How Effective is Roller Skating as Part of a Workout Plan?

No matter where you are in your fitness journey, it's important that you find a way to keep your workouts fun and exciting. When staying in shape becomes a chore it can be much more difficult to stay on track with your fitness goals. Nowadays, there is no shortage of ways to keep fit while having fun, challenging yourself and trying something new and unique.

In recent years more and more people are dusting off their old roller skates as an effective way to keep fit. Roller-skating has seen a huge resurgence in recent years and with good reason. Not only does rolling around on eight wheels help to keep you fit but it's a great way to spend time outdoors with your friends and family while having heaps of fun. For fitness fanatics, roller skating is a great way to mix up your workouts, try something different and stay in shape while having a great time. 

Let's take a look at just a few reasons that you should consider adding roller skating to your workout plan going forward. 

Perfect For Cross-Training

Whether you're a runner, cyclist, swimmer, rugby player, dancer, or you are involved in any other sports, you will know the importance of cross-training. Using the same muscles all the time can lead to injuries and to minimise your risk of being sidelined by a repetitive stress injury, you need to cross-train with a different activity. Roller skating is an ideal low-impact cross-training exercise that will help add some variety to your workouts while allowing you to rest sore muscles and joints. 

Great Cardio Workout

If you spend a lot of time in the gym focusing on strength and resistance training, you will need to balance this effort with some cardio training. Rather than spending hours pounding away on the treadmill or putting in time on a stationary bike, why not get out of the gym and try something new. Roller-skating can give you an excellent cardio workout, helping you to raise your heart rate to improve your endurance. 

Improve Balance And Coordination 

One of the most important aspects of roller-skating is learning how to keep your balance. Although it might take a little practice, most people will be skating confidently soon after pulling on their skates. As you progress your skating, your balance and coordination will naturally improve over time. Skating requires you to engage your core, hold good posture and work to keep your body upright while you are moving which will give you a great workout. 

Build Strength And Power

Roller-skating is a full-body workout, requiring the use of multiple muscle groups at the same time to propel you safely from A to B. Implementing skating in your workout regime is an excellent way to build lean muscle mass in your legs, arms and abdominal area. Roller skating is a lot like jogging in that it can help you to reduce body fat while building strength in your legs, glutes, arms and core as you push yourself along, maintaining your balance. Building strength in this way will help you to protect your joints, avoid injuries and stay on track to your fitness targets. 

Include Roller Skating As Part Of Your Fitness Routine

Roller-skating is the perfect low-impact activity to add to your workout routine. Fun and exciting, roller skating can help you to build lean muscle, decrease your body fat, improve your balance and get an excellent cardio workout. What's more, skating is a social activity, making it an excellent way to meet new people or spend time with your friends and family trying something new. Try adding roller-skating to your workout routine to mix up your exercise regime and bring a new dimension to your training.