I Tried A Skateboard Workout And I Was Sore All Week

What the heck is the skateboard workout?

Skateboards. I have a love hate relationship with them. I would love to be able to ride one down the boardwalk, but hate that each attempt has ended in me fearfully jumping off. However, I am a sucker for new fitness ideas and couldn’t pass on the opportunity to try something different. So I got a fresh new Penny Skateboard and tested out the skateboard workout from Collete Skate Gym and pole vaulting champ Raphael Doub.

The skateboard workout uses some of the best strength training moves out there to give you an intense, challenging, full-body sweat. But wait—why the skateboard? Balancing on a 22-inch board on wheels is already a challenge for most of us. So why not add in some exercise moves to one of the best pastimes among kids for a blast of toning and balance?

How to get started with the skateboard workout

First, you need a board like the ones from Penny. (Warning—all boards are amazing, so take your time choosing one.) Together with the Collete Skate Gym, the board offers great stability practice and flexibility challenges. As a woman who appreciates a great leg day, I was curious how much work would be added into squats and lunges by incorporating something like this.

For my workout, I tried out a couple of moves from this video.

Front Lunges

I do these ALL of the time (sans wheels) as part of my normal workout routine, but clearly overestimated my leg strength. I completed 12 of these on each side and could already feel my body heating up.

Squats

Before moving onto the exercise below, I wanted to try a traditional squat (or as much of one as I could manage). It’s hard! I completed 10 of these.

Single Leg Squats

True story—just balancing on one foot was difficult for me. But once I found enough of it, I started to slowly bend my knee to see how deep I could get. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t very deep. My legs were shaking and after 10 of these on each side I felt the sweat start. (Editor’s note: Could you imagine doing these on a thing with wheels? One false move and you could be doing single tailbone sits!)

Planks (Moving Board Side to Side)

I was happy to give my legs a break and move on to some much needed ab work. I didn’t feel this on the first rep—just like I didn’t feel it at first with my legs—but as I continued to do my 40 reps (moving the board with feet to either side 20 times each), the abs were working. I knew I’d really feel it in the morning.

Following the workout, I did quick cool-down stretches and could feel my muscles the rest of the day.  I woke up the next morning SORE all over.

My final thoughts about the skateboard workout experience

I did three rounds of that workout in one week, and I was sore all week. There’s no doubt that adding a balance challenge, like standing on a skateboard, to your workout makes your entire body work harder.

What I really like…

1. Working out with the board was seriously tough. I like to shake things up, and this gave me a new twist on some of my staple moves (lunges, squats, planks).
2. You don’t need a ton of space! I did this in my cubicle at work and in my kitchen (while dinner was cooking).
3. There’s only a need for one piece of equipment.

What I didn’t like…

The biggest downside I could find is the lack of direction. I like being told what to do, how to do it and how many to complete, so this was tough for me. There isn’t a true guide yet for how to complete this workout, so I used this video to teach myself the exercises and my own judgment on how much reps my body could handle. So, if you are like me and need someone to break it down for you like they would a 5-year-old, this could prove difficult.

All in all, if you are looking for something new and fun to mix up your fitness regime, I would definitely recommend giving this a try and rolling your way to a more toned body!