If you don’t have time to read the entire review and just want to find out what the best exercise mat for your home workouts is, then we recommend Lululemon Reversible Mat as the best choice.
Everyone knows that daily exercise is one of the best habits for lifelong health. Regular exercise protects your heart and body from deterioration and disease, and boosts energy and concentration.
But not everyone has a schedule that allows them to regularly visit the gym, so having an at-home exercise routine is a great way to save time, improve health, and make sure that you get in some exercise every single day.
To help make a home workout more comfortable and enjoyable, it’s best to get an exercise mat.
Whether your routine is yoga, strength training, gymnastics, or you simply need a mat to protect your floors at home from an exercise machine, here are our top recommendations for the best exercise mat for healthier habits in the year ahead.
In this article, we’re going to review the following best exercise mats for your home workouts:
- Lululemon Reversible Mat
- BalanceFrom All-Purpose Mat
- Gaiam Premium Two-Color Yoga Mat
- BalanceFrom GoFit High Density Equipment Mat
- ProsourceFit Tri-Fold Exercise Mat
- Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Yoga Mat
- BalanceFrom 2” Thick Tri-Fold Folding Exercise Mat
- IUGA Pro Non Slip Yoga Mat
- Ajna Organic Yoga Mat
9 Best Exercise Mats for 2022: Reviews
1. Best Overall Choice: Lululemon Reversible Mat
The Lululemon Reversible Mat is a fantastic all-around yoga mat. It has excellent grip when wet, a rubber base for non-skid stability, gentle cushioning, and an anti-microbial additive that reduces odor and bacteria.
It’s durable, easy to care for, and attractive, so it’s got all your needs covered with one convenient mat.
The Lululemon Reversible Mat has a polyurethane top layer that absorbs moisture to keep you dry and provides excellent grip even when wet. In fact, it grips better when damp than it does when dry.
The natural rubber base provides supportive cushioning and a textured grip on the base to keep the mat in place. It has an anti-microbial additive helps to prevent mold and mildew and reduces odors.
The Lululemon Reversible Mat is available in two thicknesses—3mm and 5mm—the different thicknesses are two different product listings, with different color options in each thickness. It measures 26 x 71 inches.
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2. Runner-Up Option: BalanceFrom All-Purpose Mat
The thick foam of the BalanceFrom All-Purpose Mat provides great cushioning for those that need extra comfort in their back, knees, or other delicate areas.
It’s non-slip on both sides, moisture resistant, and durable. It’s also light weight and easy to carry with the included carrying strap, making it a versatile all-around exercise mat for yoga and all kinds of activities.
The BalanceFrom All-Purpose Mat is a generous ½ inch thick, made of high density foam that provides excellent cushioning for sensitive joints and higher-impact activities. This double-sided mat is non-slip on both sides, for stability and grip.
The surface is moisture-resistant and cleans easily with soap and water. This yoga mat is light weight and comes with a free Velcro carrying strap for easy portability.
The BalanceFrom All-Purpose Mat measures 24 x 71 inches, and comes in black, blue, grey, green, pink, purple, or red colors. It’s covered by a 10% satisfaction guarantee and a 2-year warranty.
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3. Best Value for the Money: Gaiam Premium Two-Color Yoga Mat
Gaiam yoga mats are among the best in the business, and people love them for their good looks, high quality, and durability. This Gaiam Premium Two-Color Yoga Mat is a great choice for nearly any home workout or routine.
It’s extra large, at 68 x 24 inches, and 6mm thick to provide excellent cushioning. It comes in a huge range of attractive, reversible prints to suit any taste or décor style, so it looks great at home or at the gym.
The non-slip surface provides great grip on both sides, so it neither slips nor skids during your exercises. And it is non-toxic and free of PVC and other unhealthy chemicals, so it’s both safe and comfortable.
This yoga mat is big, thick, attractive, and durable, and has gorgeous patterns on both sides, to reflect your mood and enhance your workouts. It even comes with a free downloadable yoga workout to help you get started building healthy habits.
