When it comes to figuring out where to keep your elliptical machine – or any other heavy-duty exercise machine for that matter – it’s not just a matter of how much space it’ll take. Rugged legs and heavy equipment can ding up, scratch or dent your hardwood floors or ruin your carpets, since they tend to vibrate and jerk about when running, and rucked-up carpet fibers can get into the mechanisms of your unit and jam it up – unless you think ahead and pick the right equipment mat to slide underneath it.
A good, high density mat can work both ways, holding your machine steady with the aid of textured surfaces giving the machine’s legs the right grip (especially if they don’t come with anti-slip rubber padding), as well as improving the degree of friction between the mat, and smooth and slip-prone surfaces like tiled, laminate and hardwood floors. Some brands offer an equipment mat bundle along with your elliptical or exercise machine, but since we’re firm propagators of the ‘better safe than sorry’ school of thought, we’ve gone through the choices available in search of options tried and tested to last the wear and tear, keeping surfaces safe and damage-free while not shifting out under your machine. Take a look at our top picks.
KEN’S PICK
BalanceFrom Complete Home Gym Equipment Mat
At a standard size of 3 feet by 6.5 feet, the mat is large enough for most exercise equipment, including treadmills and elliptical machines. The high density, durable and wear-resistant PVC material makes the mat highly impact resistant, absorbing the shocks and vibrations to be expected when your elliptical machine is running, without damaging your floors or carpets, about ¼ inches thick to hold up your heavy-duty exercise equipment. The textured side of the mat provides the appropriate friction to keep your machine from shifting around, the material waterproof to allow you to soap it down and clean it up easily without any moisture damage. The mat does not stain or bleed, so you don’t have to worry about any running dyes ruining your carpets or rugs, and is available either as a foldable option, or as a regular one.
RUNNER-UP
Gympak PVC Treadmill Equipment Mat
Structured out of high density, black PVC, one of the best things about this mat is that it doesn’t come with the unpleasant, rubbery smell you’d associate with tires and rubber products, but that’s just one of its selling points. About 6 mm thick, the highly resilient mat provides enough friction to hold your exercise equipment in place while they’re running without shifting around or destabilising the unit or damaging your floors or carpets, absorbing shock and vibrations without getting worn out or indented. The mat also effectively muffles up some of the noise your machine might be causing, handy to keep the pressure off your ears and the ears of everyone else around you. A standard black, this premium grade mat won’t bleed into your carpets or rugs, the mat measuring up at roughly 36 inches by 48 inches, unrolling and flattening without curling up at the edges as some mats tend to do.
RUNNER-UP
Stamina Fold-to-Fit Folding Equipment Mat
Measuring 84 inches by 36 inches, this ¼ inch thick, closed cell foam mat features a textured surface to create the right friction to keep your machine from walking around as you run it, giving you extra stability to safely exercise while keeping the surface you’ve stood your elliptical machine on perfectly safe from dings, tears, indents and scratches, as well as holding the mat in place over a smooth and slip-prone surface. While we won’t say this mat is completely sound-proof, it’s better than nothing when it comes to taking the edge out of the racket your elliptical machine might otherwise be making. The mat won’t stain up your carpet, and keeps dust and carpet fibers from getting into the nooks and crannies of your machine.