How Many Calories Does Roller Skating Burn – Calorie Calculator

Roller skating is a fun and effective way to exercise. But besides enjoying the thrill of wheels under your feet, many who lace up regularly wonder – just how many calories does roller skating burn? We’ll explore the average calorie burn from skating along with tips to maximize it.

Disclaimer: all the information is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a doctor for personalized guidance.

Calculate Your Calorie Burn – Calorie Calculator

Use this Roller Skating Calorie Calculator to input your details and get a customized calorie and fat burn estimate:

Roller Skating Calorie (RSC) Formula

RSC = (RST / 60) * 350 * (BW / 150)

RSC: Roller Skating Calories Burned
RST: Roller Skating Time (minutes)
BW: Body Weight (pounds)

To estimate your calorie expenditure:

Divide your skating session duration in minutes (RST) by 60
Multiply that number by 350
Then multiply that result by your body weight (BW) divided by 150

For example, if skating for 45 minutes (RST = 45) with a body weight of 160 lbs:

RSC = (45/60) * 350 * (160/150)
RSC = 402 calories burned

Seeing your potential calorie burn quantified specifically can further motivate tracking skate fitness. Input your exact duration and weight after sessions to reveal expenditure. Then optimize intensity, duration, and skills over time to maximize burn!

Do note this calculator provides an estimate. Individual physiological and intensity factors covered later in this article can raise or lower actual calorie burn per person. But use this formula as a helpful benchmark to maximize burn by optimizing duration and pace!

Key Factors That Impact Roller Skating Calorie Burn

When estimating calories burned roller skating, there are a few key factors at play:

Intensity and Speed

The intensity and speed of your skate a major determinants of calorie burn. Pushing yourself to skate at moderate to high-intensity ranges will incinerate far more calories than casual recreational pacing.

To gauge intensity, you can use target heart rate zones measured in beats per minute (BPM):

Recreational Pace: 60-70% of max heart rate. For a 30-year-old, that equals 110-135 BPM. Light sweating.
Moderate Pace: 70-80% of max rate. 136-155 BPM for a 30-year-old. More labored breathing.
High Intensity: 80-90%+ max rate. 156-175+ BPM for a 30-year-old. Heavy breathing, high exertion.

Intensity and heart rate increase with speed. But skill level impacts this relationship between speed and intensity. Beginner skaters will have a higher relative intensity at lower speeds as they work hard to balance and control motions. Advanced skaters can torch calories at higher speeds by sustaining intensity with tricks.

The more you can train your body to tolerate moderate to high-intensity exertion intervals, the greater the calories expended per session. Using a heart rate tracking watch can help you gauge intensity for maximum burn.

Duration

As with most workouts, the duration or length of time you skate directly impacts total calorie burn. Sustained motion drives heightened energy expenditure over time. Experts thus recommend skating for at least 30 minutes to realize more significant fat and calorie burn. But extending sessions to 60-90 minutes will clearly maximize expenditure.

Longer duration sessions compound intensity’s effects through “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” (EPOC). This is where your metabolic rate remains elevated post-workout to replenish oxygen, torching additional calories. High-intensity interval training optimizes EPOC.

Here is an example interval routine to maximize calorie incineration in a 30-minute session:

Get Warmed Up:

5 minutes moderate pace skating
3 laps around the rink focusing on technique
5 bodyweight squats

Do Interval 1:

30 seconds high speed skating
1-minute moderate pacing
30 seconds skating backwards
1-minute moderate pacing

Interval 2 Time:

45 seconds high-intensity crossovers
45 seconds one-legged glides on left
45 seconds high-intensity crossovers
45 seconds one-legged glides on the right

Interval 3:

60 seconds high-speed diagonal sprints across the rink
60 seconds of moderate-speed skating on the curve

Cool Down:

3 slow laps cooling down
5 bodyweight squats
2 minutes stretching quads, hamstrings, hips

For this routine, the intervals progress from 30 seconds up to 1 minute of challenging high-intensity skating drills with moderate skating recovery intervals mixed in. This allows shorter bursts that can be maintained over a 30-minute session, driving up EPOC and calorie expenditure.

The backward skating, crossovers, one-legged glides, and diagonal sprints across the rink challenge stability and burn more calories through muscular engagement. Cooling down prevents dizziness.

