Cycling is for wimps. What kind of exercise lets you sit down? Inline skating, on the other hand, doesn't involve a cushy, padded seat. The only thing keeping your butt off the pavement is muscle power. It makes sense, then, that a number of athletes strap on their Rollerblades to train for their "off-time" on the Schwinn.

"A lot of skaters are bikers," says Judy Fridono, founder of Get Inline Chicago (www.getinlinechicagoland.com) which instructs and organizes local skaters. "It has aerobic benefits, but it's a different type of exercise. Inline skating works the gluts, the quads--the whole leg. And if you're squatting correctly you work the abs and the arms."

Fridono has seen the full spectrum of athletes get inline, from the hockey players seeking a workout off-ice to the downhill skiers who can't make it to the mountain but want to work those snow muscles. In addition to the fitness benefits, Fridono has instructed athletes recovering from injury and seeking a low-impact form of exercise.

While their sporting background and fitness needs are varied, inline skaters ultimately fall into three categories:
* Recreational (those of us who lace up the skates and tool around the neighborhood)
* Fitness (those who incorporate skating into their cross- training workout regimens, replacing or supplementing traditional workouts like running and cycling)
* Speed (racers who compete with specialized skates)

Greg Major knows a thing or two about cross training. And he has competed in some races. As the brawn behind Bulldog Bootcamp (www.bulldogbootcamp.com), a military-style outdoor fitness program, he has used inline skating as part of his cross-training regime, and raced fellow speedsters, for the past 12 years.

"It's always good to do exercises using different muscles," he says. "If you're a hockey player, inline skating translates directly. If you're a runner, inline skating gets more stress on your quads. After skating, running feels easy."

"Inline skating is good for cycling because you're using the same muscles while getting lateral movement, the degree of which depends on the intensity of the skating" he says. "Distance skating is similar to cycling. And on skates you're not sitting down."

Additional Resources: www.skating.com; www.marathonskating.com and www.iisa.org (International Inline Skating Association)