The best gym mats

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• Gym mats help create a comfortable spot to workout on, whether you're lifting weights, practicing yoga, or even doing recovery stretches.
• When shopping for a gym mat, you'll want to consider how you plan on using it, how big you need the mat to be, as well as other factors like material thickness, how grippy the mat is, and your budget.
• Our top pick, the JadeYoga Harmony Yoga Mat, is a great combination of value, durability, build quality, and function, and is great no matter your weekly workout routine or exercise schedule.

Yoga mats. Gym mats. Workout mats. Whatever nomenclature you prefer, these are the unsung heroes of home workouts, safeguarding your body against hard floors and chafing while protecting the floor itself from sweat.

These days, being able to stretch and exercise in your bedroom or living room has become a vital part of everyone's daily schedule. After all, keeping our immune systems strong and our bodies healthy is incredibly important right now.

Doing so doesn't require a full at-home gym setup of expensive gear and equipment, either. With a proper gym mat, you're able to do everything from dumbbell and exercise ball routines to yoga or meditation practice. Best of all, a mat lets you stay comfortable as you keep active — but not all gym mats you find online are necessarily created equal.

To help, we combed through the lot of available gym mats to find the best for your at-home workouts. So, no matter if you're on a budget or want a mat that's heavy on padding, there's a mat designed specifically for you,

Before deciding which one deserves space on your living room floor, it's important to keep in mind how different some gym mats can be — no matter how similar they all may seem. Differences that appear minor can actually have a significant impact on your workout experience (and, as a result, the way you feel in the following hours and days). Specifically, keep in mind these four basic features: Comfort, size, texture, and price.

Comfort

The most important factor for most buyers is comfort, and a mat's material and thickness are both significant factors in that. Mats tend to range from one to six millimeters in thickness and feature a variety of materials in their construction.

Size

Standard mats are 24 inches by 68 inches, though some are bigger or smaller, depending on their intended use. For example, travel mats can be both thinner and smaller than a normal at-home mat and thus, won't provide as much cushion, comfort, or durability.

Texture

You'll also want to consider whether the texture of the mat is slick or grippy -- nobody wants to slide off the mat and crash to the floor in the middle of a complex yoga pose. These are especially useful to keep in mind for anyone who sweats often during exercise, or feels that sticky mats don't allow them the range of motion they need.

Price

Finally, price is also a major factor. While some may not blink an eye at throwing down hundreds to enhance their home workout, we know it's not everyone's desire to live that "spend $150 on a yoga mat" life. Thankfully, there are still plenty of workout mats perfect for a wide range of budgets.

• Best gym mat overall: JadeYoga Harmony Yoga Mat
• Best budget gym mat: BalanceFrom GoYoga Mat
• Best gym mat for cleanliness: Mantra Cork Yoga Mat
• Best high-end gym mat: Liforme Original Yoga Mat

Updated on 6/15/2020 by Rick Stella: Added more information on what to look for when shopping for a gym mat, checked the availability of each pick, and updated the prices and formatting throughout.

The best gym mat overall

Jade Yoga/Facebook

Without going absolutely wild on price, the Harmony mat from JadeYoga has it all. It's a solid 5 millimeters thick, available in multiple sizes ranging up to 28 inches by 80 inches, and is built durably to work well for all types of workouts — including hot yoga or HIIT.

JadeYoga's secret is natural rubber, which proves to outperform all types of synthetic materials in terms of flexibility, durability, and grip. The mat comes in a variety of available colors and is made entirely in the U.S.

The best budget gym mat

BalanceFrom/ Facebook

If you're working on a limited budget, you shouldn't have to completely sacrifice the quality of your gym mat. The BalanceFrom GoYoga mat is more than six millimeters thick and made from eco-friendly material — and surprisingly durable considering its $13 price tag.

With a double-sided non-slip surface and an included carry strap, this mat is the perfect low-cost solution for both home and travel use. It even comes with its own carry strap for easy portability, and is available in seven different colors.

The best gym mat for cleanliness

Mantra

Though a mat designed for cleanliness seems like an odd category, bear with us. In the current climate, many of us are hypervigilant about staying clean and sterile, tapping into our inner germaphobe to remain healthy — and Mantra's Cork Yoga Mat fits right in line with those feelings.

The cork material in Mantra's mat is naturally antimicrobial, helping to fight off any bacteria, mold, and mildew which can grow on yoga mats. This also allows it to fight off unwanted odors that can show up after extended use. The mat also features a non-slip top that affords added traction as it gets wet, which is perfect for anyone doing a sweaty HIIT routine or hot yoga. The cork is highly durable, too.

The best high-end gym mat

Liforme

If money is no object -- or if you're simply determined to get the most out of your home workouts -- consider the Original mat from Liforme. It's a solid four millimeters thick and comes in a large 73 inches by 27 inches.

Although it's made from Liforme's natural, PVC-free GripForMe material to provide best-in-class textural grip, here's the best part: The mat features a slick pattern of markings to help you properly align your body parts in yoga poses. The system is designed to help you stay centered and achieve the ideal angles for each pose. This could help balance you out while doing dumbbell routines or bodyweight exercises, too.

The best gym mat for comfort

Ebay

Some people appreciate the feel of a hard floor on their backs to assist with alignment during floor exercises or yoga. This mat is for the rest of us, who want a plush memory-foam mat to make our workouts as comfortable as possible — plus, banging your knees or elbows on a non-forgiving mat tends to leave a mark.

This reversible mat from Lottus Life clocks in at a staggering eight millimeters thick and is made from natural jute material, which gives it excellent grip (at the cost of only a minimal amount of softness). So, no matter if you're putting this on top of a thin carpet or a hardwood floor, the Lottus Life Natural Jute Fiber mat keeps your workouts comfortable and bruise-free.