Skill Level

Your skating skill level and technique impact calorie burn as well. Those new to skating often burn more calories than advanced peers initially. When focused on staying upright and mastering balance, beginner’s bodies work hard stabilizing muscles and nervously expending energy.

Meanwhile, more seasoned skaters burn calories executing faster paces combined with tricks, jumps, backward skating, and creative footwork. Their fitness and familiarity with the motions allow them to sustain higher exertion.

Additionally, the skating terrain itself creates skill challenges that can heighten calorie usage. Indoor skating at a controlled rink allows you to optimize technique and flow. But venturing outside to uneven sidewalks or roads tests balance further, forcing core and stabilizer muscle engagement. One study found outdoor street skaters burned up to 20% more calories compared to the ease of indoor wood floors.

So seek out controlled indoor sessions to master skills efficiently. But also train outdoors to create fresh technique challenges and maximize calorie incineration.

Body Weight & Composition

Heavier individuals generally burn more absolute calories for the same skating duration and intensity compared to lighter peers. When your body weight is higher, it requires greater energy expenditure to move yourself on skates. That said, lighter individuals tend to reach higher relative intensities at lower absolute efforts.

Additionally, increased muscle mass versus fat elevates your metabolism in general and while skating. Lean muscle tissue is more metabolically active at rest and during activity, incinerating more calories around the clock. This is why resistance training combined with cardio activity like skating is ideal for weight management. The combo allows you to torch calories while also building metabolism and boosting lean muscle.

So those carrying extra body fat or weight can utilize skating to burn satisfying amounts of calories through the leverage of larger body mass. But prioritizing muscle-building activity in tandem with skating maximizes potential calorie expenditure long term.

Do you need recommendations for heavy skaters? click on the link to find roller skates for plus size.

Average Roller Skating Calorie Burn Estimates

So how many calories can you expect to burn per average skating session? Here are some estimates:

Calories Burned Per Minute

Recreational Pace: 5-7 calories
Moderate Pace: 7-10 calories
High Intensity: 10-14+ calories

Of course, these are general estimates that can vary based on the factors above. Heavier individuals may burn more per minute as it takes more energy to move their body weight.

These calorie burn rates can vary significantly depending on individual factors:

A 120lb, 30-year old woman: Recreational Pace: 4-6 calories Moderate Pace: 6-8 calories High Intensity: 8-12 calories
A 180lb, 40-year old man: Recreational Pace: 6-8 calories Moderate Pace: 8-12 calories High Intensity: 12-16 calories

As shown, heavier individuals generally burn more absolute calories for the same skating duration and intensity compared to lighter peers. When body weight is higher, it requires greater energy expenditure to move yourself on skates.

That said, lighter individuals tend to reach higher relative intensity levels compared to heavier individuals at the same speed. For example, a 120lb woman skating at a moderate pace may reach 70% of her max heart rate, while a 180lb man only reaches 60% of max at that same speed.

So heavier skaters burn more total calories at the same speeds. But lighter skaters have to work harder relative to their fitness level to match the same speed intensity, burning more calories relative to their bodies.

30-Minute Skating Session

For a 30-minute skate session, you can expect to burn:

150 to 210 calories (recreational pace)
210 to 300 calories (moderate pace)
300 to 420+ calories (high intensity

60-Minute Skating Session

Extending your skate session to a full hour will compound the calorie burn further:

300 to 420 calories (recreational)
420 to 600 calories (moderate)
600 to 840+ calories (high intensity)

This demonstrates how duration can multiply your calorie burn significantly. Even a moderately paced 60-minute skate can torch up to 600 calories – equal to some longer runs.

Healthy Snack And Meal Ideas After Roller Skating Workout

Here are some healthy snack and meal ideas for refueling your body after burning calories through a satisfying roller skating workout session:

Smoothies – Blend nutritious fruits, veggies, protein powder, and healthy fats for muscle recovery. Ideas: strawberries, banana, spinach, peanut butter, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds.
Eggs and Toast – The protein and carb combo digests well. Use whole grain toast and add avocado for nutritious fats.
Oatmeal Bowl – Cook oats in milk rather than water for extra protein. Top with fresh berries, nuts like almonds or walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Tuna and Crackers – Get 20g of lean protein with easy tuna snack kits. Pair with whole-grain crackers.
Protein Bar – Seek bars with high protein/fiber and low sugar. Or make energy bites from protein powder, oats, nut butter, and honey or maple syrup.
Fruit and Cheese – The natural carbs and protein digest well. Ideas: apple and peanut butter, grapes, and mozzarella string cheese.

