Zebra Athletics Blog

Designing a home yoga studio is an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only do you get a great place to train right in your own home, but you also get to make it your own! When designing a home space for your yoga practice, first ask yourself what you are trying to achieve with your home yoga studio design. If calmness and stress relief is one of the things you want out of your practice space, these are the four things you will want to consider.

The flooring you choose to practice on has a huge impact on your yoga studio or home gym space. It determines how the space looks and feels. It also impacts the type of "yoga experience" you have in terms of comfort, stability, and the complexity of the poses you can try. Of the many yoga flooring options available on the market today, one that has seen a steady rise is foam yoga tiles, and for good reason. Foam is an excellent material for yoga studios and home gyms where practicing yoga is common. Why? It's because the material has a few intrinsic qualities that make it the ideal surface for any training space.

Having your own home gym space is liberating, convenient, and a pretty excellent way to train outside of the gym. Having said that, it's your home gym space, which means it's your job to keep it clean! Thankfully, you don't have to have any special skills to get the job done right, and you can use the same Zebra products professional gym owners use in their facilities. Keeping your home gym clean and well maintained is easy once you know how. Follow these home gym cleaning tips to keep your training space looking, smelling, and feeling brand new for years!

Using hand protection while training is important whether you're a serious competitor, an amateur fighter, or someone who casually trains in boxing, cardio kickboxing, or MMA. Hand protection generally comes in two different types: inner gloves and hand wraps. Both will provide an extra layer of protection and stability under your gloves, but these two types of hand protection are not entirely the same. They function slightly differently, especially when it comes to how they are put on. There are also several other differences between the two options. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the choice between boxing inner gloves and traditional hand wraps, this quick guide can help you make the best decision for your training.

Not all gym and martial arts flooring types are sustainable. Some are flat out bad for the environment. At Zebra Athletics, we try our best to produce environmentally friendly products, especially when it comes to our martial arts mats and fitness and yoga flooring. While they aren't 100% sustainable (no type of gym flooring is), you will find that they are one of the more sustainable flooring options you will find on the market today. This is because of the materials we use, our manufacturing process, and the sheer durability and longevity of our mats. Looking for a sustainable flooring option for your gym or home workout space? Whether you are a professional or just getting started, Zebra Mats can be an environmentally friendly way to #trainwithconfidence. Here's why.

It's no secret that there's a certain smell that comes with a gym. People sweat from working hard, and odors tend to linger long after they have gone. This is especially troubling if you train at home, as there is no getting away from the distinct smell of hard work and exercise. Thankfully, there are ways to mitigate smells in your gym, no matter how bad they get. It all comes down to understanding how to eliminate, not just mask, odors as they come. Cleaning is a large part of the process, but there is so much more to the art and science of eliminating gym odors. Follow these best practices to keep your mats and training equipment looking and smelling fresh all year long.

There's no shortage of yoga flooring options, but not all of them are suitable for hot yoga environments. Hot yoga presents a challenge to many different types of flooring. The high temperature and humidity can cause certain types of flooring to buckle, warp, and bend (particularly wood and bamboo). Other types of flooring like cork and carpet are very porous, meaning they absorb the sweat left behind after multiple hot yoga sessions. This not only leaves behind bacteria that is absorbed into the flooring, it also causes a stench that will quickly become unpleasant and unwelcome. Since we launched our line of Zebra Yoga and Fitness Tiles many years ago, studios all over the world quickly realized just how well they perform in hot yoga settings. Their design, the materials used to make them, and their sheer quality put them above any other type of hot yoga flooring. These aren't just claims. We can back up what we say. There are many reasons why Zebra Yoga and Fitness Tiles are the best hot yoga flooring option for any studio.

Bag training is essential for boxing, MMA, and many different styles of martial arts; it's also a great form of cardio for those looking to get in shape. That's why it's essential for any home gym or fitness facility to have a collection of training bags. Depending on what you train and where, the bags you need for your space will change. Whether you are training muay thai, cardio kickboxing, MMA, or anything else, one thing is for sure: you need the best bags that fit your training style. These are the training bags no facility should go without.

They may seem similar, but there are big time differences between boxing and MMA gloves. They are, after all, meant for two very different sports. Boxing gloves are designed for one thing: punching. They allow fighters to hit as hard as possible without hurting their hands. MMA gloves, on the other hand, are designed to be flexible and allow athletes use of their hands while fighting. What are the differences between boxing gloves and MMA gloves? There are several design features that make them uniquely suited for their individual sports.

