Coordinate the muscles of the whole body to improve fat burning efficiency. Roller skating is effective for weight loss.

By Li Yundi, Ming Pao

Roller skating has become popular again in recent years, and many enthusiasts aim to participate in roller skating marathons. The Berlin Marathon held in September every year has a roller skating marathon segment, attracting thousands of “roller enthusiasts” to participate.

(Hong Kong) Experts say that roller skating is a whole-body aerobic exercise that causes less strain on joints and is not strenuous even if played for hours on end. It prolongs the time for burning calories and helps you develop a fit body shape; but you should also be careful about developing “bird feet” or “turtle neck.”

Playing for a long time without getting tired can improve your cardiopulmonary function

Roller skating has many benefits for the body. Physical therapist Wu Junting said: “It involves the coordination and use of muscles throughout the body, which helps to improve overall physical strength and fat burning efficiency, and also helps to strengthen cardiopulmonary function. Compared with other aerobic exercises, the speed of roller skating is about twice as fast as running, but it does not feel as strenuous as running, and can be played for several hours.”

Aerobic exercise can burn calories. Inline skating coach Yuan Jiaxi said, “Inline skating involves muscle strength and balance. Compared with other sports, you won’t feel tired even if you play for hours. It can prolong the time of burning calories. Exercise makes muscles firm, so the body shape must be fit.”

Harvard Health Publishing, a subsidiary of Harvard Medical School, published a study in 2021 that calculated the calories burned by different sports for three different weight groups of people (see chart). Roller skating does have a good effect in terms of calorie consumption.

No bounce, less joint fatigue

Among all sports, roller skating causes less strain on joints. Yuan Jiaxi said that it does not involve jumping or running, which increase joint pressure, and the constant rotation of the shoe sole has the effect of relieving force, which can also reduce joint strain.

Wu Junting added that many sports involve landing hard and then raising the center of gravity, such as jumping and running, which increases the risk of knee shock, fatigue and degeneration, and ligament inflammation. Roller skating does not involve such movements.

Standard skates with ankle lock

“The most special thing about this sport is that players need to tilt their heads forward and push their feet backward, making good use of this knee extension mechanism, which can greatly reduce knee joint vibration and fatigue. In addition, roller skates can lock the ankles, so even if the feet exert a lot of force, it can prevent excessive internal rotation of the tibia and reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis. In addition, the hand-swinging action is quite obvious when playing roller skating. Both hands will be constantly raised backwards and upwards, using more back muscles. If the force is applied correctly, it is not easy to get a cold back.”

Many people suffer from flat feet. Due to the lack of muscle strength in the feet, when they participate in sports that put excessive pressure on the feet, such as running, fencing, jumping (such as basketball, football, tennis), etc., they may increase the risk of foot discomfort or sprains.

Roller skating is relatively less prone to this problem. Wu Junting explained that roller skates are designed with high tops. If they are worn with the right tightness, they can lock the muscles around the ankles and control the center of gravity, which can greatly reduce the pressure on the arch of the foot, reduce the pain of flat feet and the risk of sprains. However, we remind everyone that roller skating does not help improve flat feet. “

Yuan Jiaxi reminded that a pair of roller skates that meet the standards is crucial to locking the ankles and maintaining the correct posture. The shoe shaft must have a certain hardness to ensure the correct posture. If the shoe shaft is too soft, the effect will be counterproductive. “When buying roller skates, you may wish to try them on. If the shoe shaft does not show obvious bending, twisting or softness when wearing it, it means that the hardness is moderate.”

Be careful to develop the feet of a dove and the neck of a turtle

Although roller skating has many benefits for the body, you should pay attention to the following two points. First, the roller skating track is designed to skate in a counterclockwise direction. Wu Junting pointed out that the left foot spends more time exerting force than the right foot. In the long run, it is easy to cause the left foot muscles to be over-developed and the right foot muscles to be insufficient, becoming “spider feet”. When both feet exert force, the right foot is prone to pain. When you reach a certain age, the left foot will also degenerate faster due to fatigue. To improve the problem, it is recommended to train the right foot more during warm-up and cool-down exercises, and you can also go outdoors to play roller skating more often. When you leave the fixed venue, you will not turn in the same direction only, and use both feet more evenly.

