With fitness becoming increasingly popular in today’s world, it is important to know how to choose a workout mat that is best suited for your workout routine. Depending on the intensity of your workout, some may require additional exercise equipment, weights and dumbbells. These are all factors to take into consideration before choosing how thick or thin your home workout mat should be. Not only do training mats keep flooring safe from damage, they perform exceptionally well in keeping your joints and lower back safe. A home workout mat is a simple way to keep your floors safe and your body happy.

How to Choose the Right Workout Mat for Your Exercise Routine

There are many factors to consider before purchasing a home workout mat. Firstly, you should determine the level of rigor your workout involves. This will help you understand how thick your mat should be to keep your joints pain-free and floors damage-free. The level of thickness will enhance the level of comfort to your back and joints as well as keeping the surface of your floors safe and out of harm’s way. You also have to determine where you plan on using your workout mat and how much space is available. Outdoors, your workout mat will be exposed to numerous environmental factors that may damage your mat. For situations like this, there are various rubber material variations training mats are available in as well as in various forms to fit a desired space.

1(a). Training Mats for Intense Workouts

One of the most important factors to consider before choosing which workout mat is best suited for you is how intense your workout routine is. Rigorous exercise, such as cardio workouts, require excessive movement that can cause pain in your joints and lower back if not performed on properly cushioned floors. A common misconception about joint and lower back pain is that it can only develop in older adults and the elderly. This statement is incorrect as younger adults or even children can experience joint and lower back pain from over use or when walking or running on hard surfaces for extended periods of time. For example, in an article titled “Osteoarthritis in Young, Active, and Athletic Individuals,” Adae O. Amoako and George Gunther A. Pujalte state, “In young and athletic individuals, the more time they spend engaging in occupational and recreational activities, their higher predisposition to injuries contribute to their higher likelihood of developing OA [Osteoarthritis]…The general overview is that OA is the result of ‘wear and tear’; because athletes and young individuals use their joints more and the risk is higher” (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). This means anyone is susceptible to joint and back injury with excessive use and rigor. The rubber material of a workout mat is elastic enough to provide supple cushioning to prevent injuries like this from occurring. The addition of a home workout mat is essential to your joint and back health no matter what age you are.

1(b). Comfort Workout Mats

Yoga or aerobics exercises are not as rigorous of workouts as cardio exercises are. They do not require much movement and are more focused on improving flexibility and toning muscles. Therefore, there is no need to purchase a bulkier home workout mat for floor exercises that are less rigorous. For these types of workouts, a thinner workout mat would suffice as they are lighter and more mobile for easy transportation. Yoga and aerobics are good examples of less rigorous exercises anti-fatigue comfort training mats are perfect for. An anti-fatigue workout mat is made with comfort in mind and is not suitable for hard core workouts that involve weights and other heavy equipment. Despite the thinner nature of these mats, an anti-fatigue workout mat is still durable and thick enough to provide cushion and protect the subflooring underneath from lighter movement and exercise equipment. Often times, anti-fatigue workout mats are designed to be made of a softer rubber material or have hallow undersides to provide you with the perfect amount of cushion and grip.

1(c). Training Mats for Exercise Equipment

Large exercise equipment and heavy weights require thicker training mats to protect the flooring underneath. If your workout routine involves heavy equipment, mats that are 3/8-inch or thicker is recommended. A good rule of thumb to follow when selecting a thickness is: the thicker the mat, the more abuse it can take. Thicker training mats are generally used to help protect hardwood flooring or other expensive flooring materials from the damaging vibrations of exercise machines or if you accidentally drop a weight. Exercise equipment, specifically treadmills, ellipticals, etc., emits vibrations that can eventually damage your expensive flooring and can even crack concrete with enough exposure. To prevent this from happening, rubber training mats are recommended. The rubber material of these mats allows the vibrations from the machines to be evenly distributed across the surface of the mat.

1(d). Workout Mats for Spatial Availability

Depending on the size of the area you wish to cover with a workout mat should determine which form is best for the space available. If the intended workout space is rather large, you should consider using training mats that have an interlocking feature. This form of home workout mat is extremely versatile and easy to install. The main benefit of interlocking tiles is that it is customizable to fit the preferred space. You may add more tiles if the space is larger or remove some tiles to fit a smaller space. This allows your home workout mat to be placed anywhere you would like since all you have to do is add or remove some tiles to make it fit the available space. Rubber mat rolls are also available in custom lengths up to 50 consecutive feet. These are ideal for larger spaces or custom spaces; however, home workout mat rolls are not as versatile and mobile as interlocking tiles are.

1(e). Outdoor Workout Mats

A workout mat made out of recycled or reclaimed rubber is best suited for outdoor use. Both recycled and reclaimed rubber are made up of old or unused vehicle tires. The main difference between the two rubber materials are their manufacturing processes which produces a different finish for both rubber materials. Often times, training mats that are made for both indoor and outdoor uses are made from recycled rubber rather than reclaimed. Recycled rubber is made up of crumb rubber that has been mixed in with a binder to form a larger piece of rubber. This process produces a course or grainy surface texture that is extremely abrasion resistant. Also, recycled products keep the weathering characteristics of rubber tires and are ideal for playground and outdoor fitness areas. Playgrounds in particular with benefit greatly with the addition of recycled rubber mats. Most playgrounds are usually located outdoors where they are exposed to changing weather conditions and experience heavy foot traffic with children constantly running around. With the durability and excellent outdoor life of recycled rubber, chances of these mats being damaged or destroyed are extremely slim.

Workout Mats for Weight Rooms

A common sight you will probably see at almost any public gym are the men and women in the corner lifting the really big and really heavy weights on barbells. This type of workout is called deadlifting. Deadlifting requires an extremely thick workout mat because these are essentially 500 to 600-pound weights being dropped from about waist level directly onto the floor. Without the use of a proper workout mat, these weights can severely damage floorings of all materials and could end up costing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to repair depending on how expensive the flooring is. Training mats for deadweight training need to be thicker than your average workout mat to prevent damaging the floors. A workout mat that is 3/4-inch thick or thicker is recommended for areas designated to deadlifting.

Choosing the right home workout mat for your exercise routine is extremely important, not only for the integrity of your floors, but also to keep your joints and lower back from injury. A workout mat may vary in thickness, size, form and rubber material and it is important know which is best for your routine. Thinner mats are generally used for less rigorous exercises and are geared more towards comfort and mobility. On the other hand, thicker mats are used for workouts involving heavy movement, exercise equipment or weights and dumbbells to protect the sub-flooring underneath. With various forms of training mats also available to fit custom spaces, a workout mat is a necessity for keeping you and your floors healthy and safe.