Homegym flooring

When it comes to planning a home gym, the issue of flooring is often pushed to the background. It's easier for the investor to focus how much load to buy or what machines should be in new workout area. In this article, we will try to show that choosing the right flooring is equally important.

If you are planning a gym and are facing the choice of buying a floor, we encourage you to read the publication.

Why a puzzle for a home gym?

Puzzles not only give your gym a 5+ to the look, they have a number of other benefits.

Rubber is an anti-slip material and can protect from injuries caused by falls. It amortizes jumps and protecting the joints.

It also protects the floor and the equipment in case of an uncontrolled bump.

Rubber is resistant to temperature fluctuations and moisture. Rubber flooring can be laid successfully in a garage without heating. It keeps in very good condition for many years, and the method of its installation is trivial.

Cheap puzzles for home gym

In many cases, flooring can be one of the most expensive items in the home gym shopping list. However, when deciding on an investment like a home gym, it is worth taking the issue of securing the floor seriously.

The price of the floor is determined mainly by three factors:

• ◾ The height of the floor

This can vary from 6 to 30mm. In many cases of home gyms, the thinnest option will do the job. Higher variants can be considered when a gym is planned on a higher floor and when the flooring material is of questionable or fragile construction - e.g. PVC panels. The acoustic aspect is also not without significance. Having a rubber floor largely eliminates the noise and transition sound outside the walls of training zone.

• ◾ Density and granular thickness

It is very important if not the most important element and you need to pay special attention to it. As a manufacturer we advise you not trying to save in this aspect. A decent quality floor starts at 1000kg/m3. Going below this parameter may cause the floor to crumble and tear. It may also develop unevenness after contact with weight.

The thickness of the granules, which is visible to the naked eye, affects the structure of the surface. When choosing a floor, you should choose a floor that is as solid and smooth as possible.

• ◾ Material of which it is made

The material of rubber floors is mainly SBR or combinations of SBR + EPDM.

SBR floors are a very good option and have a good price/quality ratio. Over 90% of PROUD of our projects ar flooring from SBR.

EPDM is commonly referred to as synthetic rubber. In premium flooring it is used for the top layer of the floor. Thanks to this method, the floor acquires even better anti-slip characteristics, gains higher durability and is very easy to clean. Due to the fact that the density of combined SBR and EPDM floors is almost ¼ higher than SBR alone, these floors have better noise absorption and reduce vibrations during weight training. EPDM based floors are also recommended when you plan your training area outdoors. They perform much better when exposed to varying weather conditions - temperature, sun, rain, frost and snow. EPDM can be colored in its entirety, which is also a big advantage if, in addition to quality, we are also guided by the visual aspect of the training area.

The material you choose for the floor of your future gym will be closely correlated with your budget and individual needs.

Where to lay the floor in a home gym?

The best solution is to lay a protective rubber floor over the entire surface of the training area. However, when your budget doesn't allow for it, consider placing it in sensitive areas of your gym. The most important areas to secure are the free weights area, where there is often a bench and some sort of squat station. It is also a good idea to secure the areas where you plan to place machines and cardio equipment. By placing the Ergometer or treadmill on the panels, small shifts can occur during workouts. Consequently, this will quickly lead to damage to the floor.

Securing your home gym floor depending on the purpose of your workout

In most cases, people who are planning to buy a gym are aware of their needs and how they will be working out. In some sports, the rubber may be unnecessary or can even disturb you.

Such an example is body weight training (calisthenics), for which occasional external weights of small weights are used.

Other examples include intensive HIIT workouts without using weights, combat sports, yoga or pilates.

When you plan an area where there will be no heavy equipment, and training will be focused mainly on body weight exercises, a specialized floor may be unnecessary cost. Then we suggest a good quality exercise EVA mat or regular material covering.

Floor for functional training

Functional training and cross training are different from the canons of classical gym as we knew it from few years ago. Here appears elements of Olympic weightlifting and dynamic exercises with weight performed at high intensity. As a result, the floor and equipment are exposed to a high probability of damage.

If the investor plans to build a cross-training gym, it is worth buying rubber flooring with a minimum height of 12mm.

Weightlifting platforms will also work well in a home cross gym. Rubbers used in them are about 3cm thick and are dedicated to this type of activity.

Another interesting idea is to invest in mats for dropping weights. They absorb all the energy of the weight thrown from overhead and dampen the fall.

Flooring for your home gym other than a rubber puzzle

Although rubber puzzles lead the way as gym floor protection, rubber can also be found in other forms. For example, in spools or in the form of rectangular mats. The latter works well around squat stations.

Less popular flooring solutions include the EVA foam puzzles and cork puzzles.

Summary

Rubber flooring is an extremely important piece of home gym equipment. The most popular solution is the SBR rubber floor.

When equipping a gym, it's worth securing the whole surface with rubber, and if your budget doesn't allow it, its critical parts - the area around squat stations and free weights zone. It is also worth putting rubber under heavy machines and cardio.

If you are planning dynamic exercises with weights, it is worth thinking about a higher floor or getting a platform and mats for dropping weights.

For low-impact or bodyweight workouts, consider EVA foam puzzles or cork.