Fitness Mat VS Yoga Mat
Fitness mats are the first choice for home exercise. They are mainly used for cushioning and noise reduction of floor movements to avoid direct contact between the body and the ground, resulting in joint or muscle damage. Even many times you need to wear shoes to exercise on a fitness mat. When doing such high-impact and high-intensity sports, the mat should not only have good cushioning performance, but also need to have a higher degree of hardness and wear resistance.
The yoga mat is an assistant for professional yoga practice, mostly barefoot practice, more emphasis on its comfort and slip resistance. The design will be relatively soft, ensuring that it supports the ground on our palms, toes, elbows, top of the head, knees, etc., and maintains it for a long time without feeling panicky.
Types of yoga mats
Common yoga mats on the market can be divided into ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer mats (EVA), polyvinyl chloride mats (PVC), thermoplastic elastomer mats (TPE), nitrile rubber mats (NBR), polyurethane + natural rubber Mat, cork + rubber mat, etc.
Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) is a relatively early mat, and the price is very cheap, but due to the use of chemical foaming in the early production, the mat is often accompanied by a heavy chemical odor, and the resistance of EVA itself. The grinding performance is average, and the service life of the mat is not long.
Polyvinyl chloride mats (PVC) have relatively high wear resistance, less smell, and affordable prices, so they are still very common in gyms. However, the biggest disadvantage of PVC yoga mat is that its anti-skid property is not enough. Therefore, when practicing yoga with high intensity and sweating, especially when practicing hot yoga, it is easy to slip and cause sprains, so it is not recommended to use it. In addition, PVC mats are mostly foamed by chemical methods. The combustion of products will produce hydrogen chloride, which is a toxic gas. Therefore, whether in the production process or in terms of product recyclability, PVC mats are not environmentally friendly enough. .
When it comes to PVC yoga mats, I have to mention the Manduka black mat (basic), which has won the favor of many Ashtanga practitioners. It is known for its super durability. In the early days, almost all senior practitioners had a Manduka black mat. Later, Manduka’s black pads have been upgraded several times. The current Manduka GRP black pad material has been upgraded from PVC to Charcoal-infused natural rubber (charcoal-filled rubber core). The surface of the pad can quickly absorb sweat in 0.3S, which greatly improves the experience of practice. .
The yoga mat made of foamed polyolefin material or related thermoplastic elastomer foam (TPE) is currently the mainstream in the market, with moderate softness, good anti-slip effect, good cushioning and rebound performance, and light material, moderate price, and high quality. Safe and non-toxic, it will not stimulate the human body. In addition to being used as a yoga mat, it can also be used as a climbing mat for children. At present, higher anti-skid performance is the focus of many TPE manufacturers, and this performance largely depends on the surface texture of the mat.
There are usually two kinds of texture processes for yoga mats. One is an embossing embossing machine using a hot pressing method, which requires the production of metal molds, which is suitable for mass production, and the cost of customization is high. If you want to produce a mat with a concave and convex texture, you need to use the upper and lower molds; most of the mats on the market are flat textures, which can be completed by using the upper mold. But no matter which type it is, the embossing machine needs to be trimmed after the pattern processing, and the subsequent processing is relatively troublesome.
The other is a laser engraving machine using laser marking technology, which can be processed continuously without subsequent processes. It can be shipped directly after laser engraving, and the product after laser engraving has its own concave and convex effect. But in terms of speed, lasers are slower than hot presses. But comprehensive consideration, because it does not need to open the mold, only need to import the designed plane graphics into CAD and other software, the laser can achieve accurate and fast engraving and cutting according to the contour of the graphics. The design cost is low, the cycle is short, and flexible customization can be realized.
Many TPE yoga mats currently on the market use a double-sided texture design. One side has a delicate and smooth texture to ensure a comfortable touch; the other side is mostly a slightly bumpy wavy texture, which enhances the friction between the mat and the ground. people walking”. In terms of price, a yoga mat with obvious bumpy texture will be twice as expensive.
Polyurethane + rubber pad or cork + rubber pad
Rubber mats, especially natural rubber mats, are currently the standard for yoga “local mats”, and high-end brands basically have their own rubber mats. Compared with other materials, the rubber yoga mat has higher resilience and softness, better heat resistance, and strong adhesion, which can prevent novice from being injured during yoga practice. According to the type of rubber used, it can be divided into natural rubber pads and NBR pads, both of which are relatively environmentally friendly and non-toxic, but the price of the former is much higher than the latter. This also makes it difficult for consumers to identify. When the rubber pad is used alone, the wear resistance is average and the air permeability is poor, so the surface of the rubber pad is usually covered with a layer of polyurethane PU or cork, which can greatly improve the performance of the pad.
