Rollerblading Vs. Skateboarding | the Ultimate Comparison

Rollerblading Vs. Skateboarding at a glance:

I researched to learn more about skateboarding, and with the information, I gathered, I’ve put together this detailed comparison article.

Below is a quick rundown comparison of rollerblading vs. skateboarding.

The main difference between Rollerblading vs. Skateboarding is in the calories burned when skating. While Rollerblading burns between 573 and 1069 calories every hour, skateboarding on the other hand burns between 350 and 575 calories every hour.

Elements of comparison	Rollerblading	Skateboarding
Muscle Development	Works all body muscles	Works mainly legs and hip muscles
Aerobic Benefits	Low impact aerobic exercise with more aerobic benefits.	Low impact aerobic exercise with few aerobic benefits.
Calories Burned	Around 573-1069 calories every hour.	Approximately 350-575 calories every hour.
Gear Needed	Pair of inline skates, protective gear like helmet, light clothing	Skateboard, protective gear like a helmet, light clothing.
Skillset	Training is required to get started.	Basic training is necessary to get started.
Speed	8 mph-16 mph on flat terrain.	5 mph-12 mph on flat terrain.
Cardiovascular Benefits	High impact cardiovascular exercise. It keeps the heart healthy.	Moderate impact cardiovascular exercise. It keeps the heart healthy.
Joints Safety	Little to no impact on joints.	High impact on knees and other joints (especially the foot doing the pushing)
Activity Venue	Skate parks, urban roads, trails	Skate parks, urban roads, trails.
Skating or Skateboarding Surface	Dry Asphalt or concrete surface with limited off-road.	Dry Asphalt or concrete surface. Both on-road and off-road.

Rollerblading Vs. Skateboarding: Elements of Comparison

Inline skating Vs. Skateboarding are fun to engage in. Plus, they all have health benefits.

However, choosing one that’s more suitable for you can be a daunting task, especially when you have limited information.

The good news is: I’ve done the research, data analysis, and comparison.

So. I’ve used the information to put together this comprehensive comparison of Rollerblading Vs. Skateboarding. I hope you’ll find this post helpful.

Let’s get to it!

1. Muscle Development

Rollerblading works all body muscles, including; hands, core, glutes, hips and legs.

This is because it’s a full-body workout exercise/sport as opposed to skateboarding that primarily involves the lower body parts.

Therefore, it’s common to have your leg, hips, glutes and some of your core muscles developed through skateboarding.

So, if you’re looking to develop your body muscles, you need an exercise that works on all your body muscles, and that’s where rollerblading comes in handy.

Muscle development is essential for body control. Strong and healthy muscles help hold your internal body structure (spine) together and help with enhancing productivity throughout the day.

2. Skateboarding Vs Rollerblading Aerobic Benefits

Skateboarding offers little aerobic benefits than rollerblading. The apparent reason for this is: rollerblading is a full-body exercise, while skateboarding mainly works the lower body.

Nonetheless, you’ll still benefit from the same aerobic benefits. The only difference will come into play because of the variation in intensity.

The aerobic benefits you get from both inline skating and skateboarding include; low risks of developing heart diseases, reduced cholesterol level in the body, balanced blood sugar, and improved lung function.

This is according to a study by Cleveland Clinic. So, if you want to enjoy more of these, you need an intensive and rigorous sport or exercise like rollerblading.

3. Rollerblading vs. Skateboarding Calories Burned

According to the captain calculator, a person burns between 350 and 575 calories per hour of skateboarding.

On the other hand, the same person will burn approximately 573 and 1069 calories in every hour of rollerblading.

The stats are clear, and Rollerblading is the clear winner. If you’re looking for a way to burn excess body calories while having fun, probably going with Rollerblading would be a good idea.

4. Gear Needed

It would be best to have a pair of inline skates, and essential protective gear such as a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads.

If you’re thinking of speed skating, you’ll also have to get a skating suit and some eyeglasses.

On the other hand, you need a skateboard, protective gear like a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads.

This is the same as rollerblading. However, rollerblading offers a low barrier to entry than skateboarding.

You need as little as $25 to buy an inline skate shoe. On the other hand, you need at least $75 to buy a skateboard.

