On the surface, go-kart racing seems like a leisure sport with little or no impact on your body. However, that’s not true. Go-Karting can leave you breathless, red-faced, and exhausted when you try it. Beyond the adrenaline rush, it impacts your weight loss journey and helps you hang out with friends.
According to a study by VROOM, you burn 358 calories every 30 minutes of go-karting, and that’s 40% higher than jogging. In a single day of go-karting, drivers can lose up to 2-3 kilograms. Just because karting is less popular than regular exercises like swimming, walking, or yoga does not make it less impactful.
Do you want to discover more exciting facts about go-karting? Stay glued till the end.
Benefits Of Go-karting Apart From Burning Calories
Beyond helping you lose calories, go-karting has other benefits that keep you strong and healthy while having lots of fun. Here’s what you stand to gain by trying out go-karting:
Boosts Strength and Stamina
Go-karting has a shocking impact on helping you increase your strength and stamina. This exercise requires you to steer the kart in a specific direction, and that builds your upper body strength.
Amidst the twists and turns, you can feel a stinging sensation within the biceps and triceps due to the resistance of the kart. Go-karting requires a high level of endurance; while doing it, it improves your stamina.
Builds Better Reflexes
Go-karts are structured in a straight lane requiring you to navigate sharp corners within seconds. This exercise is a great way to build your reflexes because it helps you make on-the-spot decisions so you don’t crash and lose the game.
Instinctively, you’ll want to reach the finish line without hitting other drivers, and that can only happen if your reflexes are sharp. Even if you’re not great at it at first, as you keep up with the sport, your reflexes will improve.
Improves Concentration Levels
Racing is a concentration sport; you can bump into other drivers or even tires without paying full attention. And that’s the fastest way to lose the sport if you compete with friends.
You must be conscious of your tracks and other karts to retain control.
Go-karting helps you sharpen your senses and boost your consciousness while driving. This is a benefit that even novices can apply while driving real cars to avoid accidents.
Increases Heart Rate
Every exercise worth your time must give you a good adrenaline rush. Go-karting gets your energy levels pumping before you hit the tracks, which is good for your heart. It helps you get the blood flowing all over your body and gives you a full-body workout since you’re using your arms and legs, making you stronger.
Fosters Team Spirit
Go-karting is always a great avenue to get your co-workers from work demands and focus on other things. You can also hang out with friends and family to build team spirit through go-karting. Think of it as a way of building your muscles and having a good time all at once!
Also Read: How Many Minutes For A Go-Kart Race
Builds Confidence
Despite the fun nature of go-karting, it has real-life relevance because it can help new drivers increase their confidence in navigating roads. Teenagers can use go-karting to make their hands steady on the wheel to improve their performance.
With skills like concentration, better reflexes, and muscle memory gained from go-karting, you can move around with better assurance of your ability to drive.
Disadvantages Of Go-karting
As fun, as go-karting is, it can be dangerous, especially if you go to a local course that fails to prioritize safety. The major causes of go-karting injuries are usually inexperienced drivers and faulty equipment. It can lead to spinouts, crashes, and flips which can cause severe injuries.
Here are some safety measures you can take to avoid taking a trip to the emergency room.
- Choose a track with karts that have covered rear axles and DOT-approved seat belts.
- Research and ensure the local course has helmets protecting you from head and neck injuries. If not, take your helmet with you to guarantee safety.
- Check the essential parts of your go-kart to avoid engine issues, tire problems, and oil drips that can result in much greater complications.
- Wear tight clothes or choose a local course that provides you with clothing.
- If your hair is long, tie it up to prevent it from flying around or getting caught up in the wheels.
Why Is Go-karting So Tiring?
Go-karting requires lots of physical energy. After a few minutes, you’ll feel a burning sensation in your ribs and arms. It can leave you sore and tired, especially if you’re past teenage age or new to go-karting.
The adrenaline rush through your body and its massive impact on your weight comes with some pain. And since go-karts have no power steering like cars, you’ll require enormous strength to get it moving. The steering wheel of go-karts is not ergonomic and has more resistance, which can wear you out quickly.
Does Go-karting Count As Exercise?
Yes, it does. Although go-karting looks so simple at first, it requires a lot of physical output on the driver’s part. It is an excellent way to stay physically fit by quickly losing some calories. Most times, after your first-time go-karting, your body is usually weak, stiff, or sore.
It can also be classified as a cardiovascular exercise because it increases your heart rate, especially if you’re driving at high speed. Another activity that impacts your heart rate is if you’re competing with other go-kart drivers; it fuels a higher adrenaline level.
It requires good grip strength due to the uncomfortable steering wheels. Even after you’ve had some experience with go-karting, you can still feel the impact on your wrists, arms, and palms.
Since it is a tasking exercise, you must remain hydrated immediately after you finish your session. And since you can’t have a bottle of water on board, it’s better to drink water before and after you hit the tracks.
Burn Those Calories!
Go-karting is a natural way to lose weight and burn calories without being restricted to a FAD diet. You can guarantee that by committing to this exercise, you’ll lose calories fast through natural means.
All you have to do is prioritize your safety, especially before going on the tracks. Your arms, palms, and entire body might tire out as you exercise, but the effect is long-lasting and profound.