For example, Lululemon’s popular The Reversible double-sided yoga mat is a PU+rubber+latex structure. The double-sided design is non-slip on one side and soft on the other side to meet different exercise needs. Although it seems that the PU surface is very smooth, its anti-slip effect, whether it is dry or sweaty, is better than ordinary TPE pads with surface textures. The Reversible sells for around $600.
For another example, Liforme, a well-known British yoga brand that first proposed the concept of “positive yoga mat”, launched three products: classic version, advanced version and limited edition. The material is also a combination of PU + rubber, but the brand claims to be 100% natural. Rubber, which can be completely degraded in 1-5 years after being discarded, and the compound adopts thermal paste technology to eliminate 100% of toxic glue. The front Gripforme material is high-performance anti-skid and sweat-absorbing PU, which can provide a strong grip even if you practice sweating rain; A classic Liforme sells for around 2,000. (For the upright yoga mat, the author believes that everyone has different body proportions, and it is recommended not to rely too much~)
In addition, the SUGARMAT artist series that must be mentioned in the local tyrants mat is also made of PU + natural rubber. This yoga mat brand from Montreal, Canada, the biggest feature is the high value, the surface of the mat is colorful and creative art patterns, the product has both aesthetics Integrated with function, it is said that its designers are all local lively and stylish yogis, hoping to make daily yoga exercise more interesting and fashionable. A normal SUGARMAT artist mat costs around 1500.
In recent years, SIGEDN, a brand of yoga mats, has also appeared in China. The two main concepts are similar. The design of yoga mats integrates the artistic aesthetics of harmony between man and nature, hoping that practitioners can find peace and comfort in yoga. The price of SIGEDN’s fairy mat is one third of that of SUGARMAT, and the material is advertised as a 3-layer structure: PU + non-woven fabric + natural rubber. Among them, the non-woven layer is to further improve the sweat absorption performance of the pad. (Some people also report that the pattern is too fancy, which will distract the attention of the practice. Each has its own rhetoric, choose the one that suits you~)
In addition to the PU surface, there is also a cork + rubber structure on the market. Compared with PU+rubber, the cork surface of the latter has better sweat absorption performance, but in terms of anti-skid performance and durability, the PU structure is better. Cork is the bark of the oak tree, which is highly regenerative and can be recovered and recycled.
Compared with other materials, rubber yoga mats will be heavier, the same 6mm mat, PVC material is usually about 3 catties, TPE material is about 2 catties, and rubber material will exceed 5 catties. And the rubber material is soft and not resistant to puncture, so it needs to be carefully protected. The PU structure on the surface has excellent dry and wet anti-skid ability, but the disadvantage is that it is not resistant to oil, and it is easy to absorb the gray layer, which requires more attention to care.
How to choose a suitable yoga mat?
To sum up, no matter what kind of material it is, it is impossible to be perfect. It is recommended to choose according to your own budget and practice level. In terms of thickness, it is not recommended to exceed 6mm, which is too soft and not enough to support; senior practitioners use more mats of 2-3mm. In addition:
1) Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the yoga mat. The cushion with good resilience is moderately soft and can bounce back quickly.
2) Observe whether the surface of the yoga mat is flat, and wipe the yoga mat with an eraser to see if it is easy to break.
3) Gently push the surface of the mat with the palm of your hand to see if there is a dry feeling. The mat with obvious dry feeling has a better anti-slip effect.
4) You can wet a small piece of yoga mat to simulate sweaty conditions. If it feels slippery, it is easy to slip during practice and cause falls.
At present, my country’s online fitness team is growing, and the enthusiasm for home exercise continues to rise. This is due to the growing demand for fitness among the public. The “follow live fitness” scenario model has further stimulated the enthusiasm of the public for participation, which is very important for participation or planning. Foaming companies entering the fitness industry will be a rare opportunity, starting from a small yoga mat, then to sportswear, fitness equipment, fitness food, and wearable equipment. The blue ocean has huge potential. According to data, during the epidemic, users who exercised at home not only drove the growth of daily activities and average exercise time of fitness APPs (live fitness and fitness group classes, etc.), but also promoted the growth of fitness equipment such as yoga mats and foam rollers. Data on the retail platform shows that yoga mats and foam rollers have tripled compared to normal. In addition, the scale of China’s online fitness market will reach 370.1 billion yuan in 2021, and it is expected to increase to nearly 900 billion yuan in 2026.
Post time: Jul-18-2022