Calories Burned Skating

At 7.0 METs, calories burned skating are impressive, and the workout challenges your balance, coordination, and cardiovascular system simultaneously. Whether you prefer ice skating at a rink or roller skating outdoors, the continuous gliding motion combined with the effort to maintain balance results in substantial calorie expenditure at 7.0 METs.

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns approximately 515 calories per hour of general skating, making it comparable to swimming or cycling in terms of energy output. Skating at a faster pace or incorporating crossovers and turns can increase calorie burn further. The low-impact gliding motion is also gentler on your joints compared to running, while still delivering a vigorous workout.

Beyond calorie burn, skating builds significant lower-body strength, particularly in the quadriceps, glutes, and hip stabilizers. The lateral pushing motion engages muscles that are underworked in forward-only activities like walking or running. A 45-minute skating session burns over 385 calories for a 70 kg (154 lb) person while feeling more like recreation than exercise.

Skating fits well into a weight loss plan because it burns calories at a rate that rivals many gym workouts. At 515 calories per hour, skating burns nearly twice as much as walking (257 cal/hr) and significantly more than yoga (221 cal/hr) or table tennis (294 cal/hr). It falls just short of running (720 cal/hr), but the lower joint impact means you can skate for longer sessions without the same injury risk. A 45-minute session burns roughly the same calories as a McDonald's cheeseburger at 300 calories.

Beginners should start at a comfortable pace on a smooth, flat surface. For ice skating, public rink sessions with a stable wall nearby are ideal for learning. For roller skating, look for paved bike paths or parking lots free of debris. Focus on mastering a stable, bent-knee stance before trying to build speed. Many new skaters make the mistake of standing too upright, which reduces both stability and muscle engagement. Keeping your knees bent at roughly 90 degrees forces your quads and glutes to work harder, increasing your calorie burn significantly.

To progress and burn more over time, incorporate intervals into your sessions. Alternate 2 minutes of fast skating with 1 minute of easy gliding. Once you are comfortable with basic forward skating, add crossover turns and backward skating to engage different muscle groups and raise the overall intensity. Skating 3 times per week for 45 to 60 minutes creates a weekly deficit of roughly 1,545 to 2,060 calories for a 70 kg person, which translates to about 0.2 to 0.27 kg (0.44 to 0.6 lb) of fat loss per week from skating alone.