Why Should You Use a Skate Mate Roller Skating Trainer?

Roller skating is a very fun activity. It has aerobic benefits similar to other aerobic exercises like jogging, running, or cardio karate except that roller skating is a low impact activity. "Low impact" means that this particular activity is less stressful on your joints and will not cause your joints to undergo joint degeneration (AKA wear and tear) prematurely unlike other aerobic exercises.

While this activity can be fun and entertaining, roller skating does not come without its dangers. Safety gear should always be worn to prevent serious injury. A helmet, wrist guards, elbow guards, and knee guards should always be worn when you are a beginning skater.

A Skate Mate roller skating trainer will enable the novice skater to develop two things:

1. balance
2. proprioception

A Skate Mate roller skating trainer is highly recommended because as a first time skater, you WILL have balance problems. Just like a baby who is learning how to walk will have balance problems and need a rolling walker to stand in, so too does a beginning skater need a roller skating trainer to guard against balance problems that promote falls and serious injuries.

You can not learn how to box effectively if you do not have the proper tools to box with minimal injury. Likewise, you can not learn how to skate effectively if you are always injuring yourself from frequent falling. For that reason, a roller skating trainer is needed to maintain your balance.

A Skate Mate roller skating trainer is the ideal tool to help you develop not only balance but also proprioception. Proprioception is a medical term to refer to your perception of the position of your joints without looking at your joints; i.e. "joint position sense". As I am sitting here writing this article, my proprioception, or perception of position, tells me that both my feet are on the ground and my legs are bent at the knees without me having to look at the actual position of my legs. That is proprioception.

Another way of putting it is that a guitarist would know where to strike the G-string by the position of his fingers on the guitar without him having to look at the strings. That is proprioception.

As a beginning skater, a Skate Mate roller skating trainer will help you develop proprioception so that you can skate down the aisle without looking at the position of your feet which will determine what direction you will be going as you travel on moving wheels.

Did you know that there is a neurological purpose when roller skating rinks do what is known as a "blackout" for a few songs? When they do a blackout, the lack of light will enable those with proprioception to continue skating while knowing where their feet are positioned on the floor. Skaters with little or no perception of position would find it difficult to skate in the dark and would have to wait until the lights return to see how their feet are positioned on the floor when they skate.

In a nutshell, those with proprioception have the ability to skate in the presence or absence of light whereas those with little or no proprioception require light in order to see how their feet are positioned for skating.

Balance and proprioception are two very important things you need to develop as a newbie roller skater. The proper tools such as a Skate Mate roller skating trainer are needed to stimulate proper neurological communication from your brain to your lower extremities (legs) and vice versa, to minimize injury during the learning process, and to maximize the enjoyment on skates.

Marissa Meme is a roller skating enthusiast and an article marketer for CatholicFavors.com where you can buy not only the Skate Mate roller skate trainer but also the finest in Catholic related items such as First Holy Communion gifts for boys and girls, and Confirmation crosses.

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The Grid Foam Roller Review

If you use a foam roller, you owe it to yourself to try the Grid Foam Roller. Its unique design and construction provides a better and more targeted self massage for athletes of every age.Before I review the Grid Foam Roller, I need to say that I am a proponent of using any foam rollers for myofascial release and self massage. Adding a few sessions of foam rolling to your weekly workout plan is a great addition to any training routine, whether you are an elite or novice exerciser.

The Grid Foam Roller, however, is a current favorite. Made by Trigger Point Performance Therapy, this new sleek foam roller design, uses EVA foam over a hollow core, which prevents break down over time. The foam design provides a variety of different densities, foam patterns and widths that provide a more targeted trigger point feel. These three different zones are designed to feel like (1) fingertips, (2) forearm/palms and (3) fingers and thumb. By using the different zones, you can easily vary the amount of pressure on specific muscles.

At about 13" long and 5" around, the Grid is much more portable than traditional foam rollers. Although I had no trouble using the Grid on all the major muscle groups I use a traditional foam roller on, it was a tight fit across my upper back and shoulders, and I suspect others will have similar issues.

Finally, the 1-year warranty, is tough to beat.

The Grid Foam Roller is small and portable. While this is definitely a plus for travel and for use on the arms and legs, for some people it could be a bit too small. Unfortunately the small size of the Grid makes it difficult to properly roll the upper back or to perform movements that require a longer surface area.

Even though it's designed with a variety of patterns and foam densities to simulate different types of massage, I had a bit of trouble, first, noticing a major difference between the types, and second, staying on the desired foam type. For some areas (calves, IT band) I wished the foam was softer, and for some areas (upper back, glutes) I needed more firmness. Compared with other foam rollers, the Grid worked exactly as advertised and all in all, it's a fine product.

I still use a longer, standard foam roller for some of my self massage work, simply because the length offers a bit more ease of use for some muscle groups.

Also, at $40 the Grid foam roller price point is quite a bit higher than a standard foam roller.

That's about all I can find wrong with this amazing new option for foam roller fans!

Using a foam roller is the best way to perform self-massage and myofascial release, but still isn't commonly used by recreational athletes. For anyone who exercises regularly, or has muscle tightness, imbalances or a history of injury, using a foam roller on a regular basis can help loosen tight muscles, reduce muscle adhesions and scar tissue formation, increase flexibility. It's also a great way to prevent muscle stiffness and aid in the rest and recovery process as well.

Used before exercise, foam rolling can help increase blood flow and prepare the muscles for exercise. Even if you don't exercise intensely, foam rolling eases aches, pains and tension caused by sitting at a computer all day.

Keep in mind that not all aches and pains and injuries can be helped by foam rolling. Check with your doctor before you use a foam roller, especially if you have some health conditions such as heart disease, PAD, problems with circulation or fibromyalgia.

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