Is Slacklining A Good Workout?

In the past decade, slacklining has gone from an unconventional pastime of rock climbers and hippies to a relatively mainstream sport.

As slacklining leaves its spot in obscurity to join the ever-growing category of unconventional sports, I’m excited to see what is next for this fantastic activity. With rock climbing and skateboarding joining the Olympics, I think the sky is the limit for slacklining.

Yes, slacklining is a great workout. Slacklining trains all of your lower body muscles and strengthens your core. Where slacklining shines, though, is improving your balance. There is no better way to improve your balance than to walk a one or two-inch length of webbing in between trees.

In addition, slacklining is often used in injury rehabilitation. For example, it can help recover from knee and ankle injuries. If this is your goal, be sure that the line is very close to the ground. Falling from heights is not a good injury rehab technique.

What are the benefits of slacklining?

Slacklining offers a host of both physical and mental benefits. Physically it improves your balance, builds lower body muscles, strengthens your core, burns calories, and can help with injury rehabilitation. And that’s not all. One of the main reasons people slackline is for the mental benefits.

Slacklining takes focus. It is hard to balance if you aren’t paying attention. It’s an activity that helps you learn to ignore all external distractions and focus on a singular task.

Regular slacklining can help sharpen your focus and improve your concentration. In addition, slacklining is a form of active meditation. Bringing your attention to your breathing as you attempt to walk the line yields the same benefits as sitting quietly in a room and trying not to think.

If you are looking for an in-depth article about the benefits of slacklining, check out this article.

Is slacklining hard?

No simple trick will teach you to slackline in ten minutes. Learning to slackline is hard, and it could take weeks to accomplish. However, most people will be able to walk the line in three to fifteen hours of practice. Of course, depending on your innate ability to balance and current fitness level, you could learn faster, and in this next section, I’ll offer a few pointers that could help improve your learning pace.

What is the trick to learning to slackline?

Determination. Learning to slackline is difficult; it may feel nearly impossible the first time you hop on the line. Most people find that the webbing shakes uncontrollably when they first step on the line. If you are attempting to walk across the slackline, you must first use your leg muscles to stabilize the line. This is something that can only be learned through trial and error.

In addition, some people will advise you to start standing, holding on to the tree at one end, and attempt to take your few steps from relative safety. This is terrible advice.

While you may take your first few steps faster with this method, you are far better off starting out of reach from a tree and as far from the ratchet as possible. The fastest way to learn to slackline is to learn to stand on one foot on the line unassisted. Start with one foot on the ground and one foot on the line and stand up and balance on one foot. When that leg gets tired, work on the other. If you can balance on both feet individually, you can walk the line.

That will not be a quick process, and there are a few tips that make it easier:

1. Look at where the webbing meets the tree

Some people will tell you to look straight ahead, which can be good advice depending on what is straight ahead of you. When attempting to balance, you always want to look at something that is not moving. The place where webbing meets the tree will always be stable and directly in front of you. Additionally, most beginners find it easier to look away from their feet if they can still see the line.

2. Keep your big toes on the line

Even when walking on regular ground, your big toes are crucial for balance. Think of your foot as a triangle with your heel, big toe, and pinky toe as points. Since when walking the slackline, you can only have two points on the line (assuming you aren’t a small child), you should aim to keep your heel and big toe on the line whenever possible.

3. Keep your core/glutes tight

While slacklining, your upper body acts as a balancing pole like the ones tight ropers use. So your arms need to stay loose to make micro-adjustments that help you maintain your balance. At the same time, your core and glutes need to remain centered above the line. Your booty and core are the two heaviest structures in the body, so keeping them slightly braced and over the line makes balancing much more manageable.

4. Breath through your nose

Slacklining is exercise, not exercise like running but exercise nonetheless. Your heart rate will rise with effort and steady as walking walk across the line becomes easier. Breathing through your nose ensures that you aren’t working too hard. Slowing your breath will help keep you calm and controlled while the webbing shakes below you. It also gives you something to focus on other than the unstable line.

Is it better to slackline barefoot or with shoes?

It is best to slackline barefoot. Your toes will help you make micro-adjustments to keep balanced on the line. Never slackline in socks, the nylon webbing mixed with most sock materials will be pretty slippery and can send you to the ground rather quickly.

If the ground isn’t soft where you are slacklining, shoes are advisable. Still, I would recommend a minimalist or barefoot shoe for the task. This author’s recommendation would be the Xero 360 minimalist cross-training shoes. It has a thin sole that lets you feel the line and is grippy enough to stick the landing of a 180 (the first trick most people learn). If you don’t like the feel of minimalist shoes, then the next best thing is a skate shoe or any flat shoe.

When it comes to slacklining, safety is first. If you are just learning, make sure to set the line as close to the ground as possible. Once you are proficient, you can raise it high for cool pictures and an adrenaline rush. While safety is first, fun is second. It will take you a while to master the slackline. Try whatever feels pleasurable to you along the way. Try surfing the line, lunging on the line, or even doing a side plank on the line. It won’t slow your progress. Just be safe, and use a spotter or crash pad if needed!