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Kick your home gym sessions into gear with our tried and tested training mats

Using a quality training mat can take your home workouts to the next level. Whether you're relaxing with yoga, getting hot and sweaty with HIIT or building muscle with our very own bodyweight workouts, a grippy platform with plenty of cushioning will boost your performance and make your session more enjoyable.

The right exercise mat will get you in the mood to train like a beast, provide a layer of protection against hard surfaces and keep you strong and stable during Twister-esque flows.

There are many options on the market, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, so the Men’s Health Lab put 16 0f them through their paces to cut through the noise. Here are 11 that are fit for purpose:

Our editors also scoured the fitness scene to bring you a bonus five picks to suit all budgets:

We've also rummaged through the stores and internet pages to find you the very latest exercise mats.

The best exercise mats lie flat, offer great grip and don’t slide or bunch up when you move. They’re cushioned enough to keep you comfortable, or as comfortable as you can be during a gnarly metcon, that is.

Other key factors depend on your favoured type and location of workout. Opt for impact-absorbing gym flooring if you’re fond of pumping iron but consider a thicker, more padded mat for HIIT. Thinner mats tend to be stickier and more portable, making them a better fit for taking to a hot yoga class.

Though sometimes interchangeable, lightweight yoga mats tend to provide a softer, grippier surface to aid barefoot flows and poses. Heavier exercise mats, meanwhile, are designed to withstand more hardcore workouts, offering enhanced durability and support.

Top tip: If you're a yoga newbie, opt for thinner mats as they are easier to maintain balance.

Our expert tester tried 18 market-leading training and yoga mats to see if they lived up to their hype. Each mat was used for everything from yoga and meditation to HIIT and weights. The top performers stayed firmly fixed to the floor and provided plenty of grip for our hands and feet. Comfort, versatility, portability, sustainability and ease of maintenance were also taken into account.

Get ready to de-stress and make some serious gains...

We may have just waxed lyrical about the importance of finding your perfect fit, but this Les Mills mat can save you the hassle. As well-rounded as Rich Froning, it has two sides designed for different activities.

The red side provides a stable surface for yoga while the grey side, with its non-slip coating, provides plenty of grip for high impact exercise. As always, we put these claims to the test and came away thoroughly impressed. The yoga side provided plenty of support while the grey surface was unfazed by a sweaty weights session. Handy eyelets also make it great for hanging in a home gym.

Best for: HIIT, weights and yoga at home. It’s not particularly portable due to its sturdy design.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 61 x 0.5 Weight: 2.1kg Material: Eco PVC Thickness: 5mm (medium) Colours available: Grey and red

Grippy by name, grippy by nature, this mat was unmatched when it came to providing a non-slip surface for yoga. But it’s no one-trick pony. Despite only being 4mm thick, it provided a surprising amount of cushioning for our aching spines - a godsend after heavy deadlifts - and its lightweight design made it easy to roll up and take to the park for al fresco stretching sessions. It was also capable of withstanding a dropped barbell without any signs of damage.

Best for: Those who want a portable, versatile mat great for everything from mobility work to metcons.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 62 x 0.4 Weight: 2kg Material: Natural latex Thickness: 4mm (medium) Colours available: Slate, marina green, nerine pink

Comfortable, grippy and easy on the eye to boot — what’s not to like? Though the 4mm natural rubber and polyurethane make-up isn’t as cosy as thicker mats for a spot of savasana, it’s perfect for more dynamic practices like ashtanga, which are ideal for bullet-proofing your body against injury.

It still provided enough support to keep our spine comfortable, however, without being so thick that we didn’t feel grounded during flows. We never felt like we were going to slip, and the mat’s ability to absorb moisture made it an accomplished companion for sweatier sessions like hot yoga or even a bit of HIIT. The understated Aztec design also guides your body into position, helping to align your spine in each position — classy touch.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 66 x 0.4 Weight: 2.5kg Material: Natural rubber and polyurethane Thickness: 4mm Colours available: Black, green, grey, ocean blue, red

Unlike our other entries, these durable Decathlon pads can transform any surface into a gym floor. Designed to provide a base for cardio equipment like rowing machines or static bikes, they are equally adept at protecting tiles, carpets and more from a dropped dumbbell.

However, there was a bit of slipping and, if you plan to use them outdoors, be warned that they’re quite lightweight and can blow away in the wind.

Best for: Adding padding to a home gym

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): Four interconnecting 54 x 54 x 0.8 mats Weight: 0.8kg per mat Material: Polyethylene Thickness: 8mm (thick) Colours available: Black

If you’re the sort of lifter who likes to keep your head down and hit the gym with minimum fuss, this mat won’t be for you. Available in a selection of eye-catching colourways, it’s unlikely to fly under the radar, but there is plenty of substance to back up its signature style. The natural rubber base stuck to the ground instantly after being unfurled and the vegan suede upper provided sublime moisture-activated grip during sweaty Bikram yoga sessions. It also felt incredibly comfy while practicing our personal favourite, Shavasana - also known as corpse pose.