You can even download the Gaiam Yoga Studio App for a free trial of over 25 hours of high-quality yoga classes and over 280 poses that will help you build healthy habits and keep your yoga workouts engaging over time.
This app, the free lesson, a good yoga book, and a great yoga mat will help you make the most of a daily yoga practice.
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4. Most Budget-Friendly: BalanceFrom GoFit High Density Equipment Mat
One of the biggest drawbacks to at-home workouts is that treadmills, ellipticals, weight benches, stationary bicycles and the like can damage your floors and carpets over time. In shared living spaces, these machines can also produce vibrations that disturb others.
But people of all ages can get serious benefits from using equipment as simple and safe as a stationary exercise. For serious at-home workouts that will preserve your quality of life at home, a floor protecting mat is a great addition to your fitness routine.
The best exercise mat for floor protection is the BalanceFrom GoFit High Density Equipment Mat. It comes in a large 6.5 x 3 feet size that fits under a wide range of equipment and machines.
The high density material protects all kinds of floors and carpets from wear, without any color bleed or discoloration.
The PVC material also absorbs vibration and reduces noise. This mat prevents slipping, and has a moisture-resistant surface that is easy to clean.
This mat is backed by a satisfaction guarantee and a 2-year warranty. It can also be used as an extra-large yoga mat.
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5. Best Thick Exercise Mat: ProsourceFit Tri-Fold Exercise Mat
ProsourceFit Tri-Fold Exercise Mat is designed to deliver a thick, stable, protective cushion for floor and mat exercises, as well as for athletic and sports activities of all kinds, including gymnastics and martial arts.
It’s portable and easy to carry, and durable enough for long-term use, even with rougher activities. It’s a great choice for a thick exercise mat.
The ProsourceFit Tri-Fold Exercise Mat is a full 1.5 inches thick, providing excellent cushioning even for higher-impact activities, although it’s also a great choice for simple stretching and floor exercises.
The foam interior is resilient and supportive, to provide great protection.
The vinyl surface is durable and resists stretching and tearing, while being easy to clean. The mat folds easily into a tri-fold package that is just 2 inches thick, with carrying handles that make it easy to transport and easy to store when not in use.
The ProsourceFit Tri-Fold Exercise Mat measures 24 x 72 inches when unfolded, and comes in black, blue, grey, pink, or purple to suit any taste.
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6. Best High-End Yoga Mat: Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Yoga Mat
Gaiam is known for their exceptional yoga products, with premium quality and designs loved by professionals and instructors all over the world.
The Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Yoga Mat is soft on your joints, provides excellent grip dry or wet, and is free of rubber, latex, PVC, and phthalates for a healthy, eco-friendly yoga mat.
As you would expect from Gaiam, it’s also a beautiful mat, with a gorgeous tonal floral medallion design. This is Gaiam’s bestselling yoga mat for a reason, and the best high-end yoga mat on the market.
The Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Yoga Mat is a premium yoga mat, with a moisture-wicking topcoat that provides more and more grip the hotter and wetter it gets.
It has 5mm of cushioning for protection of knees, hips, elbows, and other delicate areas. It’s lightweight and durable, easy to take anywhere.
It measures 24 x 68 inches, and is free of rubber, latex, PVC, and phthalates, perfect for people who are sensitive to these ingredients.
The Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Yoga Mat comes in black, purple, or blue. It’s backed by Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee.
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7. Best for Mixed Fitness Activities: BalanceFrom 2” Thick Tri-Fold Folding Exercise Mat
Fitness mats are thicker and more cushioned than yoga mats, and are designed to absorb impact. A good fitness mat protects your joints and spine from the intensity of a fitness workout.
If your at-home workout involves jumping, burpees, crunches, or other exercises that put more stress on the skeleton, a fitness mat might be the best choice for you.
Our favorite exercise mat for high-impact activities is the BalanceFrom 2” Thick Tri-Fold Folding Exercise Mat. This mat is 6 feet long and 2 feet wide, and an impressive 2 inches thick.
