If you ask a skateboarder about their skating experience, they will tell you it is the best experience of their lives! While you can’t argue with that, is skateboarding good for losing weight? This is a question most people from skateboarding culture often wonder. To keep it short, the answer is yes. Skateboarding, in fact, is an excellent form of exercise.
While skating, you have to concentrate on your balance, your posture, crouching style, etc., to keep pushing the board forward. Besides cruising, you can perform unique tricks and movements with a skateboard. It means more body involvement and more exhaustion, which we can equalize as an intense workout.
Who Can Skateboard?
At first, glance, riding on a skateboard for the first time may seem scary to some. But this sport is actually pretty fun if you enjoy it. While it is a popular activity among teens, there is no age limit to learn skateboarding. It doesn’t require you to have specific fitness as well. As long as you can stand on and direct the board, you are good to go.
To start your journey, all you need is a good quality skateboard. It can be a regular type or an electric one or a cruiser. Once you learn the basics of skateboarding, you will be more comfortable on your board. So, if you think you are too old for skating, don’t sweat on that! Just grab yourself a skateboard and start learning. If you are not cut out for it, you will know for sure!
While people may take skateboarding issues in society more seriously than necessary, you shouldn’t worry about it and do what you want to do.
Is Skateboarding A Good Workout?
While you can use different types of skateboard or longboard exercises to make you stronger, some may still be thinking, is skateboarding good cardio for your body? To clear your confusion, in simple words, skating can be considered an extreme cardio workout. According to the professor of exercise science, Michele Olson, skateboarding works like spinning or jumping rope.
The purpose of cardio exercises is to increase your heart rate via aerobic activities. Along with cycling and swimming, skateboarding does that very conveniently. You don’t have to attempt any tricky movements. You can just push around the board on a flat surface to quicken your cardiac system. Thus, you can burn around 8-12 calories per minute.
This sport can also help you develop body muscles like glutes, hamstrings, lower back, etc. The key to managing balance on the board is to keep your spine aligned with your back.
Social Benefits of Skateboarding
- Skateboarding is a reasonably affordable hobby, and you don’t have to spend much on buying the Skateboard. And with proper maintenance, your Skateboard can last a long time.
- You can develop your coordination abilities and flexibility with time. Instead of sitting around at your home doing nothing, you can improve your balance and core strength by doing fun tricks with a simple skateboard!
- The more you get comfortable riding your board, the more confidence you get in yourself. Imagine yourself performing Ollie, where you rise high with your board, followed by the perfect landing. This ought to give you some sense of accomplishment, which is good for your mental health.
- You get to meet similar minded people when skating in groups. While skating together, you can also discuss your passion with them. It is a great chance to make friends in the skateboarding community.
- Several competitions on skateboarding are held all over the year. If you are skilled enough, you can compete and can earn money as well.
- Skateboarding is an excellent rendition of refreshment and cardio exercise. It means you can have fun while increasing your physical fitness and stamina.
- Skateboarding isn’t just pushing a board front and back by your foot. It is a form of art that requires lots of dedication and passion from the skater. You can show your creativity and individuality through different tricks, giving you a chance to be extraordinary.
Disadvantages of Skateboarding
- Skateboarding can be a bit hard to learn if you are not well coordinated.
- Due to constant moving and pushing, it can exhaust you pretty quickly.
- If you don’t get the move after a few trials, you may feel frustration for your failure.
- Finding a skate park around your area can be troublesome.
- No matter how skilled you are, falling from a skateboard is inevitable. Therefore, getting injured during skating is quite common.
- Skateboarding requires a lot of your time. If you want to be a skilled skateboarder, you have to manage it with your daily schedule.
- Learning the tricks can be challenging for some people. Hence, people get frustrated and stop trying relatively soon.
How to Lose Weight with Just a Skateboard?
Obesity has become a common problem in our life. Being overweight can cause harm to our mind and body. But if you get a fun opportunity like skateboarding to lose that extra fat, you sure are going to grab it. But can you effectively lose weight from skateboarding? The answer would be, yes, you definitely can by following some simple tips!
Set A Goal:
First, you have to fix a fitness goal for yourself. Before you plan to lose weight with your Skateboard, target a specific number of pounds you want to lose. However, as a beginner, try it for a few days and then decide if you intend to continue or not.
Practice A Lot:
Skateboarding totally depends on how skilled you are, and lack of practice means more chance of injuries. Hence, if you are thinking about How-to-Lose-Weight-in-10-Days with your Skateboard, learn how to do it properly. And for that, you have to keep practicing whenever you can. However, don’t go over the board and let your body rest from time to time.
Get A Partner:
You can go solo after you learn all the aspects of doing a workout while skating. But it would be best if you didn’t attempt it alone at first. Plus, having a partner in the workout session is always fun and motivational. Moreover, you can adapt more techniques and skills from observing another skateboarder.
Be Safe:
Take proper precautions for safety by wearing the necessary protective gear. Also, try to wear breathable clothing to ensure a comfortable workout.
Skateboard Weight Limit
Many of us are curious about how much weight can a Skateboard hold? Well, the weight of the skateboarder doesn’t matter unless you are incredibly overweight. The manufacturer and the quality of the board material are also significant aspects here. Other than the maple wood ones, a skateboard can take up a lot of pressure.
So, don’t freak out about your weight but instead focus on your ability to maneuver the board. Besides, you will automatically lose weight if you continue skateboarding. But keep in mind, the more your weight is, the harder you will fall.
What Muscles Does Skateboarding Work?
While skateboarding, your body muscles, including your core and the upper/lower legs, work a lot. The most used muscles are
- Core muscles are the best way to increase stability and strength while skateboarding. It helps you to balance your body when you are on the Skateboard. This one is the most vital part you use during skating.
- Quadriceps, a muscle group of four that construct the thigh front. They help to extend the knee and flexing the hip joint
- Hamstrings help to bend your knees and bring the calves to your thigh. It basically works to balance the lower center of gravity while moving your body to a low stance.
- Gluteus Maximus is the strongest and the central extensor muscle of the hip. This one makes sure you can move your thigh and hip to maintain balance.
- Lower and upper legs
Does Skateboarding Burn Belly Fat?
Yes, it is! You do exercise to burn calories, and skateboarding does the same. However, the number of burning calories will depend on your speed, the strength you are using, and the time you spend skating each day. The more intense your activities are, the more you can lose weight by skateboarding.
Final Words
Skateboard is an effective form of exercise, without a doubt. So, if you are still wondering is skateboarding good for losing weight, you should just give it a try to see yourself. After you spend a dedicated amount of time skating, you will see the difference right away. Not only you will lose weight, but also get more stamina and strength.
However, no matter how skilled or new you are at skating, you must follow some skateboarding laws. For a safe skating experience, you should wear protective gear as well. While many skateboarders prefer not to wear the gear, a beginner should never skip their protective equipment. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself on your Skateboard, would you?
