Amazing Health Benefits of Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a rigorous cardio workout that helps develop key muscles. Some of the muscles that you build while skateboarding include your hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower back, and abs.

Not only is skateboarding an excellent cardio workout, but it can also improve your balance and coordination. However, there are many other health benefits of skateboarding.

1. Prevents Heart Disease 

Exercise, including skateboarding, helps prevent heart disease by building a stronger cardiovascular system. Skateboarding is actually included as a cardio exercise, engaging and challenging your cardiovascular system.

Professor of Exercise Science at Auburn University, Michele Olson Ph.D., compares the health and fitness benefits of skateboarding to jumping rope and spinning. The exercise from skateboarding includes pacing and explosive efforts.

Even if you’re just pushing the board around without doing tricks you can accelerate your cardiovascular system, burning 8 to 12 calories per minute.

Skateboarding also helps to develop key core muscles that you need for many other tasks, sports, and activities.

2. Physical Endurance

Although skateboarding may not seem like an extremely physical activity, it is. If you spend a few hours everyday skateboarding, you will see a tremendous increase in your physical endurance and stamina.

You don’t even need to be doing tricks! Challenge yourself by skateboarding long distances. You’ll make the journey a lot more fun and rewarding by skateboarding both up and down hills. 

But let’s be real, going down hills is much more fun than skating up them.

3. Relieves And Manages Stress

Everyone gets stressed from time to time. Whether you’re stressed from personal or professional issues, you can help reduce your stress and boost your mood by picking up a skateboard.

Like many other sports, skateboarding is an amazing way to reduce your levels of stress.

Keep in mind that in order to effectively lower your stress you must exercise for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes per day.

Pro Tip: Skateboarding can lead to injuries if it’s not done properly. Here are some essential skateboarding tips for beginners.

4. Improves Coordination

It’s true that skateboarding requires coordination of your entire body. When skateboarding, your eyes, hands, and feet must work together and remain coordinated or you could end up taking a tumble or getting injured.

The good news is that by practicing, you will improve the coordination of your entire body. And when all of your limbs are coordinated together, you can perform all sorts of sports and activities with higher efficiency.

Keep in mind that you should also always skateboard with proper protective gear. It can save you from suffering from some pretty serious injuries.

5. Burn Calories And Lose Weight

One of the health benefits of skateboarding that most people really enjoy is that it burns calories and helps you lose weight. 

The exact amount of calories burned really depends on the terrain, intensity, and whether or not you’re performing tricks. However, the average amount of calories burned from 1 hour of skateboarding is 350 to 575 calories.

As we now know, skateboarding has many health benefits but what muscles do you build while skateboarding?

What Muscles Does Skateboarding Work?

“Just getting out and skating engages several large muscles — the calves, hamstrings and quads — and even the arches in the feet,” said Dr. Olson. “It may look dangerous to us, but it’s just a motor learning skill that has a sequence to it.”

Skateboarders develop strong leg and core muscles. They also burn quite a few calories. This is achieved through balancing, pushing, jumping, sliding, and all sorts of motions that encourage the entire body to move.

Skateboarding builds cardio and core strength, improves flexibility, and fully develops coordination and balance. 

Once the skateboarding fundamentals are learned, it can become a lifelong sport that is as challenging or relaxing as the skater decides to make it.

Conclusion

If you are looking to do some cardio, build core strength, and lose a few calories, then skateboarding is a great way to start. 

If you already enjoy skateboarding, then there are several fitness benefits that can be added to your skateboarding routine.