Workouts on carpet?

[ShyWolf]

I just purchased a home and I put in berber carpet , now I need to know ..... what can I do to prevent my shoes from snagging while I workout?

What type of shoes should I be looking for?
At the moment for weight work I'm using some running shoes and for cardio/step I'm using some really old Avia hitop shoes. I've noticed while shopping this weekend most shoes stores don't carry shoes for aerobics...I saw a lot of cross trainers.
I need help with this.


I've seen some black floor mats that are like puzzle pieces at Sam's Club.
Could I use these mats around my exercise space on top of the carpet to reduce the snagging or will it be too cushy to do Cathe's workouts?

My house is fully carpeted and I have no other place to do Cathe other then my family room which has once again the berber.

Help Please?
Thank You in adavnce

 

[kathryn]

The puzzle mats would be great for workouts like MIC and Bootcamp (they allow me to do the high impact moves in Bootcamp with comfort). I'm not sure how well they'd work for step, but if the step is secure on them, they'd probably work well.

For workouts like kickboxing, which can put a lot of nasty torque into your knee (I'm obsessed with "torque avoidance"!) if you do them on carpet, I've seen it suggested that you wrap duct tape around the ball of the foot, which gives you a nice pivot point, but isn't slippery when you are standing flat footed. I guess you could also just tape over that area without wrapping the tape all around the foot.

I don't think this would work well for step, though, because you might slip on the step.

 

[amynicole]

I use to battle with planar faciitis (pain in the heel) and my orthopedist told me that running shoes are NOT good for step workouts because they are designed for forward movement and not lateral movement and you could injure yourself. I do my cathe workouts step and weights in really good quality cross trainers. I also have berber carpet in my living room/exercise space and I have not had a problem at all. If you are worried about snagging is your berber loosly woven?? Mine is a very tight weave. I highly recommend good quality cross trainers. I also buy sorbothane inserts to give them more cushioning (at the suggestion of my Dr.) they cost $20 but make them so comfortable.

Marci

 

[ShyWolf]

Thanks for the replies...
My berber is a tight weave but for those pivots that is what I'm concerned with.
I do need to get me some new cross trainers ...actually I'm looking to get the Ryka's Cathe is using in her newest series just hate shopping at the mall but I plan on visiting FootLocker...I'm one who likes to try before I buy. I also went out and got those anti fatigue mats ...IMAX1 is planned for tommorrow so I shall see how they work.

 

[Runcrazy]

I have berber in my house and do all my workouts on it. I wear Ryka Aerobic shoes and I purchase them at Lady Foot Locker. I have never found snagging to be a problem. Also, I've worked out on several different kinds of carpet (from low shag to regular plush) and find berber is absolutely the best for us that have to exercise on carpet. But I guess it depends on your weave. Anyway, since our carpet is relatively new, my husband has been wanting to get me the interlocking mats as he thinks I'll wear the carpet out! (It didn't matter on the old carpet!) I currently have a couple of the mats on top of the carpet for my weights and dumbbells but didn't have enough to cover a workout area. So as always, now that we want them, Home Depot quit carrying them (in my area anyway)! They had the best prices on them versus buying on-line. So have been waiting to see if they start stocking them again. I know several people that use these and say they work great.

Hope that helps.

 

[sue320]

What are anti-fatigue mats? Also, would you (or anyone) happen to know size/cost of the mats at Sam's? I ask because I've seen them at Toys R Us too.

TIA
Sue<><