Quick Answer
The average person burns between 200-400 calories roller skating for 30 minutes. The exact number of calories burned depends on factors like your weight, intensity, and skating style. Roller skating is considered a vigorous activity that can help raise your heart rate and burn a significant number of calories in a short time.
How Many Calories Does Roller Skating Burn?
Roller skating is an excellent cardio and calorie-burning exercise. Here’s a look at how many calories a 155 lb (70 kg) person can expect to burn from 30 minutes of roller skating:
- Leisurely skating: 200 calories
- Moderate, steady pace: 300 calories
- Fast skating with stops/starts: 400 calories
The more vigorous the skating, the more calories burned. Elite competitive roller skaters may burn over 600 calories in 30 minutes of intense training.
These estimates are for a 155 lb person. Heavier people burn more calories in absolute terms, but the number of calories burned per pound of body weight is similar for most adults.
Calorie Burn Formula
A standard formula used by exercise physiologists to estimate calorie burn from roller skating is:
Calories burned = (MET x body weight in kg x 3.5) ÷ 200
Where:
– MET = Metabolic equivalent of task – 6 MET for moderate pace roller skating
– Body weight in kg
– 3.5 = Constant that converts 1 kg to 1 liter of oxygen
– 200 = Approximate number of calories in 1 liter of oxygen
For example, a 70 kg (155 lb) person roller skating at a moderate pace (6 MET) would burn:
(6 x 70 x 3.5) ÷ 200 = 294 calories per 30 minutes
Factors That Increase Calorie Burn
Several factors can increase the number of calories burned roller skating:
- Higher intensity – Faster skating burns more calories per minute
- Greater body weight – Heavier people burn more calories for the same exercise duration
- Hills or intervals – Roller skating up hills or incorporating high intensity intervals burns extra calories
- Experience level – Beginners burn more calories as their muscles work harder to balance and control movements
Increasing the intensity and duration are the two most effective ways to maximize your calorie burn.
Calories Burned Roller Skating vs. Running, Cycling, and Other Activities
How does roller skating compare to other popular cardio exercises? Here’s an overview of estimated calories burned per 30 minutes for a 155 lb (70 kg) person:
| Exercise | Calories Burned (30 min) |
|---|---|
| Roller skating (leisurely) | 200 calories |
| Roller skating (moderate pace) | 300 calories |
| Roller skating (fast) | 400 calories |
| Running (5 mph) | 295 calories |
| Running (6 mph) | 355 calories |
| Cycling (leisurely) | 210 calories |
| Cycling (moderate) | 295 calories |
| Swimming (freestyle, moderate) | 300 calories |
Roller skating calorie burn is similar to running at a moderate pace or cycling at a steady tempo. The impact on the joints is lower than running, making skating a recommended cross-training activity.
Roller skating offers variety to your workout routine and allows you to burn calories outdoors or at the skating rink. It can be done year-round, providing a fun way to maintain your fitness.
Tips to Burn More Calories Roller Skating
Here are some tips to maximize your calorie burn while roller skating:
- Maintain a brisk pace and take strong strides
- Incorporate interval training by alternating between fast and slower skating
- Add upper body movements like pumping your arms
- Include hills or ramps whenever possible
- Wear proper safety gear so you can skate with confidence
- Skate for longer durations to burn more total calories
- Track your speed, distance, and calories with a fitness tracker
Engaging your upper body while keeping up a vigorous pace will result in a higher intensity workout. Set new calorie burn goals each week and use interval training to challenge yourself.
Health and Fitness Benefits of Roller Skating
Beyond burning calories, regular roller skating provides many excellent health and fitness benefits:
- Improved cardiovascular fitness – Strengthens the heart and lungs
- Increased muscle endurance – Tones the glutes, quads, core, and upper body
- Weight loss – Effective calorie-burning exercise for losing weight
- Reduced body fat – Helps decrease overall body fat percentage
- Improved coordination – Challenges balance and agility
- Mental health benefits – Provides stress relief and mood boost
Roller skating works the whole body while keeping you mobile and outdoors. It allows you to get an excellent cardio workout that burns fat and calories without the high-impact of running.
