Harbinger Durafoam Exercise Mat 5/8″ x 24″ x 72″ (Red) 340303

Rating

This mat provides excellent padding and traction for the exercises I do which include situps and kneeing on my basement concrete floor. It is also easy to clean and stow away. At 5/8″, it is one of the thickest mats not for gymnastics or martial arts that I could find. Highly recommended.

Rating

I am a 55 year young woman who was encouraged by my personal trainer to take Pilates to strengthen my core and improve my balance. The mats provided at the gym were meant for Yoga, and while they kept me from slipping on the floor, doing any sort of exercise where we were required to lie on our sides just killed my hip joints. This thicker mat was a lifesaver. It was thick enough to cushion my hip joints as well as enable me to exercise barefooted, something I had great difficult doing due to massive amounts of foot surgery (don’t you just love high heels?). I had read a review that the mat could only be rolled one direction because of the built in straps, thus creating a permanent curl. This was easily remedied by flipping the mat over when using it, and I had no problem with the mat slipping when being used on the opposite side. For me, it accomplished exactly what I wanted it to do – protected my bones while I got the exercise I needed.

Rating

The yoga studio where I take classes has a very hard floor and I have bunion problems. This mat is the solution. There is only one downside to this mat: standing one legged balancing sequences are alot harder with this mat. However, since I take 3 power classes a week and 4 ballet classes a week I like the challenge. The upside is you don’t have to worry about putting a towel under your knee or anywhere because the mat is to thick. I did place a skidless towel on it and it does move around quite a bit so I would not recommend using a towel over this mat it just won’t stay in place. I will take the not so bad with the overwhelming good with this super squishy mat.

Rating

This is a great product. I’m over 50 years old and just starting to exercise at home regularly and I needed a mat to lessen the discomfort of lying on my side. No pain on bony hips with this mat! The mat is incredibly comfortable, but gives great support — not like one of those vinyl-clad foam filled things you see in the stores. Also, I purchased the 5/8″ mat instead of a thinner one because I wanted something extra to cushion the stress on my weak and skinny wrists when I did squat thrusts. I’ve been using it for about a month now and it is everything I hoped for. It also has attached velcro straps for rolling it up, but I’ve just been leaving it unrolled on my basement floor. Highly recommended.

Rating

I use the mat for yoga 2-3 times a week and for some of my P90x exercises. It is well worth the investment. To keep clean just wipe occassionally w/ water or disinfectant of your choice. For those that need the extra cushioning on their knees and joints this mat works. I read several reviews about the mat stretching during downward dog or other yoga poses. The reason why it stretches is because the durafoam material is not as “sticky” as a thin yoga mat. I discovered placing a thinner 1/8″ mat between the floor and this mat eliminates the stretching COMPLETELY(and you get a little more cushioning). The downside is that it it is more challenging but not difficult to hold balance poses(this is to be expected obviously because a softer surface is less stable than a stiffer surface). For the P90x I do the floor exercises on this mat as long as my feet are off the mat because I feel over time my shoes would destroy it. For example, for push-ups I put my hands on the mat while my shoes are directly on the floor. And for crunches, I make sure my feet don’t touch the mat. For the cardio and kenpo, I don’t use the mat at all. Since the mat is extra thick, it will not completely lay flat on one end when you first unroll it. To minimize this “curling” affect, just remember NOT to roll it tight when you are done using it. Rolling it loosely helps it lay flatter when it’s time to unroll it. BTW the black velcro straps are long enough to allow you to roll loosely and still be able to fasten. Lastly, my mat did NOT have a funny smell when I got it. Perhaps I was one of the lucky ones.