Snowboarding is great fun and it gives you an excuse to get out in the open air.
You can explore the mountains, make new friends, and have fun, but that’s not all, as snowboarding is also a great way to lose weight and build your core muscles.
How Many Calories Does Snowboarding Burn?
You can burn up to 450 calories an hour with snowboarding.
However, it all depends on how fit you are and how much weight you’re carrying, as well as your intensity level.
Is Snowboarding an Aerobic Exercise?
Yes! It’s a great cardio workout that will burn calories and increase your endurance.
You’ll burn just as many calories as you will with other board sports, as well as downhill skiing.
What Muscles are Worked When Snowboarding?
Your lower body muscles do most of the work when you’re snowboarding.
It requires a lot of force and stability and will ensure that your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves get a good workout.
Your upper body will also play a role.
You need your arms and shoulders to maintain balance and while you’re not going to build big biceps, it will lead to some extra calorie burn.
Is Snowboarding Good for Your Core Muscles?
Most of your balance comes from your abdominal muscles.
The more you snowboard, the stronger your core muscles will become, and once you have that core strength, you’ll be able to perform bigger jumps, better tricks, and spend less time face-first in the snow.
As your skill level increases, snowboarding becomes even more of a complete fitness routine.
Why Snowboarding is Great Exercise
Quick question: What’s the best exercise?
Running, jump rope, sprinting uphill?
You probably answered one of those things, right?
If not, there’s a good chance you mentioned some other high-intensity exercise that rapidly burns calories but is incredibly dull.
To someone trying to lose weight, a great workout is one that burns calories quickly.
If sprinting burns more calories than steady jogging, they’ll sprint. If kickboxing burns more calories than boxing, they’ll drop those hands and limber up those legs.
The problem with this attitude is that it overlooks the most essential feature of a good workout: entertainment.
If it’s not fun, you’ll get bored.
You’ll start clock-watching and will be desperately waiting for the moment you can stop the workout and reach for the towel.
If it’s fun, the time will fly by.
You might burn more calories in thirty minutes of running than you do in thirty minutes of snowboarding, but when you’re snowboarding the time will fly by.
You’ll do it for longer, at a greater intensity, and you’ll be more willing to break through the “wall”.
Snowboarding is not a great exercise because it burns the most calories.
It’s a great exercise because it works all of your body, gets your heart pumping, and will keep you entertained as those calories burn away.
Other Benefits of Snowboarding
Snowboarding burns calories, builds muscle, and ensures that you have good core strength, but there’s more to it than that.
It’s also a great way to meet new people, improve your balance, and increase your flexibility.
What’s more, as you start to lose weight, build muscle, and improve your snowboarding skills, you’ll feel more confident and that could transfer to other areas of your life.
Snowboarding as Exercise: Recap
- Calories Burned: Up to 450 an Hour (varies)
- Great For: Losing Weight, Building Core Strength, Improving Muscle Tone
- Muscle Groups: Lower Body Muscles and Core Muscles
- Other Health Benefits: Fresh Air, Flexibility, Self-Confidence, Improved Mental Health
- Best Exercise Routine: Just Keep Practicing!
