If you’re searching for a way to protect the floor and equipment in your fitness space, whether it’s a public gym or a room in your home, rubber matting is an attractive and effective solution.

Cannons UK offer a wide variety of rubber mats that are all suited to different situations. To help you choose one that’s right for your workout, we’ve put together this guide of the most important things to consider.

Where will you be using the mat?
In wide rooms that receive a lot of foot traffic, rubber mats that can extend to the edges of the space are ideal. You can choose from separate tiles, interlocking pieces, or lengths of matting on a roll. As the flooring will make up a significant part of the room’s style, you should also decide whether a matte black rubber or one of the flecked options will achieve the professional finish you’re looking for.

For a home setting, or a smaller area within a gym, free weight mats that come at a set size are a great option. They also have the added bonus of indicating where heavy equipment may be used, which can be useful if your fitness studio caters to a lot of different activities.

Will you need to move the mat?

If you’re looking to cover the whole floor of a gym, it’s likely that you’ll need matting that can be secured to the existing surface. For a permanent solution, tiles and roll matting can be affixed with rubber glue, which provides the best finish on flat floors. Otherwise, strong double-sided adhesive tape can be used to attach any rubber mats, and is enough to prevent movement.

At home, you may need to move your matting around if you live in a rental property or don’t have a dedicated workout space. If you’ll need to do this frequently, mats that come at a set size are ideal, though interlocking tiles are a popular option if you’re short on storage space. Make sure to prioritise the non-slip functionality of your mats if they won’t be stuck down.

What exercises will the mat be used for?

The thickness of your matting should be determined by the type of activity it will be used for. As a general rule, the heavier the equipment that will be placed on the mat, the thicker it should be. This applies for frequency of impact too, as thicker mats can better withstand usage. That being said, due to advances in the manufacturing process, flooring such as the Smirna Series can offer impressive levels of protection at just 8mm.

The thickest mats of up to 40mm will be needed in high-impact areas, to provide the appropriate shock absorption. This will also ensure greater noise reduction as heavy weights hit the floor, which fellow gym or housemates will appreciate. Extra cushioning is advisable for deadlifts, with options such as the Deadlift Deadener ensuring you can reach your personal best without damaging the floor or equipment.