Does skateboarding make your legs stronger? – Complete Guide

Skateboarding has long been known as an activity associated with young people and rebellion, but over the years it has gained a widespread popularity across different demographics.

But aside from its eye-catching flips and tricks, is there any benefit to participating in this activity? Can it make your legs stronger? In this article, we’re going to explore how skateboarding can potentially increase leg strength through physical conditioning.

We’ll discuss what muscles are used when riding the board, ways of improving strength for those who are just starting out, stretches that can be done regularly before or after a session on the skateboard and safety tips you should consider before hitting up your local park.

Does skateboarding make legs stronger?

Experiencing the outdoors and getting a workout has never been more fun than skateboarding. Breathe in that fresh air as you ride along, feeling liberated with every turn.

It can provide an excellent cardiovascular workout, while also potentially strengthening the legs. Skateboarding engages both your lower and upper body while providing an aerobic exercise that helps build strength in both.

While skateboarding does not specifically target just the legs like powerlifting or squats, it can help to increase leg strength over time due to its nature as a full-body activity. The muscles in the legs are used for stabilization when pushing off of the ground, braking with your feet, and making quick movements in order to stay upright on the board.

In addition to this, skateboarding works all of the major muscle groups of the lower body from calves and hamstrings to glutes and quads – making it an ideal activity for overall lower body strength development.

As you spend more time skateboarding, you may find that your balance improves significantly; this is due in part to increased leg strength as well as improved coordination between your upper and lower body muscles.

How does skateboarding affect leg muscles?

Skateboarding engages a number of different muscle groups in your legs, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and adductors. These muscles are essential for balance, stability, agility and power as you perform tricks or navigate through obstacles. Over time, skateboarding helps to tone these muscles so that they become stronger and more resilient.

The most important muscle group used when skateboarding is the quadriceps. This muscle group is located in the front of the thigh and is responsible for straightening the leg at the knee joint. When performing tricks or riding down hills on a skateboard, this muscle group contracts to help keep you balanced on your board as well as absorb shocks from impact with obstacles or landing from jumps. As a result of this action being repeated multiple times during sessions of skateboarding, this muscle group grows stronger over time.

Moreover, to strengthening your legs’ muscles while skating around town or doing tricks in a skate park, skateboarding also strengthens core muscles such as your lower back and abdominals. This comes about due to having to maintain balance while completing turns or navigating between obstacles like curbs or benches. To stay upright during these maneuvers requires both strength and coordination which can be developed through regular practice with a skateboard. 

Which skateboarding tricks work leg muscles the most?

Whether you’re an experienced skater or just starting out, these tricks are sure to get your heart pumping and build up those leg muscles.

Ollie

The Ollie is one of the most basic and essential skateboarding tricks there is, and it’s also one of the best for working leg muscles.

To do it, start by positioning your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart on the board. Bend your knees and crouch down low while pushing off with both feet simultaneously.

As you jump up into the air, quickly pull your front foot off the board to give yourself extra lift. When you land back on the ground, push with both feet again to maintain momentum.

Doing this trick regularly can help strengthen your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes.

Fakie

A fakie is similar to an Ollie except that you start from a stationary position instead of pushing off from the ground first.

To perform it correctly, stand in place on your board facing backwards with both feet about shoulder width apart.

Then bend your knees slightly before popping off with both feet at once while pulling up with your back foot and pushing down with your front foot as if you were doing an Ollie in reverse.

This trick can help strengthen all of the same leg muscles as an Ollie but also adds some extra strain on them as well due to its reversed nature.

Kickflip

A kickflip is a more advanced trick that requires good timing and balance to execute correctly.

Start by pushing off from the ground while positioning your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart on the board (like when doing an Ollie).

As you jump into the air, quickly flick (or “kick”) up with your back foot while simultaneously pulling up on your front foot so that it flips over twice before landing back on the ground beneath you.

This trick works out primarily quads and calves due to its rotational motion when flipping around midair.

Heelflip

Similar to a kickflip but performed using only one foot instead of two; heelflips are a great way to work out those hard-to-reach lower leg muscles like peroneals and tibialis anterior which often get neglected during regular workouts or sports activities.

To perform this trick properly begin by putting pressure on one foot while keeping it firmly planted against the tail of the board (you can use either).

Then push off from the ground while jumping at least six inches in height before quickly flicking (or “heeling”) up with that same foot so that it flips over twice before landing back down beneath you once more – just like when doing a kickflip.

Nosegrab

The nosegrab is another great way to work out those lower leg muscles such as peroneals and tibialis anterior which can often be neglected during regular workouts or sports activities due to their hard-to-reach nature.

To begin, stand firmly in place on your board’s center facing forward and crouch close to the front end with both hands outstretched as if you are about to lift something heavy.

Using all four limbs at once two arms and two legs pull yourself up onto the nose section for a brief second before releasing again into a looping motion until finally landing back on solid ground safely.

How long does it take to see results from skateboarding?

Many people are eager to improve their skills with skateboarding, wondering how long it will take them to get tangible results.

While success in skateboarding can be subjective, most people find that if your goal is to improve strength in your legs – something that is required for much of the technical aspects of skateboarding – then you can actually see results quite quickly.

With consistent practice and commitment, many skaters report feeling stronger in their lower body after only a few weeks dedicated to learning new tricks or grinding more than they used to.

Although progress can vary depending on individual ability and natural physicality, dedicated effort will certainly pay off.

Final Thoughts

Skateboarding is an effective way to build and strengthen lower body muscles.

Not only does it work out the muscles in your legs, but it also helps improve coordination and balance, making any other physical activity you do afterwards even easier.

Skating works both quick-twitch muscles, which can help you react quickly, as well as all the big muscles that give you power when needed.

Moreover, since skateboarding requires multiple repetitive motions in quick succession, it is a great choice for those looking to strengthen their legs over time.

All in all, for anyone wanting stronger legs and improved physical prowess skateboarding may be just what they need.