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Building a home gym has become a much more common practice these days. Being able to avoid the pains of crowds taking up all the equipment you wanna use and the prices of membership is ideal on all accounts. But it isn’t as simple as picking up some gym equipment from Amazon or wherever. You need to take into account the home you got.

This doesn’t just mean you need to figure out the sizing of the room you’re gonna use to figure out what gear you can get. You need to see what kinda flooring you got in the room. Because depending on the flooring you got, you may need to make some changes. Having a hardwood floor with plans to do weight training is not the smartest move in our minds.

If you don’t have the right grip underneath you while working out, you may be in for a rude awakening. Not just the issue of not getting the proper form in when working out, which lessens the workout. But you can also slip very easily and that’s not gonna go the way you want it to. Not to mention it helps protect the equipment you got, as well as the floor. That is for any kind of workout you’re trying to get done. You need the right flooring for your intended goals.

So at the end of the day, you need to add flooring to the list of things you need to buy to get a sick home gym set up in your home. But that is easier said than done because each workout has it’s flooring needs and there are tons of options for each one of those. And that is why we are here to help you fellas. You can scroll on down below to find out what floor is good for which workout and where you can pick one of them up.

Before we even get into the kinds of mats you should get for a workout, you need to know what one to avoid. A “horse stall” mat, or one that is made of rubber. A specific kind of rubber. Because if you get a mat that is made from Tire Derived Rubber (TDR), then you will be in for a never-ending stream of annoyances.

For one, TDR is gonna stink. Not just stink up the room/home with that nasty odor, but it can also let loose some truly noxious odors that do harm to you and those around you. Not to mention that since it can give off such toxic odors, it only stands to reason that it’s flammable and it will stain the floors and you when you work out on it.

All of that is good enough reason to skip out on that kind of material. Even if it is very durable and strong, it isn’t worth it to have something so unappealing in the house. This is why you need to check out the ones below.

There are a few different kinds of materials you can get for your home gym. And you’re gonna need to pick some up, it’s best you know which is for which. For example, you’re gonna want to pick up some Vinyl workout mats for a basement gym, that way you don’t have to worry about mildew and the like because it’s easy to clean and resistant to those types of issues.

You could go with wood options too. Wood floors that are already installed are great for yoga or weight-free workouts. But you could also get wood tile cutouts for a temporary gym, that way you can lay them down and pick them up when you need to.

Carpeting is also a good option because it can be used for many different purposes. It’s good for weight lifting because it can handle equipment like a treadmill and weights, but you need to be careful because shock absorption isn’t too high with carpeting. You can also do yoga and other kinds of workouts. It’s very dynamic.

Cork is also good because it’s not too dissimilar from vinyl, good for yoga. It’s also more ecologically friendly so you’re doing the world a little favor when you buy it. You’d wanna double up to use them for a full floor plan with workout machines. But in the end, it’s a good pickup.

But in the end, foam might be the best bet for you guys. Because foam mats are good for everything. They’re strong and durable and comfortable and easy to clean. Yoga is good on these mats as well as weight lifting. Maybe especially weightlifting, since you can drop them weights down without a care.

With all of that laid out for you guys, let’s take a look at some of the best options out there for each material.

For a basement gym, you want a vinyl mat like this one. It’s gonna allow you to work out in comfort down there and you can move it out of the way when you’re done with ease. It won’t get nasty with mildew. And if you wanna place one under a machine, it can handle that as well. Quite the pickup.

Get It: Pick up the ProForm 40″ x 80″ Vinyl Equipment Mat ($33; was $50) at Amazon

Cork is just as good as vinyl for yoga and this one is certainly gonna make a good argument for that. Lay it down anywhere you want and get to work when you’re looking to stretch out. Roll it up when you’re done and your home is no longer cluttered.

Get It: Pick up the Cork Yoga Mat ($35) at Amazon

For a temporary gym, you want something that can be set up and taken apart with ease. Something a little more sturdy and sizeable than a yoga mat. So you want to get these wood-lined foam tiles to allow you to set up a floor to the sizing you like and get to work. Easy setup, easier breaking down.

Get It: Pick up the New Forest Floor 3/8 Inch Thick Printed Foam Tiles (starting at $26) at Amazon

As we said above, a carpet is good for pretty much any kind of workout. So if you don’t want to lay down some expensive carpeting, you can pick up this rug that can be rolled up and rolled out with ease. Any workout that you’re planning, this can handle.

Get It: Pick up the PAGISOFE Grey Fluffy Shag Area Rug ($55; was $59) at Amazon

Setting these up is gonna be a breeze. And since you’re gonna want to pick these up for a weight lifting regiment, you can just leave them set up where they lay. Keep the weights on top of them and forget about them until it’s time to pump. And you won’t have to worry about the floor. Hard to argue with.

Get It: Pick up the ProsourceFit Puzzle Exercise Mat ($26) at Amazon

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