Mats for cheerleading are not a frivolous endeavor; cheerleading mats are necessary for a sport and entertainment growing more and more rigorous each year. While the most basic cultural stereotype of cheerleading may still be of pretty young girls waving pom-poms and leading cheers through megaphones, in the last a couple of decades cheerleading has evolved into an elaborate blend of dance and gymnastics.

The Increasing Athleticism of Modern Cheerleading

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If your daughter is flinging her body about in somersaults and flips with a team of athletic teens leveraging human catapults to elicit excitement from a crowd, you will want some high quality cheerleading tumbling mats ensuring her safety. Cheerleading stunts grow ever more daring and athletic each year and thus require ever more durable and serious cheerleading mats.

So it is vital that you utilize plenty of quality cheerleading exercise mats in all aspects of practice and performance. I know some people cringe at the prospect of lugging extensive cheer-leading mats on to the football field or basketball court, but let’s not be foolish here. Modern cheerleading has become rigorous sport, whether it is officially recognized as such or not.

Cheerleading Mats

Gymnastic mats and tumbling mats shouldn’t be used just for gymnastics routines. They should be the fundamental equipment of the serious cheerleader. Cheerleading stunts and cheerleading floors need not produce the injuries current statistics exhibit. We just need responsible routines and responsible cheerleading equipment.

Evidence of Increasing Cheerleading Injuries

In the 1990s, despite participation in cheer squads increasing by less than 20 percent, serious injuries occurring from cheerleading nearly tripled (a nearly 300 percent increase).

One of the fundamental problems we have here is that many schools still do not treat cheerleading as a sport. It is still too often viewed as a social support activity for other sports. Thus cheerleading squads can exist and train without any kind of certified oversight and aren’t regulated with the same safety measures established for major sports like football and basketball.

In less-than-affluent areas, schools often don’t dedicate the budget for the cheerleaders to obtain and maintain proper safety equipment. And the most important safety equipment a cheerleading squad can utilize are proper cheerleading mats.

As Brenda Shields of the Columbus Children’s Research Institute in Ohio explicitly stated in a recent pediatric study illustrating the growing necessity of safety equipment in cheerleading:

“Cheerleaders may practice in hallways and practice on hard surfaces instead of mats. So when they fall off a pyramid or from in the air and they land on hard surfaces, the chances for injury are drastically increased.”

In reaction to all the negative statistics arising from these studies, many schools have put restrictions on stunts rather than working to increase safety measures. For example, starting in 2002 the University of Nebraska imposed a “ground-bound” restriction on the routines exhibited by their cheerleaders, stopping pyramids and flips.

Cheerleading Controversy: Sexism or Practical Safety?

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As you might imagine, this move has catalyzed a bit of controversy. Some consider it sexist, with the criticized implication being that young women and girls should not be engaging in the same level of physical duress as young men and boys. Some taking a more severe perspective even argue that the shift has led to an emphasis on subtle sex appeal over athleticism, something that certainly seems inappropriate for our young daughters.

This seems at least somewhat evident in the nature of college cheerleading uniforms we see all over men’s sports magazines (see the hundreds of cheerleading pictures maintained by the Sports Illustrated website).

For two opposing views on this matter, here are two quotes from opposing perspectives:

Lynn Williamson, University of Kentucky cheer team adviser:

“In our society, it’s acceptable that every year a number of young men will die on a football field. But, my heavens, if a female breaks a fingernail, or her arm, well, then it must be time to ground them.”

University of Nebraska spokesperson Barry Swanson:

“We didn’t eliminate cheerleading or reduce the cheerleading budget in any way. All we eliminated was the danger … In football you have helmets and pads… Cheerleaders do their stunts on hardwood floors or turf. We consider that risk without reason.”

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors has implemented and refined a safety course for cheerleading coaches and a cheerleader safety manual.

Incorporate More Cheerleading Mats to Responsibly Evolve Cheerleading

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I strongly encourage cheerleaders to both learn appropriate routines while slowly working towards more advanced routines and to always use the appropriate safety equipment, namely, cheerleading mats.

