Are you looking to outfit your home gym flooring with new mats? Having trouble determining the ideal thickness you’ll need for your workouts?
There are many components that will contribute to the mat thickness for your gym flooring. And it’s important to understand that there is no one size fits all. It’s really going to be dependent on what your goals are as well as the kinds of exercises you will be performing on your new mats!
In this article, you will find the right size thickness for a plethora of activities. Whether you’re doing deadlifts on the squat rack, rolling with a partner in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or improving your cardio with jump rope — this post will provide you with some general guidelines in regards to rubber mat thickness.
Best Mat Thickness for Gym Flooring for Weight Lifting
Generally speaking, most gyms for weight training will have a rubber gym floor. The thickness of this material — as it pertains to weight lifting exercises — is usually between ¼” to ½”thick. The most common thickness for most weight lifting gyms would be 5/16” or ⅜” however gyms designed for heavy lifting could go as high as ½” in thickness.
And of course, there are thinner and thicker sizes than those measurements. However, if weight training is top of mind for your gym, then having it in between those dimensions would be ideal. This is due to the fact that you will have heavy fitness equipment and/or be dropping heavy dumbbells, barbells, weights plates, and other exercise materials onto the floor. You want a padding thick enough to protect the subfloor below against the burdensome load of weights thumping on the floor.
As you begin to add heavier weights to your gym, it’s important to consider increasing the thickness of your mats. Not just to safeguard your floors, but to also soundproof and shockproof your gym as well. Weights landing on unpadded floors or floors with insufficient padding aren’t exactly the most pleasant sound or vibration.
In fact, it can be quite irritating, and this is a problem that can be circumvented by having the proper rubber flooring installed.
Best Mat Thickness for Gym Flooring for Plyometric Exercises
Wall ball pass, Ball chest pass, banded broad jumping, lateral box shuffling; plyometric exercises are an athlete’s dream! And it’s not hard to see why, the jumping, moving, and sweating all coalesce to give you the perfect workout.
And such a regiment deserves the proper space. Similar to the mats for weight lifting, plyometric workouts are best suited for rubber mats as well — rubber provides the best gripping and traction when you’re jumping. However, there is one minor tweak; you don’t really require the same thickness so it may be wise to save money by going with a less thick option for your rubber mats when it comes to plyometric exercises.
The gym flooring can also be less dense to provide more cushioning for your workouts. There is rubber flooring that is produced for the sole purpose for this kind of exercise regime. Referred to as plyometric rubber or soft rubber, which is typically 6mm or 8mm in thickness.
Best Mat Thickness for Gym Flooring at Home
One of the determinants of mat thickness for your home gym will be based on the flooring you’ll be covering over. For example, VersaRUBBER mats are ideal if you happen to be covering over carpet as they are designed to work well over short pile carpet flooring. These mats are 3/8″ in thickness to protect the subfloor from weights and equipment while also being heavy enough and firm enough to sit flat and level over the carpet. They are also ideal for softening firm surfaces such as hardwood and concrete, which of course, will make your home gym more user friendly.
Best Mat Thickness for Gym Flooring for Martial Arts
When it comes to martial arts — whether you’re doing karate, wrestling, judo, BJJ, etc — your best option is to go with foam mats. However, the thickness of the foam mat will be based on the particular kind of martial art you plan on performing.
For instance, if it’s a standing martial art such as Boxing or Taekwondo, then a ¾” (20mm) thickness should do just fine. If it’s a ground fighting or grappling sport like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then you may want to go with a foam mat that is anywhere from 1” (25mm) – 1.5” (40mm) in thickness.
And if it’s a throwing martial art such as Judo or Wrestling, then try to get your gym flooring foam mats from 1.5” (40mm) – 2” (50mm) in thickness.
To Sum It Up
While there are many variables that will determine the proper thickness of your gym mats, the main factor to base your decision on is what you’re using your gym for. You may need to do some more research to make the best choice for your particular application or speak with an expert to get the most out of your investment.
