Inline skating for fitness is a good plan. But you must prepare for this plan, because skating requires some existing strength, endurance and flexibility to start and a lot more to become a good skater.
Strengthen Your Legs
Skating puts enormous demands on your leg muscles. Squats for the buns and lunges for the thighs will develop your hip and butt muscles, as well as your quads and hamstrings. All the power needed for your inline skating stride comes from these muscles. Consider adding leg extensions and leg curls to your workout for a more thorough leg routine, if you are planning to do more than just recreational skating.
Strengthen Your Back and Core
Fast skating with a low aerodynamic posture to get more push from each stride will put a strain on your lower back muscles. You can keep these muscles strong by balancing your lower body development with upper body work including push-ups, stomach crunches or an upper body workout at a gym. These things will help stabilize your torso by strengthening your core.
Stretch Everything
Be sure to stretch all of your muscles before and after skating so they won’t get too tight, to increase range of motion and to prevent injuries to muscles.
Build Your Stamina
Skating requires endurance, so cardio exercise will help build stamina for inline skating. Walk, run, ride your bike, use a stepper or do some aerobics on days when you can't skate.
Get a Physical
If you are over 35, you should check with your doctor before starting inline skating or other similar activities.If you are over 65 years old, get a physical examination to make sure there are no existing conditions that need consideration or restrictions to your inline activities.
Respect Your Own Limitations
Every skater has a limit. Listen to your doctor and pay attention to the messages your body sends, too. Do not ignore recurring pains, cramps or other signs that your body needs maintenance or even repairs.
