Inline Skates And Exercise Benefits
By Peter Kudlacz, Thu Dec 8th

Inline Skates and Exercise Benefits http://www.popularfitness.com

Inline skating is a fun way to get in shape and stay fitespecially on warm sunny days when it's a lot more enjoyable toexercise outdoors than on a treadmill or exercise bike indoorsat the gym. These days most cities have nicely paved pathsthrough parkland, beach and waterfront areas to make yourrollerblading experience more enjoyable. Unfortunately dependingon where you live, you may not be able to or want to rollerbladeall year round.

There are many benefits to be derived from inline skating. It'smuch easier and safer on the knees and back than jogging sinceyour legs aren't taking as much pounding against a hard surface.You don't have to travel as far as cycling to get maximumbenefits. Along with a great cardiovascular workout, bladingprovides you with a fantastic lower body workout bystrengthening and toning your thighs, gluteus, calves andhamstrings. It's like doing thousands of lunges using your ownbody weight without even realizing it or getting bored!

I also recommend that you combine blading with strength trainingexercises with weights such as leg extensions, leg presses andcalf raises to name a few. This will ensure that your musclesand bones remain strong and it helps to prevent any possibleinjuries from occurring.

Before you begin inline skating for the day, you may want to doa little bit of light stretching particularly focusing on yourthighs and hamstrings. Right now there is debate over whether ornot to stretch before exercising. I believe you should do whatfeels best for you. Also, the first few minutes should be doneat a slower pace as a warm up for your muscles.

I find that roller blading is extremely safe once you getproficient at it. Rarely will you fall by yourself. If you do,it's usually a result of your surroundings. No different thancycling or walking on a sidewalk. To prevent injuries andscrapes, you may wish to purchase elbow, wrist and knee padsplus a helmet.

What should you look for when buying a pair of inline skates? Ifyou're new to this sport, I suggest you either borrow a pairfrom a friend or rent a pair just to try it out, get a feel.When you're ready to

buy a pair there are a few things to lookfor. If you're going to buy a really cheap pair I'll guaranteeyou that you will not enjoy inline skating. What I suggest thatyou buy a pair in the mid-price range.

What should you look for in a pair of inline skates? The obviousbeing that the boot fits your feet properly in a pair of sportssocks. If you feel the boot rubbing against your ankles or yourtoes rubbing inside the boot, try another pair becauseill-fitted boots will result in blisters and soar feet. Justlike a badly fitting pair of running shoes.

I prefer laces for the boot with one plastic or velcro strap atthe top and soft boots with plastic heel and bottom moldings forextra support. Soft boots with no plastic molding supportusually give way to your ankle over time. Wheels should be inthe 76-78mm range. 80mm is too big a wheel for most people. Lookfor bearings with ABEC 4-5. Most quality inline skates come withABEC 5 bearings nowadays anyway.

I've tried several different makes of inline skates over theyears. I find I like K2 the best and highly recommend them. Ilike their sleek design, they fit my feet very well and havegreat support. K2s are also very comfortable and light inweight. Ultra Wheels are also very good and I hear that Salomonare quality blades too.

Inline skates are easy to maintain. The wheels need to berotated every once in a while to prevent uneven wearing out. Soif you use them 3 times a week, monthly is fine or take a lookfor how much wear there is on the wheels. The bearings need tobe lubricated too. I do this by removing the wheel bearingsassembly and wiping the surface of any dirt and then sprayingthe entire wheel bearing assembly with lubricant. I don't removethe bearings from the assembly casing any more since I find verylittle dirt gets in there and it's a lot of work.

In this article I've discussed the cardiovascular and strengthtraining benefits associated with inline skating. What youshould look for when purchasing a pair of inline skates andtheir proper maintenance.

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