Help with working out on carpet??

[MCunningham]

I just moved about a month ago.

In my old house, I had a concrete basement floor which I just covered with the black interlocking foam tiles, which was wonderful. It was solid because of the concrete, but the foam tiles made moves easier on my joints.

In this new house (which, unfortunately, I'm only renting, so I can't do too much to) the basement where I work out is carpeted. Now, it's a pretty low-pile carpet (lower-pile than berber), but when I put the foam tiles on top of it, it's too squishy of a surface to workout on. I find myself losing my balance a lot during the workouts because of it, and I know any day now I'll be twisting my ankle or otherwise injuring myself.

My budget is pretty tight right now, but I was wondering if any of you have suggestions for what I could do... I kind of hate working out on straight carpet because I'm somewhat of a klutz. I know a lot of you struggle with the same issue of carpeting, so what all have you done (that didn't involve pulling out the carpet or something outrageously priced?) Any input would be greatly appreciated!

MC

 

[princessbear]

I worked out on just my carpet for a while - and found it too difficult to do kickboxing and step - too much resistance on some of the moves. I did get the puzzlemats like you described and I find it easier for me. Maybe give the mats a chance and modify/simplify your moves till you get used to the feel of them on the carpet? My carpet is a pretty thick pile and I'm not having any problems.

 

[mamads]

Help for working on carpet

For pilates, yoga and some balance work I put a thin peg board or something like it the size of my mat (under my mat) and it makes it easier for balance. I even use it under some of my stability ball workouts. I have a small 3'x3' thin piece for some moves I need for balance that don't require me to move around. I have several different sizes I use. I would like to get a 4x8 one of these days because on one dvd I have 2 boards laying side by side and they have a tendency to slip around. Darlene

 

[celestialtimes]

I'm having the same issue...I'm going to get a peace of plywood and put it on top of the carpet and secure my mats to that. Plywood is about 10 dollars a sheet. I tried it at a friends...seemed to work pretty good...and I can just slide the plywood and all under the bed...when not in use.

 

[melimcn]

I went to Home Depot and bought puzzle mat style flooring. It's not squishy, like the foam mats, so it'll provide you a harder surface to work out on.
I bought 2 boxes of tiles (6/box), and I believe each box was $12.

It's in the flooring department around kitchens and bath. There's a few different kinds you could check out to see what suits you.

 

[Pinny150]

I'm not much help.....I've never worked out on anything but carpet...lol...guess I'm used to it! I think it would throw me off to do aerobics on something else....lol

 

[janie1234]

I've always worked out on carpet. One thing you might want to think about is the type of shoe you wear. Make sure that it isn't a running shoe with high tread. This tends to catch on carpet more and make it harder to twist and turn. I use a cross trainer the bottoms are usually flater and when your on the step just make sure you lift your feet.