“INLINE SKATING - A GREAT WORKOUT!!”
Inline skating as a form
of exercise is as beneficial as running or cycling,
according to Dr. Carl Foster, associate professor of
medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School
and coordinator of sports medicine and sports science
for the United States Speed Skating Team. A
fitness study completed for Rollerblade, Inc. measured
how inline skating compares as a form of exercise to
running or cycling, in terms of caloric expenditure,
as well as aerobic and anaerobic benefits.
Inline Skating Calories Burned Per Minute
Oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood rate was measured
in eleven volunteers. All of which were competent inline
skaters. During four different workouts: running, cycling,
30 minutes of steady inline skating and an incremental
inline skating workout, in which the participants skated
one mile four times at progressively increasing velocities
(paced by a bicycle). Results of the study are as follows:
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Caloric expenditure
During a 30-minute period: On the average, inline skating
at a steady comfortable rate expends 285 calories and
produces a heart rate of 148 beats per minute.Interval
skating, (alternating one minute of hard skating in
a tuck position with one minute of easy skating in an
upright position) expends 450 calories in 30 minutes.
Running and cycling expend 350 and 360 calories respectively,
at a heart rate of 148 beats per minute. In general,
the faster/harder one skates, the faster one burns calories.
Aerobic benefits
Aerobic tests measure how the heart and the lungs work
together. Inline skating was found to be a better aerobic
workout than cycling, but not as good as running. This
is because it is easier to coast while cycling than
while skating, and impossible to coast while running.
Inline skaters can increase their aerobic workout by
skating harder or skating uphill. (NOTE: Skaters should
master speed control for skating downhill prior to engaging
in an uphill workout.)
Anaerobic benefits
Anaerobic benefits determine how well a workout strengthens
and develops muscles. In general, a person who is working
out wants to burn fat, not muscle. Studies show that
women who use diet only to reduce weight may lose 40
percent of their weight from muscle tissue.
Anaerobically, inline skating was found to be more beneficial
than both running and cycling, because it is intrinsically
easier and more natural for building hip and thigh muscles
that are not developed in the other two forms of exercise.
Unlike cycling, inline skating develops hamstring muscles.
And unlike running, inline skating is a low-impact activity.
A separate study conducted at the Human Performance
Laboratory at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota
found that inline skating develops muscles in the entire
upper leg, rear end and hip, as well as the lower back.
Muscles in the upper arms and shoulders are also developed
when arms are swung vigorously while skating.
Article Courtesy of Rollerblade, Inc.
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