Yoga Mats VS Exercise Mats?

If you’re new to mat workouts, go with the $10 cheapie til you figure out if you like that style workout and will continue, before you invest in a better mat.

Mats are a very personal piece of real estate. The easiest way to send me up like a rocket is for someone to carelessly step on my mat preparing for a class, but people at my studio are super conscientious about that.

I have all kinds of mats. I use the real thick foam cheapie that I originally got for my morning stretch, which includes 120 hip circles and kitty time. They’ve taken a few chunks out of it, but it’s cool because it was cheap and it’s hard to really damage something that thick.

I have a $10 TJ Maxx mat in the closet that I used for years, til I needed something grippier. You’ll have the experience by then to know when you reach that point.

I have three XL Gaiam Sol mats that I LOVE. I rotate two for daily hot classes, and use the third for unheated classes. They dry quickly, grip well on both hands and floor, and are absorbent, because i loath the feel of a towel bunching up under my hands, so won’t use one, I can throw one at a time in the washing machine on “bulky” setting with a dose of vinegar, and hang it on the porch to dry, and it’s like new again. (But be prepared for some real slamming around in the washing machine!)

The Sols are a thin but cushiony mat. I use them for yoga and Pilates.

I bought a Manduka because I heard so much great feedback about them. It was twice the cost of my Gaiam, and wasn’t an XL size. Those few extra inches made a huge difference to me because even though I’m pretty average at 5’7”, I really stretch out. It was also a hard mat and slippery to me, even though I tried rubbing it down with salt several times to season the mat.

I used it three times, and after a scary slip on it, I gave it to my daughter, who loves it, Go figure.

If you go to a studio, ask people if you can feel their mats, and how they’ve liked it.

And bear other aspects in mind, too. I walk a half mile to my studio, usually twice a day. My Gaiam is comfortable to carry using a basic shoulder strap. The Manduka weighed a freaking ton, and was thicker, so it was not comfortable to carry a couple miles a day, because of the weight, and because the thickness drew the strap too tight.

You don't need to choose between them cause there are 2-in-1 (hybrid) mats that are perfect for both. Fitfiera.com check them out, they offer them and they characterize for having a large area, lightweight, free weights resistant, a balance between cushion and stability, and high grip.

lorrpb wrote: »

Exercise mats are thicker, shorter, and less grippy. I like them for some things because it’s cushier, but if doing yoga, I’ve found I prefer the length and additional grip of a yoga mat.

Exercise mats come in various lengths. We have this 4'x8' by 2" thick exercise mat (a 10 ft length is also available).

"4' X 8' Folding Exercise Mat | We Sell Mats™" https://www.wesellmats.com/4-x-8-folding-exercise-mat/

Longer than any yoga mat I've seen