Which flooring is best for my home gym?

When setting up a home gym, the focus is on your fitness goals, what equipment you’ll need to smash those goals, to get fit, build muscle and lose fat……right? Those are obviously the primary considerations. But what about the floor? Cardio machines such as exercise bikes, cross trainers and treadmills, and strength training equipment such as workout benches, squat racks and weights, to name but a few, could all cause damage to your floor if it is left unprotected.

Before choosing your floor protection, there are a few important considerations to take into account to ensure you make the right choice.

Exercise/workout

The type of exercises or workouts you plan to perform will dictate the type of floor protection you will need. For example, if you plan to use a weight bench, you need to consider not only the size and weight of the bench, but also the weights you will be using on the bench. Dropping weights onto the floor will not only damage the floor over time but will potentially damage your weights. Along with weight benches, heavy cardio machines such as exercise bikes, treadmills and others will leave indentations and rips in carpets and scratches and dents in other flooring. This could result in your home gym costing far more than you had planned for!

Size

A common mistake which is often made when choosing floor protection is the size. It is really important to measure the size of your home gym equipment before investing in your floor protection. For example, if you are looking to protect your floor from your treadmill, check the size of the base of the treadmill and compare it to the size of the floor protection. Just because the floor protection you are looking at states it is suitable for treadmills, doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right size for your treadmill as treadmills vary in size. If you plan to use your floor protection for floor exercises, consider the exercises you will be doing and the amount of room you need. If you need floor protection for weightlifting, think about the weights you will be using. If you are using a barbell for example, consider the length of it and make sure your floor protection is large enough to accommodate it.

Type

If you are practicing Yoga or pilates or doing other floor based exercises, a non-slip, padded mat which is easy to clean would be a good choice. The adidas Training Mat has all of these features and more, along with the Azure 10mm Exercise Mat which is made from eco-friendly non-slip material. All of our Yoga mats are available in a variety of colours and sizes. High density rubber mats such as the York Large Equipment Mat and the HXGN Equipment Mat are good choices for equipment such a weight benches, rowers, treadmills, cross trainers, exercise bikes and multi gyms since they are tough and durable and will protect your floor from potential damage made from both the equipment and weights being dropped. These are also ideal for kettlebell training or if you are training with dumbbells. York Floor Guards are a popular choice since they consist of durable interlocking tiles which once assembled not only protect your floor but muffle sound which is another attractive feature worth considering. Additionally, as the non-slip floor guards are interlocking, it’s easy to add more sets if you need to.