In the 1990s, inline skating was the trend that swept from the United States to Germany. Everywhere you looked, children, teenagers, and adults were working out on wheels. In the meantime, many new trend sports have emerged, and inline skating has faded a little into the background. Today we’re bringing the trend back and showing you what a great, versatile and, above all, health-promoting sport inline skating is.
Fit on wheels
Inline skating activates and strengthens a wide range of muscle groups through its smooth, flowing movements, especially the muscles in the legs, core/abs, glutes and back. The pelvis and hip area are trained as well, which helps improve spinal stability. Swinging your arms along with the movement can also reduce mild tension in the shoulders and neck.
And that’s not all: The movement patterns on skates, which are rather unusual in everyday life, require a certain amount of coordination, balance and flexibility. So if you can skate confidently, you’re also building coordination and mobility. In general, inline skating is an endurance sport and therefore strengthens the cardiovascular system, just like running, cycling or other endurance activities.
On top of that, an intense inline skating session can burn a lot of calories and help you stay slim in the long term. One major advantage of inline skating compared with many other endurance sports is that the even, consistent motion can be gentle on the joints, especially the knees. Of course, this applies only if you use proper technique.
Skate your stress away
In addition to its physical benefits, inline skating also keeps you mentally fit. Most people skate outdoors on well-paved pedestrian paths or quiet side streets. Since other road users are often around, such as pedestrians, playing children or cyclists, you need a certain level of reaction speed and concentration. That way you can avoid obstacles and help prevent accidents or putting others at risk.
Focusing on the route ahead also makes it easier to switch off mentally and forget everyday worries and stress for a while. What’s more, this trendy endurance sport improves oxygen uptake in the body, which means the brain is supplied with oxygen more effectively as well. This supports mental performance.
And of course, inline skating is fun. Whether alone or in a group, moving on wheels brings joy. Exercising outdoors is a real mood booster anyway.
Our tips for getting started with inline skating
So, as we can see: Inline skating is a great full-body workout that leaves no area of the body behind. Still, because skating often involves relatively high speeds, it does come with risks. According to one study, the accident rate is 12 injured people per 1,000 active inline skaters, comparable to the risk in ball sports, mountain biking and snowboarding. As a result of accidents, bruises, fractures and sprains are common, especially to the wrists/hands and knees. Given the relatively high accident rate, the joint-friendly aspect of inline skating can therefore become less prominent.
To help you avoid injuries, here are a few tips for more safety when inline skating:
- Wear protective gear: To reduce the severity of injuries in case of a fall, full protective equipment is strongly recommended: a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist/hand guards.
- Master your technique: It’s not only important to skate with solid technique to avoid poor loading and muscle tension. Braking is essential too, because of the higher speed. There are many different braking techniques you should practice before heading onto public streets and paths. Everyone needs to find which braking method helps them stop best.
You should also practice falling safely. The best fall technique is to drop onto your protected knees and then use your protected hands, with fingers extended, as support. The elbows, also protected, should be the third point of contact. By practicing this regularly, you’re more likely to react automatically in a real emergency situation.
By the way: There are many inline skating courses where professionals can teach you all of these technical skills. - Choose your route carefully: Smooth, even asphalt is best. Wet, oily, sandy, dusty paths, gravel and uneven surfaces should be avoided because they increase the risk of falling. So, before you start your workout, think about which route you want to skate.
- Follow traffic rules and skate defensively: In Germany, inline skaters are subject to the same rules as pedestrians. This means inline skaters generally have to use the sidewalk or the roadside/shoulder, as long as it is suitable for skating. Because of the higher speed, inline skaters should also always skate defensively to avoid unwanted encounters with other road users.
Just give it a try!
If you’re ready to prepare carefully for inline skating, wear protective gear regularly and skate defensively at all times, you can set off toward plenty of fun, movement and improved physical and mental fitness. How about a nice skate on a spring-like day? Have fun!
Further information on the topic can be found here:
Muehlbauer, T., Kuehnen, M., & Granacher, U. (2013). Inline skating for balance and strength promotion in children during physical education. Perceptual and motor skills, 117(3), 665–681. https://doi.org/10.2466/30.06.PMS.117x29z9
Orepic, P., Mikulic, P., Soric, M., Ruzic, L., & Markovic, G. (2014). Acute physiological responses to recreational in-line skating in young adults. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(Suppl 1), S25–S31. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2011.638936