Besides being a fun, satisfying activity, water skiing is a great exercise that helps you relax, stay in shape, and build muscles.
It’s the dream, something that is so much fun and enables you to stay in shape; water skiing is one of the best sports for burning all those extra calories.
So, how many calories do you burn while water skiing? You can burn between 400 and 600 calories per hour while water skiing. The more advanced you are, the more calories you can burn. Water skiing helps you develop faster metabolism, toned muscles, a strong core, and better balance, and it promotes your overall physical and mental health.
Keep reading to learn more about how to burn more calories while water skiing and if you can lose weight by water skiing.
How Many Calories Do You Burn While Water Skiing?
An advanced water skier can burn about 600 calories per hour, while regular skiers can burn between 400 and 500 calories per hour. How many calories you burn depends on your weight more than anything.
You can burn 200-300 calories per hour by walking, burn between 223 and 528 per hour by swimming, and burn 606 per hour while running. So you can say that water skiing is equal to running, but let’s be honest, it’s more fun, and overall you can burn more calories water skiing than swimming or walking.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how many calories you can burn in an hour doing various activities:
| The Activity | Calories Burned (per hour) |
| Running | 400-600 |
| Water Skiing | 400-600 |
| Jump Rope | 400-600 |
| Swimming | 200-500 |
| Hiking | 200-400 |
| Biking | 200-300 |
| Walking | 194-200 |
| Weightlifting | 176-200 |
| Yoga | 146-150 |
How To Burn More Calories While Water Skiing?
You can burn more calories while water skiing if you make more drifts or if you face sudden movements, such as the boat taking an unexpected turn or a drift, and you have to stay balanced and hold yourself up so you wouldn’t fall.
Of course, you can burn more calories by staying a little longer in the water, but I wouldn’t recommend that for beginners because it may tire you out and even hurt your joints.
However, your bones and joints will get stronger over time, but only if you gradually increase your water skiing time.
Can You Lose Weight by Waterskiing?
Waterskiing is one of the best sports you can do for losing weight; just spending one-hour waterskiing can make you burn 400 calories or even more.
The best thing is that it doesn’t focus on a particular item, so that you won’t have solid muscular arms with chicken legs, but it will work every muscle in your body. So, in a short time, you will start noticing some changes due to water skiing if you are consistent enough.
You will be more flexible, stronger, healthier, and with better balance; it can also reduce your chance of getting multiple diseases such as diabetes, heart problems, obesity, and high blood pressure.
It also develops stronger joints, muscles, and bones, and your whole core will be stronger.
How Do You Get in Shape For Water Skiing?
There is so much exercise you can do at home before going waterskiing.
Even though water skiing is a great workout, you will need to be in shape before doing so; it’s essential to have a strong core before water skiing.
Getting in shape will make it much easier for you and prepare you for any sudden changes.
- Grip strength
- Core strength
- Balance control
- Cardiovascular training
Grip Strength
You need grip strength so you can hold the handle without getting tired, or if your grip is too weak, the handle may slip from your hands.
So try to work them out by wrapping a towel on the bar of the pull-ups, it will make it more challenging for you, and it will be good practice for waterskiing.
There is also something called the dumbbell farmers to carry that you can try at home.
- First, you need two dumbbells
- Walk in a straight line while holding a dumbbell in each hand for as long as you can
- The heavier your Dumbbells are, the stronger your grip will get.
Watch this video to learn how to do this the workout.
Core Strength
For core strength, you can try planking; it’s the best exercise for core strength, you can do it every day at home for as much as you can, but you should gradually increase the time; for example, if you start with 30 minutes by the end of the week you should be able to plank for a whole minute without getting extremely tired.
You can also try single-leg and side planks; however, it’s crucial to straighten your back while planking.
Balance Control
Don’t worry, and I won’t tell you to try tightrope walking for better balance; there is something much more straightforward, and we’ve all tried it at least once.
It’s a trampoline, you can train your balance on a trampoline, and you can try to do a new trick every time you bounce; it will help you learn new skills.
There is no need to say that it’s essential to land on your feet each time, it’s totally fine to keep falling, but your main goal should be maintaining your balance and landing correctly.
Cardiovascular Training
Any cardio is good for your health in general and not just for waterskiing; it will also help you with skiing.
It would help if you tried to run or walk regularly, which will prevent fatigue and help you waterski for a longer time.
Since you are preparing for waterskiing, your cardio should be as close to it as possible; for example, if you are running, run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slow down for a minute, then run as fast as you can again.
You can repeat it as much as possible but don’t tire yourself out too much so you can still do it regularly because consistency is the key.
Related Questions
How Many Calories Can You Burn Water Skiing for 30 Minutes?
You can burn between 200 and 300 calories in 30 minutes of water skiing; however, it also depends on your body weight, and you will keep burning fats even after you get out of the water; plus, advanced skiers can burn more calories.
Is Water Skiing a Good Way to Lose Weight?
Water skiing is a good way to lose weight because it raises your heart rate, which helps increase your metabolism. It also makes you use your whole body and muscles to get in better shape quickly.
Is Water Skiing Harder If You Burn More Calories?
Water skiing isn’t more challenging if you burn more calories. You probably won’t even feel it till the next day, and just like any workout, you will wake up to an aching body and sore muscles, but you can get over it by stretching; however, you can burn more calories if you water skied harder.