1) Body parts: -Heart--cardiovascular benefit (the heart functions as a muscle)
-Lungs--conditioning to increase lung capacity, improve endurance and rid body of toxins
-Thighs--specifically, quadriceps, abductors, hamstrings, and groin muscles
-Hips--gluteals, hip flexors
-Lower leg--shin and calf muscles
-Back--erector spinae and postural stabilizers
-Abdominals--for balance and proprioception
-Overall coordination of body parts working together 2) Warm up and cool down: -Best to do some general warm-up without skates to increase the heart rate and get the
blood flowing--a light jog or calisthenics are a good example (i.e. jumping jacks, jogging in place). A stretching program focusing on the quads, hamstrings, rotation of the spine, shin, calf and hips should then be done to improve flexibility (repeat each stretch 2 times on each leg). Then put your skates on, go for a light skate for 5 minutes and then perform 3-5 minutes of smooth, long strides. Now you are ready to go!
-If your goal is for a specific event or activity (i.e. racing, pacing, tricks), then it is
best to perform the specific movements first in a controlled manner to get the mechanics down. Then increase the intensity as tolerated.
-Following a skating session, nice smooth strides should be done for 3-5 minutes, followed by removal of skates. Then repeat of each of the stretches for 1 repetition on each leg. Don't forget to lube your skates. They need to be "warmed-up" as well. 3) Do It Often: -Skating often will naturally increase your inline skills.
-As with any form of cardiovascular conditioning, increased frequency equals increased fitness.
-A person burns a high rate of calories while inline skating which can result in
decreased body fat. One will notice changes occur in the musculature and power of the legs. The overall cardiovascular benefits are similar to running without the impact and jarring on the body. 4) The heart and knees: -The heart is the strongest muscle in the body and is one of the few that is
controlled involuntarily. As a result, it needs to be worked out in ways that we know will exercise it. Cardiovascular conditioning like inline skating increases the bodies heart rate commensurately, thus improving its strength. The harder you skate, the higher your heart rate goes. The more arm movement and swing that is incorporated into the strides, the higher the heart rate goes as well.
-The knees need to be strengthened as well and what skating does is decreases the pounding on the knees. The smooth strides and lateral strengthening utilizes muscles in a more controlled and safer manner to the knees then running, for instance. Skating also works on balance and proprioception, which is the body's ability to know what the limbs are doing without looking at them. By improving these components, one can decrease the risk for injury. 5) Cross training: -Downhill skiers will enjoy this as a different avenue of cross training--especially hill work.
-Hockey players and figure skaters will also benefit from the dry land option.
-Sports that emphasize/utilize leg strength, balance/proprioception, and agility will best benefit your skating. Tennis, step aerobics, weight training, kayaking, surfing and wind surfing are some examples of this.