Inline Skating — Let the Good Times Roll

Health Benefits of Inline Skating

As a form of fitness, it's hard to argue with the benefits of inline skating, regardless of your fitness level or athletic ability. It not only boosts your cardiovascular endurance and works more muscle groups, it does it with up to 50% less impact on your joints than running. So what are you waiting for?

Develop New Muscle Groups (Great for Skiers!)

It's a Fun Way to Burn Calories
Aerobically, inline skating is a great combination of fun and work. And though it may not burn quite as many calories as running (which doesn't allow coasting), that's offset by the lower impact. For instance, a 160-pound man skating at a brisk pace, maintaining a heart rate of 148 beats per minute, will burn about approximately 285 calories per half-hour. Compare that with running or cycling, which burn 350 and 360 calories respectively.

Of course, the harder or faster you skate, the more calories you can burn. Factoring in a heart rate of 148 beats per minute, interval training (alternating periods of hard skating with easy skating) can burn up to 450 calories in 30 minutes. But remember, never skate beyond your limits. If you don't yet have the skills and techniques to skate in certain conditions or at certain speeds, don't. The same holds true for your general physical condition and fitness level. Don't push too hard too soon.

In addition to its aerobic benefits, inline skating offers more anaerobic (muscle building) benefits than running or cycling, by building hip and thigh muscles that are not worked while running or cycling. Inline skating develops not only those muscles in your upper leg (including, but not limited to, your inner and outer thigh muscles), it also develops muscles in your rear end, hips and lower back. Even the muscles in your upper arms and shoulders can get a workout when you vigorously swing your arms while skating.

Different Styles Of Skating

Recreational Skating
Many inline skaters just skate to have fun, get exercise and meet other skaters. You'll see them in the school parking lot, on jogging paths and bike trails, or skating up and down your neighborhood streets.

Hockey
Inline hockey continues to grow in popularity and now has more participants than ice hockey. This group of inline skaters uses the same equipment as ice hockey players, and they usually skate indoors, on smooth rinks. Even their skates are similar to those used by professional ice hockey players.

Fitness/Cross-Training
Modern inline skating developed primarily as cross-training for ice hockey players. But since those early days, many athletes have been skating for fitness in a variety of ways. Interval training, long-distance skating, sprints and even hill-climbing can all be part of a good cardiovascular fitness program. Recent studies have also shown that inline skating can burn almost as many calories as running, with much less impact on your joints.

Cross
Cross skates are for all-terrain use, whether on mountain bike trails, ski slopes or any open terrain. Each skate consists of a shelled, double boot on a long steel platform with two 10-inch-diameter rubber tires. Not only are they skates, but they can also be used as cross-country striding skis or to carve downhill or Telemark turns for year-round training. They are typically used in conjunction with ski poles.

Aggressive Skating
You've seen them; those gravity-defying extreme skaters catching lots of air, wearing long baggy shorts and doing all those impossible-looking flips and jumps and rail slides. These guys may look unconventional, but in truth, they're specialized athletes, pushing the envelope of an evolving sport. Note: Aggressive skating equipment is very specialized, and skates, wheels and protective gear must be extra-strong to withstand the rigors of this demanding sport.

Racing
Inline racers usually skate on five-wheel skates with large, high-grade wheels and precision bearings. The goal, obviously, is to go as fast as possible and beat other skaters. But it's not all that simple--racing requires a high degree of physical fitness, technical skill and racing proficiency. Only experienced skaters need apply.

Learn to Skate Clinics

Take Some Lessons!
When it comes to learning inline skating, many people just wing it. But if you start out with lessons from a certified instructor, you'll progress more quickly and learn the fundamentals correctly. Even if you already know how to skate, an instructor can help you unlearn bad habits or techniques. To find a certified instructor in your area, call the International Inline Skating Association at (910) 762-7004, or visit their website at www.iisa.org. (REI recommends you take your lessons from an IISA-certified instructor, as they all teach the same safe, proven skill-building techniques).

While You're Learning, Follow These Golden Rules:

• Always recognize your limits and skate within them.
• Develop your skills on level surfaces, not hills.
• Perfect your braking skills first (see below).
• Learn on a flat surface that's free of debris or cracks, such as an empty parking lot, tennis court or basketball court.
• Your goal is to master the basics: striding, stopping and turning.
  
  

1. Roll slowly forward on both feet, your posture upright and knees relaxed and slightly bent.
2. Stagger (scissor) your right foot forward several inches while maintaining your posture.
3. Still scissoring your feet, lift the right toe up until you feel the brake engage (rub against) the skating surface. Keep your knees and ankles flexed and relaxed. It takes a while to stop completely.
4. Be patient. It takes some practice to learn how to stop consistently well. Don't go down hills or into areas with traffic until you become confident in your ability to stop.
   
   

Protective Gear

Safety
You've probably heard a skating story or two about broken bones and bloody knees. Well, it's true that no sport is without its risks. But when you gear up and follow the rules of the road, inline skating can be one of the safest sports around. A recent study pointed out that only 7% of injured inline skaters had been wearing full gear. What's more, 82% of elbow injuries and 87% of wrist injuries could have been prevented by gearing up. The message is clear—wearing full gear prevents most injuries.

