In the gyms I’ve visited in the past, there’s that area, usually in the back, that’s reserved just for the heavyweights. Or, should I say heavy weights? You know, the area where the XXL crowd hangs out to lift free weights that are at least twice their own body weight – often referred to as the “Olympic Weight Area.”
Unfortunately, we’ve all seen an overloaded bar drop to the ground, or a weight slip off a stand with a terrific crash, on occasion. Seeing, and hearing, that gives one the feeling that you get when you hear someone drop a stack of dishes in a restaurant. It’s inevitable that this happens from time to time, but you still hate to be near it when it happens.
Of course, I always think of the damage to the weights and the floors when I hear it. That’s a tremendous amount of force that is coming down all at once, and a force that is hard for any material to endure. Fortunately, there are now manufacturers who coat the plates with thin rubber, which helps protect both the plates and the floor, to some degree. There is also likely a rubber floor in that area, but most of those floors are 3/8″ thick, which is fine for lighter weights and selectorized equipment, but it is insufficient when 400 pounds gets dropped on it.
Twenty years ago, these areas had ugly thick black mats that did the job. But, they were simply utilitarian and did nothing for the aesthetics of a club. You likely remember them, with the diamond-top surface, often referred to as “Thud Rugs.” In truth, these mats were merely mats designed for agricultural use, and sold into the fitness market because they were the only things durable enough to take repeated impacts of great weight.
Well today, there are some really attractive alternatives to the Thud Rug, and they do a fantastic job of preventing damage to weights that get dropped – no matter how much weight is involved. These are tiles that range in thickness from 1″ up to 1 3/4″ and beyond, and they are often referred to as “pavers.” They are typically made of an adhesion of thousands of granules of recycled rubber shreds. So, they are environmentally green products that, when amalgamated together, create a much more shockabsorbing product.
These products are designed with a greater respect for aesthetics, and they are available in a myriad of colors in both solid and speckled designs. They are also available with brick patterns or square designs cut into the face of them for more visual appeal. Since most of these tiles are around 2′ squared, they can also be laid in a checkerboard style, alternating colors and/or patterns among adjoining tiles. You can even have your gym’s logo set into them, by utilizing precise water jets that can duplicate the designs and colors in your logo.
Unlike the black mats of old, all of these products now use some type of hidden interlock to hold them together. Some use dowels that slide into the sides of adjoining tiles, and some use channels that allow the tiles to interlock. The great part about these interlocks is that the floor does not need to be glued down, and it can be picked up, reconfigured, or moved to another area of the facility without great difficulty.
Not only are these new tiles attractive, but they do a better job of protecting the weights. The big key, especially if your facility is on an upper floor, is the sound deadening that these systems provide. You’ll still hear the thud of the weights being dropped, but the thicker floor does a much better job of absorbing the sound, and it does not sound as though the weights are being dropped directly onto concrete – like you would hear from a thinner rubber. Not only does the thicker rubber deaden the blow, but these systems also have a small airspace in them that allows for more of the sound to be dissipated before the shock hits the subfloor.
These types of floors have really increased in popularity in the past few years, and we highly recommend them – especially for facilities whose participants are competitive weightlifters. Sure, these tiles are more expensive than the standard rubber flooring alternatives, but you typically do not need a very large area of these types of tiles. You need just enough for the designated free-lifting area. Plus, it’s an investment that is worthwhile when you consider the expense of replacing cracked plates.
Steve Chase is the General Manager of Fitness Flooring. He can be contacted at 866.735.5113, or by email atexerflex@exerflex.com, or visit www.exerflex.com.