It has a foldable, tri-panel design with built in handles that let you easily take it anywhere, or fold it out of the way when not in use. It weighs 5 pounds, and comes in 4 colors.
This exercise mat is designed for intense fitness workouts like MMA, gymnastics, and aerobics. The core is made of high density EPE foam that absorbs and diffuses impact without losing stability.
The surface is made of durable, puncture-resistant vinyl that resists moisture. This vinyl surface makes it easy to clean with just soap and water. It’s also backed by a 2 year warranty.
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8. Best for Hot Yoga or Sweaty Workouts: IUGA Pro Non Slip Yoga Mat
Yoga mats are different from other exercise mats, because they need to be “sticky,” especially when a workout gets sweaty.
A good yoga mat lets your feet and hands grip the mat and provide strong stability, allowing you to hold poses and concentrate on your body and breath, without being distracted by the surface of the mat.
Our top pick for a non-slip yoga mat is the IUGA Pro Non Slip Yoga Mat. It’s a generous size, at 72 x 26 inches, and 5mm thick for excellent cushioning. It weighs 2.5 pounds, comes in a choice of 5 colors with an attractive meteor surface pattern, and includes a carrying strap for portability.
This yoga mat has a textured bottom layer made of TPE for cushioning, with a specially designed pattern that prevents slipping on any surface.
The top layer is made of moisture-absorbing PU that wicks away sweat and prevents sliding, while remaining breathable and resisting odors.
After an initial airing-out, this yoga mat does not have a chemical smell or harsh odors, and it’s remarkably durable.
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9. Most Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Exercise Mat: Ajna Organic Yoga Mat
These days, a majority of yoga mats are made from materials such as BPA and latex. Not only can these materials affect one’s skin sensitivities, they are also known to negatively impact the environment.
Perhaps it’s time to consider switching to a more ecologically friendly mat.
We recommend the Ajna Organic Yoga Mat. It is non-slip, reversible, highly durable, and lightweight. This mat has been designed for use with any style and level of yoga, Pilates, and other stretching exercises.
The best part? It’s eco-friendly and ethically manufactured.
This mat is made from jute, which are plant fibers that can be spun into strong threads, and is 100% organic. It is also vegan and recyclable.
The natural softness of jute provides comfort for your skin and joints.
With its 72″ x 24″ x 5 mm dimension, this mat is the perfect size and thickness to offer support for all of your poses.
It also comes with a 100% cotton carrying strap for easy transport, as well as a care booklet that explains how to keep your mat in the best condition. Upon purchase, users will be emailed a guided meditation and yoga flow.
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How to Choose an Exercise Mat for Home Workouts
When choosing an exercise mat for use at home, the right choice depends greatly on your exercise habits and your body type. Here are some of the most important things to consider.
Size
Yoga mats typically need to be longer than other kinds of mats, because yoga poses extend the body.
A standard yoga mat is 24 inches wide by 68 inches long, which is long enough for a person who is 5’8” to perform elongated poses without stepping off the mat. For taller people, a longer mat is usually preferred.
A Pilates mat, on the other hand, may be wider than the standard 24 inches, because pilates often has a broader range of motion. And for activities like gymnastics, a mat may need to be larger still.
Thickness
For people with delicate joints and pressure points, a thicker exercise mat is a better choice, because it provides more cushioning.
Thicker mats are also a good choice for high impact activities. However, extra padding in an exercise mat may reduce support and stability.
A standard yoga mat is 1/8th of an inch thick. For yoga and pilates, advanced practitioners tend to prefer thin mats with very little cushioning, for a more stable connection with the ground.
For sports and gymnastics, thicker mats offer more protection, and sports mats may be 2 inches thick or more.
Ultimately, the ideal mat thickness depends on how much protection and support you need for your workout.
Material
Exercise mats are made from a wide range of materials, and new materials are being used all the time. Here are some of the most common.
Cork
Cork is the thick, light bark of the cork tree, and it can be harvested sustainably without harming the tree. Cork is an unusual material because it is naturally lightweight and springy, and resist moisture and microbes.