Helmets
Head injuries are probably the least common inline skating injury, but their potential for causing serious medical, social and financial consequences should bring them the most respect. Don't mess around! Wear a helmet (bike helmets are recommended) every minute you're on skates. Helmets must fit securely and be buckled to be effective. For maximum protection, you should always position your helmet so that the front of the helmet comes down to just a finger's width above the eyebrows.

Knee and Elbow Pads
Made of rugged plastic and attached to the body with stretch fabric, protective knee and elbow pads are a smart way to protect against injury to your joints. For instance, knee pads can be used as the first point of impact in the event of a fall—they help prevent injuries by allowing you to slide forward when you hit the pavement, thereby dissipating energy that could otherwise be playing havoc with your bones. By redistributing the force of a fall in this way, knee pads also reduce the risk of injuries to elbows and wrists. Meanwhile, elbow pads serve to protect your elbows during sideways falls.

Wrist Guards
The most common inline injury is breaking or hyper-extending your wrist, injuries which can occur during falls on outstretched arms. By holding the wrist firmly against 1 or 2 stiff plastic or metal plates, wrist guards protect against such injuries. The hard plastic guards also prevent the wrist from coming into direct contact with the hard skating surface and allows the skater to slide during a fall, dissipating the energy of the fall and reducing the force of impact. Recently, research has shown that wrist guards offer virtually complete protection against lacerations, sprains and strains.

"Automatic" Brakes
A few inline skate models include automatic braking technology. This allows you to activate a hand-held device that slides your brake skate down, without having to tilt your toe. Another system positions rubber brake pads on each side of the rear skate wheels and clamps them together to achieve disc-brake-type stopping power. However, to be a truly safe skater, we recommend that you also take the time to learn how to brake effectively with your toe.

Skate Smart

Watch for Hazards
Don't skate on wet pavement—it's dangerous and can damage your skates. Also, watch for sand, sticks, leaves, gravel, oil, soft tar, wet spots and grates. If a hazard is unavoidable, step over it or crouch low and coast straight through with your weight on your heels.

Respect Traffic

• Consider yourself to be subject to the same laws and obligations as a bicyclist or the driver of an automobile.
• Skate with the direction of traffic.
• Obey all traffic regulations.
• In addition to being aware of traffic in front of and behind you, make sure they're aware of you—wear reflective gear and lights in low light.
• Cars and bikes are unpredictable—always allow plenty of space between you and them.
• Look at the driver, not just the car, to predict its path.
• Anticipate opening car doors.
  
  

• Always yield to pedestrians.
• Where possible pass behind pedestrians, cyclists and other skaters who cross your path—accidents and misunderstandings are less likely.
• Don't wear headphones while skating (you need to hear traffic).
• Always keep to the right, and pass on the left.
• Announce your intentions by saying, "passing on your left".
• Skate under control at all times.
  
  

Skating Workouts

What is Interval Training?
When you skate at the same level of effort for long periods, your body gets used to that level of work and it starts to behave more efficiently, burning calories more slowly. That's why it's better to skate in intervals, that is, constantly altering your skating pace. In this way, you keep your body from falling into a comfort zone. Skate with a burst of intense effort and follow that with a recovery period that allows you to get rested enough to do the next burst. Repeat these "intervals" in varying "cycles" and you've got a workout that will increase your cardiovascular endurance and muscle stamina, and burn more calories.


Interval Training Definitions
Effort interval:The period of time during which you work harder than your continuous-training (steady-state) effort level.
Recovery interval:The period of time following the effort interval during which you work at an intensity somewhat below your continuous-training effort level.
Continuous training:Mid-level effort that can be maintained longer than 5 minutes.
Cycle:An effort interval followed by a recovery interval.
Maximum heart rate:To calculate your maximum heart rate (measured in beats per minute), subtract your age from 220 and multiply by 0.75.


Interval Training Workout Plans
Precede each workout with a warm-up of at least 5-10 minutes and follow each training session with a cool-down of at least 5 minutes. The following are a couple of examples (among many) of workout regimens. For additional workout plans, you can also check out books and videos about online skating. Or, you can experiment to create workouts that match your fitness level, general health and inline skating experience.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is recommended that you start with aerobic interval training and progress to more intense anaerobic intervals as your fitness improves.

Example 1: Aerobic interval training
Work at about 80-85% of your maximum heart rate, and follow these effort (high-intensity) segments with a recovery period of about the same length as the effort interval. Work hard, but not to the point where your legs start to burn and lose steam. Total time for these cycles should generally be between 6 and 10 minutes.

Example 2: Anaerobic interval training
During your effort (high-intensity) segments, work for 30-90 seconds at 85% (or higher) of your maximum heart rate. Because this is an anaerobic workout, your goal is to build muscle, so you want to push yourself from leg-burn to near exhaustion. Follow each of these effort intervals with a recovery period lasting 2-3 times as long as the high-intensity segment (up to 4.5 minutes). The total time of each anaerobic interval/recovery period should be between 1.5 and 6 minutes. The recovery periods should be as long as you need to recover from your continuous-training level.