When it comes to your gym setting, choosing the right flooring is a big decision. Every activity is different. Unlike a traditional gym, CrossFit training has specific requirements. It’s important to choose the best flooring for CrossFit so that it supports your workout and offers the optimum amount of protection. You want something that can handle a combination of plyometric moves and heavy barbell drops with the perfect level of shock absorption.
Whether you’re building a CrossFit box at a commercial gym or home gym, the floor needs to be able to take on everything you can throw at it. You can’t drop extremely heavy barbells on concrete; it will simply not end well. There are several options to choose from for your CrossFit gym flooring. Let’s break down the best CrossFit flooring to kit out your fitness space.
Table of Contents
- Why do You Need the Right Flooring for CrossFit?
- 3 Best CrossFit Flooring Options
- How Thick Should Your CrossFit Flooring Be?
- Conclusion
Why do You Need the Right Flooring for CrossFit?
CrossFit combines weightlifting, cardio, and bodyweight exercise for an intense and high-performance workout. During CrossFit sessions, the floor needs to able to handle repeated movement as well as protect the body from injury. Therefore, the flooring needs a certain level of endurance and protection. When you repeatedly perform high impact exercises using heavy weights, you want to give yourself the best opportunity to carry out movements safely.
It’s common to perform movements such as deadlifts, squats, shoulder press, kettlebell swings and burpees. When you think about your CrossFit flooring, consider what you will be doing regularly and the type of surface that will support your goals. For example, foam flooring will cushion the body from high impact exercise and plyometric moves but may not be durable enough to withstand heavy weights.
The wrong flooring could end up damaging the floor and make you more prone to injury. This is because the flooring might not have the level of traction and shock absorption for comfortable workouts that absorb intense movements and act as a buffer to the underfloor.
Similarly, an inadequate surface with no slip-resistance or traction could result in slips and falls or an ineffectual performance due to poor grip or premature fatigue. A CrossFit floor should absorb all impact from activity and weights as well as offering slip resistance and anti-fatigue properties to ensure a safe and efficient training session where you can focus on your form, technique and overall performance.
3 Best CrossFit Flooring Options
CrossFit is a high impact activity that involves weights, plyometric exercise and cardio. Due to the natural variety of CrossFit, you need to choose a flooring surface that caters for different types of exercise. Here are three of the best CrossFit flooring options:
1. Rubber Floor Tiles
By far the best option for CrossFit, rubber floor tiles comes in a range of thickness which greatly determine the suitability of use. For example, the lower end of the scale (11mm, 15mm and 20mm) will accommodate most activities but if you plan to use heavier weights then the thicker options are definitely the way to go. These will support multi-purpose use and Olympic lifting.
Pro Rubber flooring is widely used in the fitness industry for its durability, shock absorption and protection as well as being low maintenance and simple to install. The material is resistant to moisture and bacteria as well as being easy to clean and keep hygienic which is an essential factor in gym environments. Another reason why rubber flooring is used in fitness and gym spaces is that it can minimise and dampen sound from heavy weights and equipment. The thicker the tile, the more any noise disruption will be reduced.
Not only do rubber tiles perform well, they look professional and aesthetic in a gym setting. Rubber tiles complement the bright and vibrant colours and materials of most gym equipment and are also available in colour varieties to match in with your gym interior.
There are few installation options to choose from with rubber gym tiles. They come in standard format where the tiles can be butted together using compression or glued down (please Installation videos for more information). Alternatively, you can opt for interlocking tiles which come with plastic inserts that are hidden under each tile to keep the locked together. Either process is simple enough to carry out without a specialist fitter.
2. Interlocking Gym Tiles
As mentioned in the Rubber Tile section of this article, interlocking gym tiles are another option for your gym floor installation. They offer all the qualities of the standard Pro gym tile range but with clever, hidden connectors which keep the tiles from moving around as well as making it really easy and quick to install DIY. These tiles come in thicknesses of 20mm and 30mm which are the perfect solution for CrossFit use. This stylish range also has a deluxe and velvety top surface for ultra comfort and are available in different colours and design options.
3. Sprint Tracks or Sports Turf
Sprint tracks are perfect for adding a versatile strip in your training area for sprint work and sled work. A sprint track adds a vibrant zone that adds another level to your CrossFit box. It can be added as a feature to your CrossFit gym but may not support all the activities you plan to do.
How Thick Should Your CrossFit Flooring Be?
With CrossFit, rubber flooring thickness starts at 11mm going all the way up to 50mm. If you plan on doing some extreme weightlifting, going for a thicker flooring is a good idea. Your floor should have plenty of traction, shock absorption, and protection to reduce the risk of slips and falls and absorb impact.
We would recommend a rubber tile at least 20mm thick which supports weights up to 140kg although you may want to go higher if you use weights up to 200kg and above. In that case, a 30mm rubber tile or above (Antishock) is your best choice.
Conclusion
Any surface being used for exercise should have the adequate properties for safety, protection and performance. With so many disciplines included as well as being a high intensity sport, it is doubly important that you get a Crossfit floor right first time. It should support all of the activities included in Crossfit training as well as the weights you use which means you need to consider firstly the material of your floor and secondly, the thickness. Once you determine these factors, you can be confident that your Crossfit flooring will support you and your performance for years to come.
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