floor mats for cardio work

[amyg]

I have old old old wood floors in my house and since it's a rental, can't install that highly tuned special aerobic flooring I'm sure you all have in your workout rooms...

I was thinking of getting some mats or puzzle mats or something- anyone love any particular mat they have found?

 

[fitxme]

If you go to the open Discussion forum, there is a thread out there called "Show us your workout room" or something like that. Anyway, there is a lot of discussion about flooring options (some very good ones I might add). You should go over and check it out...

~Marietta

 

[kathryn]

I bought puzzle mats at Home depot, that I put over my entire workout area (in fact, I have left them there for quite a while--I live alone with my cats, so they aren't bothering anyone!). I bought two sets of black and two sets of color (green/red/yellow/blue) and set them up so that they are in a checkerboard-like pattern. I sometimes use the pattern as a guide for jumps or other moves, to aim for a particular width or length of movement.

Until I laid them out so that they were bordered by some immoveable object ( sofa, a wall, etc.)in every direction, they did have a tendency to move a bit. I think there is less movement as well the more mats you use. I used to have to put weights on the corners to get rid of the movement.

 

[amyg]

That answers one of my questions- I couldn't figure out how they would stay in place! I've been using 2 yoga mats on top of each other, but it doesn't work with cardio as they slide off each other and I risk death by falling each time I try.

I guess I'm heading to Home Depot! Thanks!

 

[NY25]

You can also get gym flooring/puzzle mats at most gym supply stores or sporting goods stores. I got mine at Modell's. They're usually around the same area where the dumbells and other such equipment are kept.

 

[hippahips]

Hi Amy, I got mine from greatmats.com. I got enough mats to cover the entire area so that the edges of the mat are flush against my entertainment center on one end, my dresser, and my bedroom wall. I had to cut out two tiles with a box cutter to make everything fit. The two cut pieces extends to the area under my bed, where I store my dumbbells. It's great because I put some db's on top of these pieces for more stability. I just pull down the bed skirt to hide all of it.

Pinky

 

[amyg]

Pinky, I looked at your workout area photos the other day and have been marvelling at them ever since! The smart ways you store stuff!! Bravo.

I don't want the mats to be there all the time- we have a coffee table that I roll to the side of the room to make space, and it won't roll over mats so I think puzzle mats will be good so I can move them when I need to.

I was thinking about your space yesterday as I threw my dumbells around after my workout, thinking "gee, if only I put some thought into this, I could maybe come up with a way to store all this, too!" LOL if only...

 

[hippahips]

Thanks, Amy. My son was only a toddler when I started with Cathe, and it was imperative that he not play with my weights. I have a very curious, precocious, hard-headed boy. My only option was to hide them under the bed. Even my barbell used to be hidden. It's just that, the heavier I went, I less space I had, so now the bb and some db's are out in the open.

Pinky

 

[kelley111]

I bought puzzle mats from Sam's a while back and I cannot use these for my cardio work. I can't do anything on them that requires any pivoting moves as I can't slide my feet. There is a thread at the Yas Yas site about this also. Some people found them too slippery, but most of us found them too sticky. How do you do pivoting movements, particularly Kick Max. I literally had to stop the workout and remove the mats before I could do all of the pivoting moves.