If you add up the cost of protective gear, it’s more expensive to get started in skateboarding than rollerblading, especially when you don’t have the cash.

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Inline Skates: How to Choose Inline Skating Shoes

5. Skillset

Both rollerblading and skateboarding require some basic skills before getting started. One, you have to learn how to balance on either your inline skates or skateboard.

Two, you have to learn how to push yourself to get moving. Third, you also have to learn to stop or maneuver in both.

So, is rollerblading or skateboarding easier? In my opinion, the ease of use is subjective.

It’s easier to maneuver on inline skates than on a skateboard. This is because an inline skate occupies a small surface area, unlike a skateboard.

Also, you put on inline skates, and they stay on your feet. On the other hand, you have to stand on the skateboard while pushing yourself using the other leg.

This causes a stability problem since you have to master how to balance one leg.

On the contrary, the primary step to learning how to rollerblade involves walking while making smaller steps in a scissor position.

Everyone is used to this, and it shouldn’t take long to transfer your walking ability to ‘rolling shoes’.

Besides, there are several ways you can stop on rollerblades. You can use the T-stop, plow stop, and powerslide, to name a few.

This gives you multiple options to consider when you want to stop.

On a skateboard, you can brake using your foot, tail scraping, controlled slide stopping, and power sliding.

You’ll find more details on how to stop on a skateboard here.

6. Rollerblading Vs. Skateboarding Cardiovascular Benefits

Inline skating vs skateboarding have cardiovascular benefits. The two involve pushing the body to gain motion.

The heart is kept active in the process to pump oxygenated blood and nutrients to all body parts.

Body cells need the nutrients for growth, while oxygenated blood is needed for aerobic respiration to produce energy for the body.

Overall, the two sports help keep the heart healthy and functioning for holistic living.

7. Safety on Joints

Both rollerblading and skateboarding are considered low-impact aerobic sports, meaning they’re gentle on your joints, e.g. knee joints. However, rollerblading is safer than skateboarding.

To get moving on rollerblades, you only need to push your feet to the sides and let the skates roll. There’s no hard contact between your feet and the ground.

On the other hand, moving on a skateboard requires a hard push using one leg while the other is on the skateboard.

There’s a hard impact between the foot that’s doing the pushing and the ground in the process. So, this rules skateboarding out as a safe sport for people with bad knees.

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8. Speed

Rollerblading is fast than skateboarding. On average, an inline skater rollerblades at an average speed of 8 mph-16 mph on flat terrain.

On the other hand, a skateboarder moves at a speed of 5 mph-12 mph on flat terrain. So, if you want to go fast, rollerblading would be the best option.

9. Rollerblading vs. Skateboarding Venue

Both rollerblading and skateboarding are versatile. You can go rollerblading or skateboarding in a skate park, on the trails, and on urban roads.

Provided there’s an open space; there’s nothing that can stop you.

10. Rollerblading or Skateboarding Surface

Rollerblading is best suited for smooth or relatively rough terrains. This means you can use your inline skates on Asphalt or concrete surfaces with limited off-road skating.

Going off-road depends on the type of rollerblades you buy. Besides, it’s a hassle skating on wet surfaces as you can easily trip and fall.

On the contrary, skateboarding is more versatile. Therefore, you can skate both on roads and off-road.

Plus, when it rains, or the surface is wet, you can still go skateboarding. Overall, you can skateboard in a skate park, on trails, and on urban roads.

So, if you’re looking for more versatility when it comes to skating surfaces, skateboarding would work well for you.

Final thoughts: Rollerblading or Skateboarding?

Having said all that, should you choose rollerblading or skateboarding? I’ll leave that to you. However, you can only be 100% sure if you try both of them.

But again, this may not go well if you don’t have enough time for the two.

So, for quick decision-making, this is what I’d recommend to you based on personal experience and findings from other skaters.

If you’re looking for speed, full-body muscle development, burning more calories, low barrier to entry, and safety on joints, you’ll find them in rollerblading.

However, skateboarding will be a good fit if you’re looking for versatility on the skating surface and venue.

Consider yourself more enlightened. I believe you can now choose what fits you. Happy skating, mate!