When it comes to cardio or exercise to aid weight loss, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been proven time and time again to be the most effective training style. And done right, inline skating can be one of the most powerful HIIT training tools at your disposal.
High-intensity interval training consists of short bursts of all-out effort followed by a longer period of exercise at a more moderate pace. The most frequently recommended standard time is 30 seconds of all-out effort followed by 90 seconds of more moderate energy expenditure while you catch your breath and your heart rate drops a bit again. This pattern is repeated over and over again for a total of 15 to 30 minutes and offers many more benefits to the body and weight loss effort than much longer bouts of steady pace aerobics such as jogging.
If you’ve been doing cardio or even HIIT training on a treadmill at home or at the gym, it’s time to consider getting out there and strapping on a pair of inline skates. Running on an electric treadmill to begin with simply involves lifting your feet up and repositioning them as the tread progresses. On inline skates, you have to push back and forth with each step because you’re providing the momentum to move forward, not an electric motor.
Similar to cross-country skiing in this regard, pushing back and forth against the resistance of the road engages the entire posterior chain muscles with each stride. The day after his first 2-3 hour session of inline skating you will be reminded of this, as he will be acutely aware of how effectively he used his hamstrings, glutes and lower back muscles!
Another factor is the weight of your inline skates. Your legs are used to lift your shoes over and over again every day, even when you are jogging or running. However, in most cases, the leg muscles are not used to lift shoes that weigh as much as skates will. It’s not a big deal, but it all helps when you’re looking for conditioning or burning fat, right?
So how do you turn leisurely time on your skates into HIIT training? The first method is the same as standard HIIT training: hill sprints. Find a paved road or street with a hill steep enough that it takes about 30 seconds to get up to max effort levels. Skate with full force up the hill, then slow to a comfortable pace and go a little further, then change direction and skate leisurely back to the bottom of the hill before running back up.
However, the second way can be more interesting and can be practiced anywhere you go on your lines: a path, a track, wherever. After a comfortable warm-up session, assume the stance of an ice speed skater. Lean forward until your upper torso is parallel to the ground and place one hand on your lower back, palm up. Let your free arm hang down and swing it back and forth laterally in front of you in time with your stride for balance.
This maneuver should only be used by experienced inline skaters wearing their full helmet and pads, as you will most likely find yourself going much faster than you are used to. As you get used to proper speed skating form, you will be able to lean forward a bit more, requiring faster and longer strides and moving you even faster. Even the most experienced skaters will be surprised at the oxygen requirements when skating this way, and you will find that you are running out of oxygen very quickly. Stretch and skate comfortably for a minute or two until your heart and breathing slow, then do another 30-second sprint.
One word of warning… Like any extreme exercise session, HIIT training should only be attempted by those who are already somewhat fit. If you are just beginning your path to a fitness lifestyle, take up recreational inline skating until you have practiced your skates well and have reached a better level of fitness. New activities that deplete your oxygen stores can be dangerous, even deadly, until you know how to measure what you can and cannot handle in your current condition. As with all forms of exercise, start light and build up from there!
