How Many Calories Does Skateboarding Burn?

Skateboarding calories by weight & duration

The ~352 calories per hour figure is an estimate for a 155 lb person skating at a moderate effort, and your actual burn will shift based on your body weight, terrain, and how hard you're pushing. Log your skateboarding sessions in the Mariposas app to track what the numbers actually look like for you over time.

Calculated as MET (5) × body weight (kg) × hours. How this works.

What to expect in a skateboarding class

A first session usually splits itself naturally into two phases. The first chunk is almost entirely balance work: you'll spend time just standing on the board, shifting weight heel-to-toe and nose-to-tail, then practice falling safely before you ever try to push. Once you're moving, expect to feel your ankles working overtime and your core firing constantly just to keep you upright on flat ground. Progress feels slow at first, then sudden, often within a single session you'll go from shaky pushes to feeling reasonably in control of basic stops.

Tips for your first skateboarding class

• Rent or borrow a complete skateboard with softer wheels (95A durometer or below) for your first few sessions. Softer wheels absorb cracks and pebbles instead of stopping abruptly, which is a very common reason beginners bail unexpectedly.
• Wear wrist guards, not just a helmet. Wrists are the first thing people throw out when they fall, and a sprain can sideline you for weeks before you've had the chance to build any real skill.
• Find the flattest, smoothest concrete surface available, ideally an empty parking lot or a smooth bike path. Trying to learn on rough sidewalk or a sloped surface multiplies the difficulty by a factor that has nothing to do with your ability.
• Practice your fall before you try to push. Crouch low, get comfortable stepping off the back of the board intentionally, and try rolling falls on grass first. Knowing how to bail without panic is a real skill that keeps sessions from ending early.

What affects how many calories skateboarding burns

The 352 cal/hr figure is calculated for a 155 lb person at a MET of 5, and both variables matter: a heavier person burns more at the same effort level, and a lighter person burns less. Effort level swings the real output dramatically, since a slow flatground session barely taxes you while skating transitions, pumping through bowls, or repeatedly attempting and resetting tricks can push your heart rate into ranges that rival interval training. Skating uphill or on rough surfaces also adds meaningful load because you're fighting resistance on every push instead of gliding on smooth pavement.

Three things move your number most: body weight (a heavier body burns more for the same activity, that's why the table runs from 125 to 225 lb), duration (calories scale with time), and intensity. A skateboarding you push hard burns more than an easy one, because effort is what the MET value of 5 represents, an average for this activity. Your fitness level and how much you rest between efforts shift it too, so treat these as a solid estimate rather than an exact count.

How we calculate skateboarding calories

Every number here uses the standard energy-expenditure formula: calories ≈ MET × body weight (kg) × time (hours). The MET value of 5 for skateboarding comes from the published Compendium of Physical Activities, the same reference researchers and fitness trackers use. We convert your weight to kilograms and multiply through, no fudge factors. See our methodology for the full formula and sources.