Perhaps we can appease all sides by implementing the same safety and gradual training systems utilized by the gymnastics world. In gymnastics, it is vital to master gymnastics techniques in the appropriate sequence and increased difficulty. Gymnasts are not to even attempt certain difficult routines until they have mastered the lead-up techniques. Quality gymnastics features a series of skills and habits built upon previous skills and habits.

Just like gymnasts, cheerleaders should develop strength and flexibility as they build skills upon skills. And each step of the way cheerleading mats should be integrated to not only prevent moment-to-moment, individual injuries, but to reduce the overall wear and tear of such rigorous physical activity.

What to Look for In A Cheerleading Mat

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Cheerleading mats should be rugged and durable. They should be sweat resistant and capable of maintaining an appropriately grippy surface despite the presense of perspiration. Different mats should be utilized for different routines. Some routines greater support and stiffness for leverage while others require extra softness to prevent impact injury.

Cheerleading Equipment

Be wary of cheap cheerleading mats and used cheerleading mats. The safety of your daughter should trump saving a few bucks. Home cheerleading mats and home gym mats are a great idea, but keep your eye out for quality cheerleading mats for sale rather than skimp on used or lackluster equipment.

If you enjoy any kind of aerobic or condition based exercise at home, you really should consider installing some home gym mats. In particular, if you have kids entering the age when they love to start tumbling about, formally or not, then you really should help secure their safety with appropriate exercise mats.

While gym mats are a common and fun equipment around schools and professional gyms, you really should install home gym mats if you or your children are in anyway active. In fact, most gymnastics related injuries occur not at school or in the local gymnasium, but at home. For some reason, people equate gym mats to something for use in schools for physical education and recess or for formal gymnasiums.

Gym Mats Aren’t Just for the Gym

But where do you spend most of your time? And don’t most injuries occur when you least expect them? Your home features all manner of obstacles not found in schools or gyms, including sharp table corners and hard floors, as well as other seemingly innocent but potentially dangerous furnishings and appliances. So I suggest you increase your ability to workout whenever you want and decrease the likelihood of incurring injuries to yourself or your children by installing proper home gym mats.

Home Gym Mats

It is respectable to want to increase flexibility and athleticism. But exercising without an appropriate home gym mat can lead to injuries for a number of reasons. Setting a gym mat in your home creates a clearly defined space for these workouts. Without one, you and your childrens’ activities can bleed into areas ill-prepared for a rigorous workout.

If you have children, begin with a softer mat, one with about a 2 inch thickness. Softer home gym mats provide a degree of security not afforded by tougher, firmer mats. These softer mats also slow activities down a little, helping your child tumble about at a pace they can handle. Once your child gains some skill and confidence, you can move to a slightly firmer gymnastics mat. They’re not any less safe, they just provide a little less of luxurious touch and a little more springiness. These more advanced gym mats feature greater density.

Home Gym Mat Options

Most often, you’ll find home gym mats in foldable 2 foot segments, with widths varying between 4 and 6 feet. Beginner mats tend to be softer and around 2 inches in thickness, while more advanced home gym mats measure around an inch with greater density and firmness. They are most commonly filled with closed-cell foam of polyurethane or polyethylene. More options are becoming available as our culture moves to more organic and natural substances.

With children, in particular, you want exercise mats with more shock absorption and less rebound. This means the mat will be less springy and more protective.

You want the outer fabric to be tough and capable of withstanding all manner of impact and stretching. A quality home gym mat should last you years if not decades. You also want the fabric to not be too slick. Sweat can make those tumbling mats slippery, thus increasing the risk of slipping and injuring oneself.

Colorful Home Gym Mats

Before you start imagining dull gray or blue home gym mats, you should know that there is an entire industry of competing manufacturers in this field, and most of them now offer all sorts of colors and visual styles. So you should find one which fits into your home without ruining the decor.

While the focus of this article has been on gymnastics-style home gym mats, don’t forget about exercise equipment mats. You should protect both your home and your new exercise equipment with appropriate exercise mats. For more about that, however, read my article on the topic: exercise equipment mats.