Hydration is vital too, so replenish fluids with antioxidant-rich tart cherry juice or chocolate milk which provides carbs, protein, and potassium.

Tips to Maximize Your Calorie Burn

If you want to ramp up calories burned roller skating, here are some effective tips:

Interval Training – Alternate between moderate and higher intensity bursts. Sustained high intensity the entire session may be difficult, but sprinkling in intervals pushes calorie burn into overdrive.
Uphill Skating – Seeking out routes with gradual hills or inclines increases resistance, raising heart rate and calorie usage. Don’t start too steep if you’re new to skating though!
Backward Skating – Skating backward works different muscles and skills, upping the challenge. Being uncomfortable bumps exertion and calorie expenditure.
Drills – Agility drills like weaving cones, crossovers, and one-legged glides make you burn more calories by testing balance and control.

The more you make your body work in new ways, the better the burn!

Health Benefits Beyond Just Calorie Burn

While the estimated calorie burn amounts alone provide an incentive to skate, exploring the additional evidence-based health benefits should further motivate you to wheel out regularly. Scientific research confirms roller skating enhances both physical and mental well-being in myriad ways.

Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health

Multiple studies verify that routine skating significantly improves heart health, lowers blood pressure, and reduces Type 2 diabetes risk. Researchers found subjects who skated just 30-60 mins semi-weekly saw average blood pressure reductions of 5mmHG after 12 weeks. That equals reductions realized from some hypertension medications. Additionally, regular skaters were found up to 44% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome versus non-active peers over 5 years.

Muscle Building & Joint Support

The all-over body motion involved in propelling yourself on skates tones the legs, core, glutes, and hip stabilizer muscles by building lean mass. This further supports daily calorie burn and metabolism. Muscle strengthening can also protect joints from injury and arthritis development later in life.

Mental Health & Happiness

Beyond the physical gains, gliding along outdoors provides adults and kids alike an outlet to relieve stress and anxiety through fun. Learning a new skill and joining skating communities triggers the release of feel-good endorphins too. Studies demonstrate regular skating directly elevates moods while reducing depression.

The evidence confirms skating delivers whole-body wellness advantages – making burning calories just the start! Consistent skating habits compound over time, leading to transformative health changes.

Roller Skating Vs. Other Activities

Here is a comparison chart showcasing the calorie burn from roller skating versus other popular cardiovascular activities. This demonstrates how effective skating can be for weight loss goals:

Exercise	30 Minute Calorie Burn
Roller Skating
– Recreational Pace	150-210 calories
– Moderate Pace	210-300 calories
– High Intensity	300-420+ calories
Walking (3.5 mph)	150-200 calories
Running (6 mph)	300-350 calories
Biking (12-14 mph)	260-360 calories
Swimming (Moderate Freestyle)	260-400 calories

As shown, skating, especially at a moderate to high intensity, burns equal or greater calories versus popular cardio options like walking, running, or swimming for the same 30-minute duration.

This makes roller skating an extremely efficient and worthwhile activity to incorporate into your routine if aiming to improve cardiovascular health and lose weight!

Additionally, skating works more with upper and lower body muscle groups compared to the primarily lower body emphasis of biking/running. This builds metabolism-boosting lean muscle while burning fat.

Conclusion

So how many calories does roller skating burn? As the estimates and research outlined demonstrate, a 30-to-60-minute skating session can torch anywhere from 150 to 600+ calories. This calorie expenditure is on par with or even greater than other popular cardio activities like running, swimming, or biking for the same duration.

Especially when you skate at a moderate-to-high intensity, incorporate challenging moves, and progress your duration over time. The number of calories burned roller skating stacks up incredibly well against alternate workouts.

Additionally, studies confirm that beyond just incinerating calories for weight loss, regular roller skating provides whole-body wellness enhancements. From boosting cardiovascular health to uplifting moods, skating trains both physical and mental fitness.

So whether you’re focused on losing those last few stubborn pounds or more broadly improving energy, ability, and outlook, make skating a habit. Start by wheeling out for 30 minutes while tracking pace and heart rate. Progressively challenge yourself further through intervals, tricks, and longer sessions to maximize expenditure and whole-health gains over the long run.

Now let’s roll out toward better all-around well-being on wheels!