It’s a low-cost exercise that can be done year-round either indoors or outside. Roller skating helps improve coordination and balance as you stride and turn on wheels. It provides enjoyment and mental health benefits associated with outdoor exercise.
Is Roller Skating an Effective Weight Loss Exercise?
Roller skating is absolutely an effective exercise for weight loss. Any activity that significantly increases your heart rate and calorie burn can help facilitate weight loss when combined with a healthy diet.
Here’s a recap of how roller skating contributes to weight loss:
- Burns 200-400+ calories per 30 minutes
- Increases your daily calorie expenditure
- Engages multiple large muscle groups
- Can be done at high intensities to maximize calorie burn
- Helps build muscle and raise your resting metabolism
Roller skating is considered a vigorous aerobic activity on par with cycling or running. It allows you to burn calories quickly and achieve a caloric deficit required for weight loss.
When combined with a nutritious reduced-calorie diet, roller skating at least 3-4 days per week can help facilitate safe, effective weight loss for most people. It’s also a lower impact activity than running, reducing joint stress.
Tips for Maximizing Fat Loss
Here are some tips to make roller skating as effective as possible for weight loss:
- Skate at a moderate to fast pace consistently
- Incorporate intervals to spike your heart rate
- Gradually increase your skating duration as your fitness improves
- Engage your upper body by pumping your arms
- Only consume healthy snacks/drinks before and after skating
- Stay well hydrated before, during, and after sessions
- Track calories burned using a fitness watch or app
Combining roller skating with resistance training and a calorie-controlled diet can help maximize fat burning and lean muscle development.
Beginner’s Guide to Start Roller Skating
If you’re new to roller skating, here are some tips to get started:
Choose the Right Skates
– Start with quad roller skates rather than inline skates as they provide greater stability for beginners.
– Choose a high quality skate with proper ankle support from reputable brands like Riedell or Sure-Grip.
– Get the right skate size to ensure a snug, comfortable fit. Consult sizing charts and measure your feet.
Learn the Basics Safely
– Wear protective gear like a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards when starting out.
– Practice first on smooth surfaces like finished wood or tiled floors. Avoid rough asphalt or sidewalks.
– Start by balancing and learning to stand, squat, and march in place on your skates.
– Take it slowly, hold onto a wall or chair for stability, and bend your knees to stay balanced.
Develop Confidence and Skills
– Once you can stand and shift your weight comfortably, try gliding, stepping, turning, stopping, and picking up speed.
– Maintain a staggered stance with knees bent and core engaged for better control.
– Look ahead, not down, and use your hips and shoulders to steer. Keep practicing until skills become fluid.
– Joining a beginner’s group class can quickly boost your skills with professional instruction.
With the right safety gear, practice space and patience, roller skating skills will progress quickly. Stay positive as you build muscle memory and enjoy the fun workout.
Safety Tips for Roller Skating
Here are some top safety tips for an injury-free skating experience:
– Wear a helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads every time you skate.
– Check your skates for proper adjustment and wheel condition before each use.
– Skate on smooth paved trails or rinks, avoiding rough asphalt, debris and water.
– Slow down and bend knees when going downhill to avoid losing control.
– Don’t hold onto other skaters or objects when learning – use wall or railings for support.
– Keep a staggered stance with knees bent and head up when skating.
– Avoid headphones to keep aware of others around you.
– Know how to stop safely before attempting to skate fast – learn the plow stop.
– Take lessons to learn proper techniques and build experience safely.
– Warm up muscles before skating and cool down after to avoid injury.
Following basic safety precautions will allow you to progress your skills injury-free. Maintain your equipment, skate in control, use protection, and have fun!
Conclusion
Roller skating is an excellent cardio and calorie burning workout. A 155 lb person can expect to burn around 300 calories with 30 minutes of moderate pace skating.
The key factors that increase your calorie expenditure include body weight, skating intensity, hills, experience level and duration. Roller skating provides many health and fitness benefits including improved cardiovascular endurance, muscle toning, weight loss and mental health.
With proper safety precautions, roller skating is an effective and enjoyable exercise for burning calories and facilitating weight loss. It allows you to get your heart pumping and works your whole body with lower impact than running.
Strap on those skates and hit the pavement or rink to improve your fitness, mood and burn hundreds of calories in a fun and nostalgic way!