I hope this enlightens you on the variables you need to consider when selecting home gym mats. They can be colorful and fun and provide a great means of improving both your health and your safety at home.

In this short, concise video, Coach Nicole will lead you on a brief exercise mat routine to stretch your lower body. This routine will cover quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes. Properly stretching your lower body can reduce the risk of injury and greatly improve the efficiency and quality of your workout routine.

Never skip such stretching routines because of impatience or lack of appreciation for the importance of a good stretching routine.

This will work great in a routine with the lower back exercise I posted a view days ago. I hope this helps!

As always, be sure to use the proper exercise mat size and thickness for this workout. Exercise mats make these routines far more safe and effective. Thank you for reading and please return to the Exercise Mats Guide again soon.

This video helps you leverage the value of your exercise mats by properly using single leg lifts to improve your lower back strength. One of the great wonders of the Internet is the ability to bring a personal trainer on to your screen for free, so enjoy:

Exercise mats make seemingly trivial exercise more safe and effective and I hope this helps you strengthen your core.

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Sometimes exercise mats are used for specific fields of exercise, such as aerobics or weight-lifting. Sometimes they’re used for more rigorous activities such as gymnastics or wrestling.

And sometimes they’re utilized to improve the safety and versatility of various exercise equipment, such as weight benches or stationary bikes. As I will discuss on this site, they’re usefulness extends even further, but whether you savor a rigorous aerobic regiment or enjoy a tough bit of weight lifting, you’ll need the appropriate exercise mat to preserve your health and maximize your results.

Navigate to specific sections of this page with the following shortcuts or just read straight through:

Select the Right Exercise Mat for You
Do You Require Barefoot Comfort in Your Exercise Mat?
Understand the Available Exercise Mat Materials
Can Your Workout Mat Handle Your Sweat?
Proper Cushioning for Exercise Mats
Roll Up vs. Fold Up Exercise Mats
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Exercise Mat

Select the Right Exercise Mat for You

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The purpose of an exercise mat is to make your workouts more safe, more comfortable and more effective. The safety and comfort makes the workout more pleasurable which in turn leads to a more efficient and productive exercise routine.

This can be the case regardless of the activity, even exercise machine activity. Be sure you research the right material for the equipment you’re using, then consider these three questions:

(1) Does your exercise mat need to be transported? If so, make sure it is lightweight and easy to fold or roll. (2) Does it match your body’s size and shape? Depending on the activity, you don’t want to rely on a generic size which may allow for the opportunity to slip off. And finally (3) does your chosen workout mat (or work out mats) provide the necessary support for your body weight and your exercise routine? You should consider how it will feel at your pressure points at the most rigorous point of activity. If at those point it isn’t still supportive, it isn’t the right thickness or density for you.

Do You Require Barefoot Comfort in Your Exercise Mat?

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If you plan on exercising barefoot, you really need to consider the surface texture of your exercise mat for two reasons. The first is that you want the mat to be comfortable and even appealing. Again, it is important that your workout is as pleasant of an experience as possible to keep you at it.

Secondly, you need to consider slippage. In other words, does the gym mat provide enough slide resistance and sweat absorption to keep you from slipping? Slipping can cause injuries and just plain make your workouts less efficient and thus less productive. Remember, safety and effectiveness are vital to a great and consistent workout routine.

Understand the Available Exercise Mat Materials

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Most mats which fall under the term exercise mats are thin and easily transported. This isn’t the case with exercise equipment mats or gymnastics mats, but those are more specialty mats.

These more common thin mats may not seem supportive enough, but if they’re made from a quality established exercise mat material, they can be plenty supportive for their intended purpose.

When you shop for your exercise mat, you will find you have a choice of organic materials such as cotton to synthetic materials such as latex and PVC. Some of the most common exercise mats will be made from a blend of jute and rubber.

Which of these is “best” is really up to your personal preference and your particular workout routine. Match your body and workout regiment to the mat, then consider the material which you feel most comfortable touching and carrying on a regular basis.

