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Does ice skating count as cardio?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 21, 2026

Like any workout, skating is great for cardiovascular health – it gets blood pumping and the heart rate up. And it's a lot of fun to glide around the ice; unlike with other types of exercise, you probably won't even remember that you're working out!

Can you lose weight by ice skating?

Ice skating or rollerblading burns as many calories as running, which is about 400 calories an hour, depending on your weight.

Is ice skating an aerobic exercise?

3. Cardio workout. "Ice skating is a good cardiovascular workout, which improves your overall health and wellbeing," says Arnold. While advanced skaters will likely burn more calories than beginners taking it slow, taking to the rink is a great way to get your heart pumping and the blood circulating through your body.

Is ice skating a full body workout?

"It has cardiovascular benefits as it trains both your aerobic and anaerobic systems, and it's a fantastic overall body challenge to your core, your balance, your coordination, and your posterior chain,” says Peter Zapalo, the director of sports science and medicine for U.S. Figure Skating.

Is ice skating good for your butt?

Ice skating improves your glutes

The glutes are a well used muscle in figure skating. Ice skaters as a rule have toned bums, this is because of all the glute work involved in ice skating. All those pushes forward, all those rear leg extensions.

39 related questions found

Is it OK to ice skate everyday?

A different situation is if a skater wants to fully commit to ice skating, going to compete and try to go as far as possible in the sport. In this case, to be as successful as possible, a skater has to practice pretty much every day, 6 days a week at the best.

Does ice skating make your thighs bigger?

Not buff, no. You may gain a little lean mass if you're particularly out of shape, but without increasing resistance, your legs are only ever going to get strong enough to support and stabilize your own body weight.

Can fat people ice skate?

Yes, fat people can ice skate. There is no weight limit to ice skating, it's all about finding balance and going at the speed that works for you. There have been plenty of fat hockey players and even some fat figure skaters so there's no reason you can't be fat and ice skate.

Will ice skating tone my legs?

Builds leg muscles: Focusing on lower-body movement, ice skating offers great exercise for the leg muscles, building and toning them up over time. Cardio: Aerobic exercise is an important aspect of cardiovascular health, and ice skating provides a great aerobic workout.

How many calories do you burn ice skating for 1 hour?

Now we have it; just one hour of ice skating will burn roughly 637 calories – more than enough to cancel out that delicious hot chocolate afterwards. As well as burning calories and getting your heart pumping, ice skating has a host of other body benefits too.

What are the cons of ice skating?

Five Key Skating Injuries Risks

  • Ankle Sprains & Fractures. The intense weight and pressure placed upon the ankles during skating activity makes them susceptible to sprains and fractures. ...
  • Head Injuries. ...
  • ACL Tears. ...
  • Lacerations. ...
  • Hand and Wrist Injuries.

Is skating better than running?

You burn nearly as many calories on skates as you do running (for a 125-pound person, that's 210 calories inline skating for 30 minutes versus 240 calories running 12-minute miles for the same duration, according to Harvard Health Publications).

Is ice skating good for runners?

Skating is even said by some to be more beneficial than cycling and running, because it works on many more joints and muscles, and is low impact.

How much should I skate to lose weight?

Burning Calories With Skateboarding

If you skate every day, in a week's time you'll burn 2,100 and 3,108 calories, respectively. Because 1 pound of fat consists of 3,500 calories in stored energy, you could lose between 1/2 and 1 pound per week, depending on your activity level and metabolism.

At what age should you start ice skating?

You should also wait for your child to have adequate flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, balance, and coordination. Typically, somewhere around age 4 is a good time to introduce ice skating to your child.

Is skating good exercise?

Studies have shown that roller skating provides a complete aerobic workout and involves all of the body's muscles, especially the heart. Roller skating is equivalent to jogging in terms of health benefits and caloric consumption, reduction of body fat, and leg strength development.

Is ice skating easier than rollerblading?

Is it easier to roller blade or ice skate? Rollerblading is easier because the wheels are wider than the ice skate blade. Rollerblades also have a firm, hard-shell boot that help with stability.

Does ice skating make your legs thinner?

An hour of skating burns about 600 calories - that's about the same as running five miles in an hour. Include a few turns and twists and that will rise to 800 calories per hour. It will give you incredibly lean, sexy, toned legs. The skating action really works the knees, calves and inner thighs.

How do you get an ice skater body?

Muscle activation series for figure skaters

  1. Single leg deadlift/balance.
  2. Jump squats or jump lunges or star jumps.
  3. Skipping.
  4. Rotation jumps.

Why do figure skaters have big thighs?

Speed skating — Legs and buttock

Olympic speed skaters are known for their bulging glutes and quads, which they need to propel themselves forward even while whipping around tight curves. Squat jumps can work some of these muscles off the rink, speed skater Shani Davis told Men's Health.

How much do ice skaters weigh?

The average size in men's speed skating is 5'9" and 161 pounds but there are six inches and 53 pounds separating the smallest and biggest athlete on the team. Netherlands' Michel Mulder celebrates after the Men's Speed Skating 500 m at the Adler Arena during the Sochi Winter Olympics, Feb.

Does weight matter skateboarding?

The truth is that your weight will affect how you perform and land various flip tricks. It also affects the speed of the board on slopes and declines. Now, heavier skaters will roll down hills at higher speeds. This isn't a major concern but it can lead to more falls and injuries if you're not safe.

Why do figure skaters cry after performing?

The "kiss-and-cry" area allows viewers to see figure skaters react in real time. Many spectators notice that figure skaters are stoic while they compete on the ice, but the "kiss-and-cry" area puts their humanity and natural emotions on display.

What burns more calories walking or ice skating?

Because it looks like you can burn up to 633 calories from just one hour of ice-skating. Putting that into retrospect, it would take two hours of powerwalking to burn 600 calories and so, you could simply have fun on the ice instead for half the time and we're so up for that.

Is ice skating a good way to burn calories?

Ice skating can be a very effective way to burn calories. Ice skating will raise your heart rate, which makes it a very good cardio exercise.