Cork has become a popular material in recent years and gives good grip for a yoga mat. Cork eventually dries and becomes crumbly over time.
Foam
Foam is an incredibly common material in exercise mats, and the foam is generally PU (polyurethane) foam. PU foam is a popular material because it is available in a wide range of densities for different purposes, so foam mats can range from soft to firm.
It is an inexpensive material that may change color (but not degrade) when exposed to UV light, and may eventually crumble and break down in damp environments.
TPE
TPE is another popular material in exercise mats, because it has a springy resistance that is protective and resilient. TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) is a synthetic rubber, that is perhaps best known in the soles of athletic shoes, where it can be molded into a wide range of shapes while providing both padding and grip.
TPE also resists temperature variations and moisture.
Rubber
Rubber is a natural material made from tree sap, that is known for its flexibility and elasticity. In exercise mats, rubber not only provides padding and resistance, but it can also provide grip for stability. People who are sensitive to latex are also sensitive to rubber.
Vinyl
Vinyl is a synthetic material, and one of the most produced plastics in the world. Vinyl and PVC are prized for being durable and easy to clean. Some people are sensitive to the compounds used in creating PVC.
Surface
Many exercise mats are layered, with multiple materials in the same mat. For example, a mat may have a padded material inside and a cover of a different material, or different materials on the top and bottom.
Surface materials should provide grip (in the case of yoga mats) or slide (for Pilates workouts), and the best surfaces also manage moisture and are easy to clean.
Portability
Since our focus in this article is on exercise mats for use during home workouts, we aren’t worrying much about portability. But for people who want an exercise mat that can be used at home or at the gym, portability may become a concern.
If you want to keep your exercise gear with you to reinforce your workout habit, you may need to balance the size and thickness of your workout mat with the need for light weight and portability.
How to Care for an Exercise Mat
Unboxing
Most exercise mats have an unpleasant smell when first unpacked, especially if they are made from petroleum-based materials like PU and PVC.
Even if they are made from natural materials, the packaging and storage process can leave a mat with an unpleasant odor.
While this initial odor may not bother some people, it can be particularly noticeable for yoga workouts, since your face is so close to the mat during use. In order to dispel this odor, follow these steps:
- Immediately remove the mat from all packaging.
- Hang the mat (using clothespins at the corners, rather than folding it over) in a well-ventilated, warm area out of direct sunlight.
- Allow it to hang and air out for 2-3 days before use.
Clean and Dry After Use
Proper care for an exercise mat immediately after your workouts is incredibly important for preventing odor and the durability of your mat. Follow these steps after every workout:
- If the mat is sweaty, wipe it down with a clean, soft, absorbent towel.
- Hang it to dry before storing it. Never fold, roll, or store a damp yoga mat.
- If the mat is dirty, wash it down with a mild soap and water solution before hanging to dry
- If the mat has an odor, add some vinegar to a soap and water solution before cleaning the mat, or use a mat cleaning spray
- If the mat is losing grip or stickiness, sprinkle it with baking soda and then wipe it off with a dry cloth.
Storage
Between uses, store an exercise mat in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and excess humidity. UV rays and humidity can speak the deterioration of a wide range of materials.
If you roll up a yoga or exercise mat, do not leave it rolled up in storage for too long, or it may become difficult to unroll. If possible, store the mat hung up or lay it flat.
Following these tips will allow your exercise mat to last as long as possible, even with a tough workout routine.
Our Favorite Exercise Mat for Home Workouts in 2022
There’s a reason why so many at home workouts are based on yoga and Pilates routines.
These kinds of workouts are friendly for every body type, require no special equipment, and have a huge range of health benefits, from strengthening and toning the body, to helping with weight loss and even boosting the metabolism.
For that reason, our top pick for the best exercise mat for at home workouts is the Lululemon Reversible Mat because of its overall utility. It has an excellent grip, lots of cushioning and uses an anti-microbial additive that reduces odor and bacteria. It’s durable, easy to care for, and attractive.
So if you want a great exercise mat, then I’d recommend checking out this option on Lululemon.