Most other exercise mats will be made from some kind of vinyl, rubber or PVC. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and rubber tend to be used for the heavier and thicker mats. Most rubber used in these exercise mats will be recycled and extremely durable. Thinner mats will usually be made from PVC. You’ll find solid PVC mats for use as exercise machine mats (for under a stationary bike, for example) and you’ll find blown PVC exercise mats for personal exercise. Blown PVC mats receive an air-blown treatment which enables them to provide more cushion and thus more support.

Can Your Workout Mat Handle Your Sweat?

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While I mentioned this earlier, it is a matter which is worth its own section: You really need to select an exercise mat with the appropriate absorption, drying capability and texture to prevent slippage during your workout. This will be different for everyone as workout routines vary and the amount an individual perspires can vary greatly from person to person. So if you perspire easily or the workout routine with which you will utilize this exercise mat features a rigorous cardiovascular regiment, you definitely want to look for an exercise mat which dries fast and is highly absorbent.

This is an important point because sometimes people will just buy the exercise mat his or her friend uses. Try to consider how you sweat compared to how your friend sweats. Using a workout mat that doesn’t appropriately handle your sweat can lead to injury, so definitely consider this issue carefully.

Proper Cushioning for Exercise Mats

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Your selected exercise mat should provide sufficient cushioning to guard your joints while you exercise. Don’t just consider the basic thickness and density; consider how it responds to the pressure points of your body during the most rigorous portion of your routine.

You don’t want them to be too soft, either, as this can create a kind of pinching where your pressure points sink into the mat and change the surface angle too much. So your exercise mats should provide enough cushion to support your pressure points but they should be dense enough to provide a consistently even workout space.

Roll Up vs. Fold Up Exercise Mats

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A vast majority of people prefer roll-up exercise mats to folding exercise mats. This is because of a combination of price and portability. You can find decent roll-up exercise mats for under $50 pretty easily. And they tend to be lightweight and very easy to roll-up for easy transport as well as easy storage.

However, if you’re more intense about your workout, you should really consider foldable exercise mats as well. While they can be more expensive and a little more difficult to transport, they’ll provide much greater support for a wider variety of exercise routines and they will last much longer. If someone really sticks with their routine, roll-up exercise mats tend to need replacement fairly often. This isn’t the case with folding exercise mats. These mats tend to last for several years even with intense and frequent use.

Cleaning and Maintaining Your Exercise Mat

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Many people don’t properly maintain their exercise mats. This can make those workout mats less effective and possibly even more dangerous. Dirty mats, especially exercise mats which have absorbed a lot of sweat, will degrade in texture and cushioning much faster than properly maintained workout mats.

Cleaning your exercise mat is simple: Just use a little bit of soapy water with some warm water and a clean cloth. Don’t pour water or soap directly on the mat. Rather, soak your cloth or sponge, wring it to make sure it isn’t too wet then gently wipe your exercise mat all over. Perhaps most importantly, make sure you dry it thoroughly before storing or transporting. I suggest hanging it over a sturdy curtain rod and pointing a small fan at it. If you have nice, dry weather in your area, you can also set it outside over a chair or bench.

Of course, always check for more specific manufacture instructions and precautions as well. And NEVER begin a workout on an exercise mat that hasn’t fully dried.

So no matter which form of exercise mat you require, remember to consider your safety and health not just in the moment, but in the many hours of recovery you endure after your activity. Often times, this is when you will most enjoy the benefits of having selected and maintained just the right exercise mats for your various workout routines.

I hope this helps. For more detail on specific uses of exercise mats or on different types of exercise mats, please use the navigation on the right to find the information you need. And thank you for visiting the Exercise Mats Guide.

Exercise mats can be an important part of your exercise routine. They provide traction when using them with bare feet for stretch-oriented workouts and they can also provide some cushion or padding while doing other exercises like sit ups. Doing sit ups on a hard floor could be pretty uncomfortable without one.

Because they serve a few functions you will want to look at different types of exercise mats for different types of exercise. For example when doing stretch-oriented exercise routines you will need a long thin mat that is easy to carry and transport for class.

We will be discussing the uses and types of exercise mats and hope to help you find the right mat for your needs. Please visit again, we’ll have much more content soon.