leg muscles: quads and hamstrings (in the thighs), glutes (in the buttocks ) and calf muscles. “These are involved in many daily functional movements like squatting and climbing stairs,” says Pedicini. Compound exercises that work different muscles in one motion, such as squats, deadlifts, and lunges, are great for building leg muscles.
Weights, reps, sets
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Pedicini says fewer reps with heavier weights help you gain the most muscle. “An ideal routine would be eight reps for each exercise for a total of three sets.” But you can adjust this as needed. “People with movement issues may need to use lighter weights and do more reps.”
Find your rhythm
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Lifting should be done at a pace of seven seconds. This means three seconds to raise the weight, a one second pause, and three seconds to lower it. If you can’t lift the weight at least eight times, use a lighter weight. When you can comfortably perform eight reps without completely tiring the muscle, increase the weight. “Muscles only get stronger if you keep adding resistance,” says Pedicini.
two days is a lot
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Ideally, you should do strength training at least twice a week. “Two days of full-body training can produce measurable changes in muscle strength,” says Pedicini. You can often feel results after four to six weeks of consistent training.
give him a rest
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Always allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscle recovery. Some people prefer to divide their workouts into two parts: upper body and lower body. In this case, you can perform upper body exercises one day and lower body the next.
Always raise the bar
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Use enough weight so that the last reps of a lifting routine are challenging.
“Remember to constantly challenge yourself as you progress,” says Pedicini. “It’s necessary to get the muscle and strength changes you want and need.”
Stephanie Mansour, host of “Step It Up With Steph” on PBS, is a health and wellness journalist and weight loss consultant and coach for women.