“The neck is another area to watch.

In order to ‘break the wind’ and maintain your center of gravity, you should lower your head while gliding but still look forward.

This action causes the neck to tilt forward excessively.

Over time, it may cause a “turtle neck”, which not only affects appearance but can also cause neck pain.

It is recommended to do more neck stretching exercises.

Lean your back against the wall, tuck your chin down, put your hands on the top of your head and pull it down to stretch the back neck muscles.

Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, do 3 to 4 times; repeat several times a day.”

The oldest student is 69 years old The younger you are, the easier it is to use

Yuen Ka-Hai, who has been speed skating for over 20 years and is also the founder of a roller skating school, has come into contact with countless students, including those with intellectual and visual disabilities.

He believes that anyone can learn to roller skate as long as they are willing to learn. Beginners don’t need to rush. It usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes for them to learn to skate slowly without the support of others. If you want to skate freely on the track, you need to learn for about half a year. Based on the opinions of Yuan Jiaxi and physical therapist Wu Junting, the following people have certain advantages in roller skating.

1. It is ideal to start playing at the age of 3

Like many sports, roller skating is easier to learn at a younger age, but considering the development of the foot, Wu Junting believes that it is ideal to start at the age of 3. “Babies have a little O-shaped feet when they are born, which gradually straightens out at the age of 1 or 2. The foot structure is not fully formed before the age of 3. If you learn roller skating too young, the foot muscles may lack sufficient stability and support, increasing the risk of foot strain or deformation.”

Being older doesn’t mean you’re not suitable for roller skating, but the pace of learning may need to be adjusted. Yuan Jiaxi said: “The oldest students I’ve ever met were a 69-year-old couple. For safety reasons and to reduce the risk of falling, the coach doesn’t dare to teach too aggressively. Most people learn for about half a year and then go out to play with us, but they need a year.”

2. Being thin makes it easier to balance

Roller skating is about balance, and the center of gravity of the human body is the main factor affecting balance; the higher the center of gravity, the worse the balance. Yuan Jiaxi believes that people with a sturdy or obese body have a higher center of gravity, which increases the difficulty of learning roller skating. It is recommended to use equipment to assist, such as appropriately changing the arrangement of the wheels of roller skates to improve the center of gravity problem. As for thin people, regardless of height, because the center of gravity is relatively low, it is easier to control the body balance and easier to get started.

3. Good balance

Roller skating requires balance and stability, so people with good balance have an advantage.

Like excitement Enjoy teamwork

Chen Yanran, who has just entered Form 5, started in-line skating at the age of four in kindergarten and has been learning it until today.

“I play speed inline skating and I love the thrill of it. This sport sometimes involves relays, which requires teammates to help each other. I really enjoy the feeling of teamwork.”

Chen Yanran often travels abroad to participate in roller skating competitions. After completing the competition in the UK last year, she went to Germany to participate in the Berlin Roller Skating Marathon. This was her first time participating in the roller skating marathon, which not only felt new but also brought her many challenges.

“Normally, roller skating competitions are very short, with a 500-meter race taking 50 seconds to one minute. But a roller skating marathon takes two hours, which requires a higher level of endurance. I started to feel a little tired before I even got halfway through, so I had to adjust my condition and persevere, such as taking a short break before continuing. My physical fitness is not particularly good, so this experience is indeed a good breakthrough.”

Roller skating has become a part of her life. She does half an hour of physical training every Wednesday, and two hours of roller skating training on Saturdays and Sundays. If she is preparing for a competition, she will increase her training.

Competition: Learn to accept failure

She said that developing a regular exercise habit has improved her cardiopulmonary function and muscle strength. Frequent participation in competitions and facing the consequences of winning and losing has helped her develop the mental quality to accept failure.

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