Forums >Gears and Wears>Looking for a good exercise mat for core
Hi;
I need to be doing some core exercises at home, so I am looking for a decent (durable) floor mat. 24" x 72" is probably the best size for what I need.
I have been searching reviews on Google and Amazon, but so far every single mat I have looked at has at least one glaring fault.
Some have a terrible smell (chemical or other) that doesn't fade after time. Some simply fall apart very quickly, and a few have problems with becoming slippery when you sweat onto them.
I'm not looking to spend more than about $50, but I doubt I would get anything worthwhile in the $20 price range.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
Ultrarunner
Does it need to roll up? My gym has some nice mats but they do not roll up.
Old , Ugly and slow
I don’t know what you are doing,
but I have gotten used to doing my yoga and mobility work on a wooden floor
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
I'm just going to do planks, bridge, leg raises, etc for the core.
I was going to try some side leg lifts, but lying on my side isn't going to work too well for me, even with a cushy mat. I tried it a few times using a foam backpacking sleeping pad (which I can't even sleep on without the air mattress on top), but it didn't offer nearly the support I would need.
I'm looking for something firm to protect me from the floor, which is ancient hardwood and has some splinters; that's the reason I don't want to lie on the floor directly.
I'm not concerned about a 'rubbery' smell, as I kind of like the smell of new tires, but I wouldn't want anything that has a really bad odor - like I was reading on some of the Amazon reviews... odors ranging from piss to something dead!
Thanks for your help
if i bother to use anything, I use three carpet samples i got that a carpet vendor leaves for free for customers. They are 2' x 2' each and have a rubber backing. I lay them end to end to make a carpet pad of 6' x 2'. They stack nicely when not in use. Mostly, i use them when i set up my bike on the fluid trainer so i don't sweat on the wood floors and it deadens the sound a little, too.
They don't have any discernible smell.
I honestly never felt that anything more than that was necessary.