Best for: Providing cushioning and comfort during yoga and mobility sessions.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 66 x 0.45 Weight: 3.4kg Material: Natural tree rubber and vegan suede Thickness: 4.5mm (medium) Colours available: Purple, turquoise, yellow, black, blue

A grippy yoga mat for under £25 is a snip in anyone’s book. This Decathlon bargain helped us stretch without fear of slipping and didn’t bunch up during transitions.

Designed to be a topper for studio yoga mats, it’s noticeably thin and lightweight, allowing you to scrunch it into even the smallest gym bags. Its minimal cushioning means it can’t support sore joints, but with gyms open again and hygiene a priority, it’ll make a fantastic workout buddy.

Best for: Yoga studio-goers or those looking for a bit more grip.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 62 x 0.15 Weight: 1.2kg Material: Natural rubber Thickness: 1.5mm (thin) Colours available: Grey

Here at Men’s Health, we’re well-versed in the world of fitness products, but incorporating algae into a yoga mat is news to us. Yogamatters says that, for every mat made, it harvests the green stuff from lakes and ponds before returning the equivalent of 42 bottles of clean, oxygenated water to the local habitat - not bad, huh? The mat itself was one of the most comfortable we tried, but the softness of the outer material came at the expense of some grip.

Best for: A soothing stretch or cool down. We wouldn’t recommend using it with shoes or for more sweaty activities.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 190 x 60 x 0.5 Weight: 0.8kg Material: Foam and algae Thickness: 5mm (medium) Colours available: Aqua

At 4cm thick, this was by far the thickest mat we tried, and you could really feel the difference. The added cushioning felt great on our knees, hands and spine, providing a comfortable platform for restorative yoga and maybe even a quick post-workout power nap.

However, the sponge filling sometimes made it feel more like a massage bed than an exercise mat, with our limbs sinking into the surface. As a result, we lost stability during more dynamic movements.

Best for: Static stretching and mobility work at home.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 60 x 4 Weight: Not available Material: PVC cover filled with sponge padding Thickness: 40mm (thick) Colours available: Black, blue, orange, pink, green

Something of a dark horse, this Sundried mat performed well across the board and comes at a great price. It’s made from a durable jute material with a natural, grainy feel, which helped get us into the right headspace for yoga nidra - a form of guided meditation.

Surprisingly malleable, it also emerged unscathed from some intense weights sessions. Our only word of warning: if you’re planning on getting sweaty with the likes of HIIT or hot yoga, this mat isn’t sticky enough when wet.

Best for: Meditation or lying down stretches, though it held its own during HIIT and weights sessions when called upon.

Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 61 x 0.6 Weight: Not specified Material: Jute Thickness: 6mm (medium) Colours available: Blue and sand

This non-slip mat from Toplus has both anti-slip and non-skip technology fused within it – if that doesn't keep you in place nothing will.

The mat is also made from eco friendly material, with no latex, no PVC and no toxic or harmful chemicals going into its manufacture. It's also one of the lightest mats we found.

Dimensions: 61cm x 183cm, 6mm thick

The OG of yoga mat brands, Lululemon has pulled out all the stops with its Reversible Mat, which is part of the brands core collection of genuinely non-slip mats.

Lululemon's offering features an antimicrobial additive that helps prevent mould and mildew from growing on it, meaning this mat should stay clean and fresh regardless of how much usage it sees.

Dimensions: 66cm x 180cm, 5mm thick

Designed to be quick to fold and easy to store, this is the mat for you if you've got limited storage space. Out of sight, out of mind.

Dimensions: 60cm x 180 cm, 6mm thick

Reebok's Elite Yoga mat provides a firm and comfortable foundation for yoga poses and HIIT workouts. The sportswear giant also hasn't given it the name 'elite' for no good reason, this mat really is built to last.

Dimensions: 61cm x 183cm, 5mm thick

At just 5mm, this mat provides a firm, grippy base while also feeling soft enough that your joints won't start to throb as you cat-cow your way through your morning yoga session.

Great for a HIIT workout, too, as well as looking effortlessly cool. It's a thumbs up from us.

When it comes to home workouts, TRX know a thing or two. Experts in suspension trainers and functional fitness, this exercise mat features an anti-slip ribbed surface and top holes for easy hanging.

We're digging this Proworks Yoga Mat. Designed to provide optimal comfort and support, both in and out of the gym, there's a reason why this is one of Amazon's best selling exercise mats.

One of the cheapest in our collection, too.