Terry, I just got in-line skates and I want to know the best way to get started. I am more used to the old roller rink-type skates and am a little shaky on these. Do you have any suggestions?

--aluress101

Aluress, I think in-line skating is a great way to stay in shape while having fun. The first thing I would do is get some lessons. I know my local skate shop sponsors free clinics for people just getting started. Usually there's someone who works in the shop who gives private lessons as well.

Equipment:

• If you haven't done so already, get a helmet and wrist guards. Knee pads and elbow pads are also available. The greatest potential danger is falling and hitting your head. Wrist injuries are common because the natural tendency is to stick out your hands to break a fall.

Starting to skate:

• Learn how to stop. When I bought my first pair of in-line skates I was most impressed with their maneuverability and their speed. My first challenge was learning how to stop confidently. Also important is planning direction changes ahead of time when cruising along at high speeds, especially on downhills. You have to think like a downhill skier, picking your line ahead of time.
• Seek out a car-free, relatively quiet location to start working on technique. If you don't have a park with paved paths near you, find an empty parking lot or a school campus. Just pick a place where there won't be too many other skaters, bikers and runners to distract/annoy/run into you.

Getting in shape to skate:

• Strengthen your legs. Skating places tremendous demands on your muscles. Squats and lunges will work your hip and butt muscles, as well as your quads and hamstrings. All the power needed for the skating stride comes from these muscles. If you go to a gym, add leg extensions and leg curls to your workout for a more thorough leg routine.
• Strengthen your back. To get faster on your skates you'll have to get lower to be more aerodynamic and to get more push out of each stride. This places a strain on your lower back muscles. In fact, my lower back is the determining factor in how long I can skate. To work your back, do back extensions lying on the floor or on a bench made for hyper extensions at a gym. To balance strong back muscles and to assist in stabilizing your torso when you skate (or any time for that matter), strengthen your stomach muscles with plenty of crunches.
• Be sure to stretch all these muscles that you're using so they won't get too tight. Stretches for the quads, hamstrings, lower back gluteus and calves should be performed after strength training and also after a skating session.
• Strengthen your upper body. If you've ever seen the legs of a speed skater, you know they're awesome. Why not balance your lower body development with some upper body work? Do push-ups at home, or do a light upper body circuit at the gym a couple of times a week.
• Add in some cardio work. Skating is an endurance sport, so any cardiovascular exercise will help your stamina for skating. Run, bike, use a stepper, or do aerobics to help increase the time you can spend on your skates having fun.

And have fun, aluress!

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