Back in 1997, we started our small business by bringing premium quality mat systems, designed for all martial arts disciplines, to budding gyms in the U.S. More than 25 years later, we now help gym owners all over the world build facilities that allow everyone from the newcomer to the professional athlete to train with confidence. Over time, we have expanded our product offerings to fulfil this mission. Today, we are announcing our largest product launch ever.

What is the right thickness for my landing mats? It's a common question we get when gym owners are looking to add these training aids to their routine. Also known as throw mats or crash pads, landing mats are ideal for everything from martial arts and MMA training to gymnastics and cheerleading practice. They are a great addition to a training surface, even if you already have a padded flooring surface like martial arts mats. With different thicknesses available"from 4" to 6", 8", and 12""it's only natural to ask which landing mat thickness is right for the type of training you do. There is no absolute answer, but we can give you some guidelines that will help you choose the right landing mat thickness for your gym.

4" Landing Mats: For Light Landings and Training

6" Landing Mats: For Takedowns

8" Landing Mats: For Throws and Slams

12" Landing Mats: The Highest Level of Protection

Every Zebra Mat is made from a high-quality open-cell foam encased in a reinforced, closed-cell vinyl covering. This combination provides optimal cushioning and shock absorption for grappling and throws without sacrificing the secure footing needed for stand-up martial arts training. We've recently taken a look at what's inside our martial arts mats (see what's at the core). Today, we're turning our focus on the exterior vinyl covering that gives Zebra Mats their unique look and feel.

One of the most common questions asked when shopping for martial arts mats is, "how many mats do I need for my space?' All Zebra Mats, regardless of their thickness, are sold individually and measure 2 meters x 1 meter (39.375" x 78.75"), or about 21.5 square feet. Note:production variance no greater than 5 MM or 3/16 in to be expected. Don't be discouraged when looking at your space. There's an easy way to determine how many martial arts mats you'll need for your space, whether you're a gym owner or are looking to transform a space in your home into a home gym. All you need is a measuring tape, paper and pen, and a calculator. Follow these quick and easy steps to properly measure your space and determine how many mats to order.

There are often two words that are overlooked when martial arts and MMA gym owners invest in new mats: care and maintenance. Taking proper care of your martial arts mats is the best way to prolong their life, ensuring you get the most out of your investment, not to mention having a facility that looks great. While there are proper ways to clean and maintain your Zebra Mats"see our cleaning and maintenance resources"there are also some essential products we believe no gym owner can be without. If you want to get the most out of your martial arts mats while providing superior protection to them, don't forget to buy these care and maintenance essentials for your gym.

Your Zebra martial arts mats can take a beating, but they were designed to be used only as mats for grappling, MMA, yoga, and traditional martial arts practices. These mats are tough, but they are not indestructible. Certain things can damage them, so if you want to get the most out of your martial arts mats investment, follow these tips to make them last as long as possible.

Buy the Right Mats

Make Sure They Are Installed Properly

Clean Them Regularly

Avoid Weights

Keep the Shoes Off Them

Designing your own home gym space can be very rewarding. It gives you the opportunity to build a training space that is unique to you, the type of martial arts you practice, and the goals you want to accomplish. But where do you begin? How do you know the right way to layout a home gym space? Some of it depends on the space you are using in your home, but it's mostly up to how you train. Your home gym space should be a reflection of your martial arts discipline. Find some inspiration in these common home gym designs.

Ordering martial arts mats, especially in bulk for a facility, is not like purchasing something at a normal online retailer. These items are large, bulky, and heavy, measuring about 2 meters x 1 meter (39.375" x 78.75"), or about 21.5 square feet. Depending on the thickness of the mat you order (1", 1.5", or 2"), each mat will weigh anywhere from 30lbs to nearly 60lbs. Other Zebra training products, like heavy bags and wall pads, are also just as bulky and heavy to ship. As a result, most of these items need to be sent via freight. The long and short of it is, these items cannot be simply placed into a box and sent via USPS small parcel. At Zebra, we want the process of renovating or building your gym to be as transparent and easy as possible. We want you to know how and when your products are sent, and when you can expect them. This is vital as you may be contracting out help for installation or other services, or have set an opening date for your facility. Our order and shipping processes are straightforward, but they are different than what most people are used to. That's why we are here to clear up any questions you have. You can always contact our Customer Support line with any questions, (or email or chat us) but here's a quick Zebra shipping guide to help you understand what that process is like.

For a corner of a room, a single 5’ x 10’ home roll-out mat may be all you need. Larger rooms or garages may be able to hold one of our 10’ x 10’ or 15’ x 10’ home roll-out kits.