What to look for when purchasing your pilates mat
Probably the first piece of Pilates equipment
that you will want to go out and purchase yourself is a Pilates
mat. There are very many excellent varieties of Pilates mat on the
market. Here are some suggestions on what to look for when purchasing
your Pilates mat.
First of all you should know that if you plan
on buying a Pilates mat it will mainly be for your home workouts
because every Pilates studio will have a good selection of mats
for their clients to use and very few places will actually require
to bring your own mat along. That being said, it is always good
to have your own mat for those days when you simply cannot make
it to the studio.
Pilates mats come is a wide selection of styles,
colours, shapes and sizes. The first thing to know about choosing
a Pilates mat is that, although very similar to a yoga mat, a Pilates
mat is much thicker than a yoga mat. While a yoga mat must allow
the user to feel the floor in order to perform some of the tougher
balancing moves, a Pilates mat has to be thicker to protect your
spine from hardness of the floor when performing some of the rolling
exercises. Furthermore yoga mats are sticky so that they adhere
to the floor while Pilates mats are not.
The size of the Pilates mat you choose is also
crucial. You must make sure you pick a mat that is large enough
to accommodate you comfortably. Although most standard mats range
between 72-86 inches there are smaller ones – so watch out.
The width of the mat will also very from 21-39 inches – again
here depending on your height and what you feel comfortable with
will determine what width you decide upon getting.
Portability might be a characteristic to look
for in a mat. You can get mats that roll up or even fold. The roll-up
mats are easily portable and can be stored easily. Good roll up
mats cost between $30 to $50 dollars.
Folding Pilates mats are more expensive but are
of better quality. Some even retail for as high as $300 dollars.
If you are thinking about setting up a serious home studio then
you might want to invest in a good quality Pilates mat – if
so, then a heavier, less portable mat is what you need.
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