How to Warm Up Before Skateboarding

Originally Published Feb 17, 2022

Skateboarding is a physically demanding sport using balance, coordination, cardio, and agility. 

When engaging in physical activity of any kind, it’s best to warm up beforehand to lubricate the muscles to get them ready for activation and prevent injury.

Here, we’re going over how to warm up before skateboarding. 

Stretching vs Warm-Up

It’s important to note that stretching and warming up are two different things. Both are beneficial to the body and should be done prior to skateboarding. 

Stretching is used to increase flexibility while warming up is for preparing the body for physical activity. 

Dynamic stretching is a moving stretch - think of a swinging or rocking motion. A dynamic stretch puts the muscle under tension and then releases it, similar to how you’ll use the muscle during your activity.

A dynamic warm-up includes both stretching and a proper warm-up to prepare the body for movement. 

Should I warm up before skateboarding?

You should warm up before skateboarding by doing dynamic stretches and small exercises that help warm the muscles. Any muscle used when skating should be warmed up beforehand. 

This will help prevent injury and can prolong your skating career. Warming up can strengthen tendons and ligaments, which are some of the hardest injuries to recover from due to lack of blood flow. 

During the warm-up, you want your core body temperature and your blood flow to increase to prepare your body for movement. 

What exercises should I do before skateboarding?

Follow the exercises below for how to warm up before skateboarding.

First, you’ll want to strengthen your ankles.

• Start by rocking back and forth from your heels to your toes. Do this 10 times each way. 
• Next, rock from the outside of your foot to the inside. Do this 10 times each way.

Another option for your ankles is ankle rolls.

• Lay on your back or raise one leg and roll your ankle clockwise and then counterclockwise 10 times each way. 
• For an added balance challenge, stand up and pull your knee to your chest and then do the ankle rolls in this position.

Since you push off the board frequently in skateboarding, you’ll want to warm up the muscles in your feet and calves as well.

• The toe flexor stretch starts standing, feet hip-width apart. 
• Lift one foot completely off the ground and lower it until just your toes touch. 
• Slowly roll your foot down to the floor feeling the back of your foot stretch and reverse the movement to come up. 
• Do this 5 times on each foot.
• To stretch your calves, place one foot about 2 ft in front of the other with all your toes facing forward. 
• Bend forward at your hips and reach for your front toe, bending your back knee and flexing your front foot. 
• Pull your toes as far back as you can. 
• Hold this for 30 seconds on each side.

There are plenty of great stretches for the upper part of your legs, here are a few to get you started.

• Stand feet hip-width apart, and bend forward to touch your toes. 
• A slight bend in the knees could be helpful to some to extend your hamstring stretch a bit more. 
• Do this 10 times.
• For your quads, begin on your knees and step one foot in front. You should be in a lunge position with your knee on the ground. 
• If you feel the stretch already stay where you’re at. 
• If you need more, bend your back knee, and reach for your back foot with the opposite hand.

For this next quad stretch, you can either work on your balance and do it unassisted or grab something you can hold onto to help assist you.

• Stand feet hip-width apart and bend one knee to grab your foot behind you. 
• Activate your quad by trying to pull your foot down to the ground but hold onto your foot for the stretch.
• For another balance stretch, release your foot from the previous hold and grab your knee. 
• Pull your knee as far up into your chest as you can. 
• Do 10 times each leg.

Trunk rotations are great for your core! 

• Stand in a wide stance with your feet facing the front. 
• Twist your upper body side to side, stretching further each time. 
• Try to keep your feet planted and continue the twist all the way up to your neck and head.
• Roll your shoulders in a backwards circle 10 times, and then forward. 
• Try to make the circles as big as you can with just your shoulders. 
• Next, add in straight arms for full arm swings. 
• Do 10 backwards, 10 forward. 

Make sure to stretch out your neck! There are three main ways to do this with different directions in each.

• First, start touching your ear to shoulder, from side to side. This will stretch out the side of your neck. 
• Next, look side to side from the right to left. 
• And finally, look up and down.
• Second, roll your head in a circle, clockwise and then counterclockwise. 
• Do this 5 times on each side.
• Third, gently take your right hand and bring it over the top of your head to touch your left ear. 
• Push down with your left arm and carefully pull your head to the right side, ear to shoulder. 
• Do the same on the left. Hold for 30 seconds.

How should I stretch before skateboarding?

Any of the exercises mentioned above work great for skateboarding. Since it is a full-body sport, you’ll want to stretch your whole body. Stretching doesn’t need to last more than 5 minutes with a 5-minute warm-up.