Differences Between Yoga Mats And Exercise Mats

You must have heard of yoga mats and exercise mats yet may not have used them both, right? Here in this article I will share with you the basic knowledge about yoga mats and exercise mats as well as their differences so as to facilitate your understanding.

I know some of you may get confused at the mention of these two kinds of mats. Actually, it is easy to distinguish one from the other. As you can tell from the name that a yoga mat is designed exclusively for yogis while an exercise mat is usually used for fitness or workout. Therefore, the choice of a yoga mat or an exercise mat depends on what kind of exercises you will do. Only by picking up the proper one can you build up yourself.

Next, let’s see what exactly are the differences between them.

Differences Between Yoga Mats And Exercise Mats

You must have noticed that the thickness of these two mats are distinctly different. It is often the case that an exercise mat is thicker than a yoga one as most of the exercises on an exercise mat are of high-intensity. On the contrary, yoga is a gentle and elegant sport that requires no strenuous or vigorous movements (poses). Secondly, an exercise mat generally adopts firm material so as to offer adequate cushioning for the human body while a yoga mat usually uses pliable material to provide the due padding. In other words, as a less intense activity, yoga prefers soft support to strong pillar.

Yoga Mat

As mentioned above, yoga mats are normally made of soft and thin material. A yoga mat is about a quarter of inch in thickness with a anti-slip layer on its surface. The ultimate goal of this mat is to provide yogis with adequate protection and satisfactory exercising experiences so that they can make poses of all types thoroughly without any physical injuries. Besides, the lower impact of poses on the mat indicates that the yoga mat does not need a strong support from below, instead, it should offer yogis comfortable padding. Directly contacted to your body during exercising, a yoga mat may easily get sweats or other bacteria, which requires regular cleaning. And this feature of yoga sport in turn improves the washable function of yoga mats. Eventually, soft as it is, a yoga mat can be rolled back up or out smoothly without too much efforts, and is thus easier for yogis to store.

Exercise Mat

Exercise mats are also called gym mats as this kinds of mats are suitable for sports played in the gym. The exercise mat is much more thicker than a yoga counterpart. A single exercise mat is about 1 to 3 inches in thickness, which is not only conducive to safeguarding a user’s body but also is helpful to protect the floor beneath. And because such a mat is used for vigorous sports and fierce movements such as weightlifting, Burpee and push-ups, its surface is way more larger than that of a yoga mat. The large surface is also a double-edged sword as it takes up a larger space than a yoga mat does, which means an exercise mat is not so adaptable to various occasions/places.

Summary

After reading the above introduction, you must have a clear understanding towards the two different mats as well as their differences. It is sincerely advised that you are supposed to purchase the one that is in line with your sports type. If you prefer doing soft and low impact activities, the yoga mat is the perfect option, if not, then you can buy an exercise mat.