Besides giving a great aerobic workout, in-line skating also helps you get long and lean legs and tones your rear in no time.
In–line skating is one of the best forms of exercise for toning the muscles in your legs and buttocks. It burns about 400 calories an hour, but is less stressful on your joints and organs than high–impact exercises like running. It’s a great aerobic exercise because you can get your heart rate up for a long time. It helps tone your core body, because your abs and back are engaged even when you’re just standing there balancing on skates.
Start with low-grade bearing (the grade of the ball bearings inside the wheels controls the speed of the skate). The lower the grade, the slower the skate; and that’s good thing for beginners. Speedy, high-grade bearings are harder to control, especially when stepping up on a kerb or going downhill. Once you get the hang of the low-grade bearings, you can move up.
Always wear protective equipment: elbow and knee pads, light gloves, helmets, and wrist guards.
Don’t forget to stretch –both before and after a skating session.
Before your first time out, take an inline skating course to learn the basics.
Choose durable skates that match your needs, whether you exercise infrequently or race. Your plans will determine the type of skate you should buy.
For proper ankle support, feel the plastic of the boot: if you can squeeze it, the material is not strong enough to give you reliable support.
When buying skates, take socks to the store with you to ensure a proper fit, or buy the socks there.
Begin skating with a five-minute, slow skate to warm up; you will be less likely to tear muscles.
Start skating gradually on level ground. Practice moving forward, and ease into skating.
While skating, keep knees slightly bent, which will lower your center of gravity and keep your body balanced on the balls of your feet.
Practice stopping by bringing the foot with the heel stop forward until the heel stop is next to the toe of the other foot. Gently bend your front knee while lifting your toes up. This motion will bring you to a stop. This is known as the "heel stop." There are other stopping methods, such as T-stop and power stop, as well as several ways to slow down, for example, snowplowing and running on the grass.
Check skates regularly to make sure they are in good condition. Replace worn wheels and the brake. Make sure the wheels are securely tightened and are not blocked by debris or grass.
For more info, download In-Line Skating, a free ebook.
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