Toughness in Training

Support athletes where they spend most of their time, in the weight rooms and training areas.

When psychology was a new science, Sigmund Freud divided the human psyche into an Ego and the Id. The Ego is the conscious aspect of a personality that is visible to others. The Id is the vast subconscious, full of habits and thoughts that no one sees, but influences the Ego’s behavior.

Before you start to wonder if you are reading the right newsletter, here’s how this concept fits into athletic flooring. The Ego is the court, field, track, or arena. It’s where the game happens—where the athlete encounters both competitors and spectators alike. Can you guess what is the Id in this metaphor? The Id is the weight room, fitness gym, or exercise space. It’s where the athlete subconsciously creates the strength, agility, and muscle memory that affect what happens in the game.

The incredible influence of training facilities in athletic performance is often overlooked. Freud visualized the Ego as the “tip of the iceberg,” while the Id is the hidden vastness below the surface. Athletes spend most of their time training, exercising, and running drills. By comparison, game time is minuscule. So, as a designer of sports training facilities, your job is as important as it is complicated.

In relation to flooring, let’s address each need in turn. As usual, safety comes first.

Safety: It goes without saying that injured athletes usually don’t get an opportunity to show off their skills on game day. So, the number one factor in choosing a floor for training spaces is safety. That can mean different flooring properties for different activities. For weight lifting, having a nonslip surface is crucial. A rubber flooring like Regupol’s Aktiv works well for that.

But, if we’re talking about sprints, then you need a surface that mimics the actual playing surface. That could be indoor turf or it could be a court surface like Omnisports or Padenpor. Arguably, the most important safety feature of a sports floor is a surface friction that matches the activity and is also consistent across the entire area. For weight lifting and fitness equipment, high slip resistance is a necessity. For agility exercises and training, a surface that meets the ASTM F2772 surface friction standard is best.

Comfort: This factor has some overlap with safety, because a comfortable floor with force reduction properties can minimize stress injuries like shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome). The other reason comfort is such an important thing to consider for training spaces is the sheer volume of time athletes spend in the gym. If the environment is uncomfortable, even in small ways, a team might be reluctant to work out and practice. For example, Regupol’s Aktiv Pro is a 1 inch thick rubber tile that is designed to reduce vibration when weights are dropped. That property makes team workouts a bit more tolerable as apposed to the floor shaking every time your neighbor drops a dumbbell. Aktiv Pro also has some impact sound absorption properties that foster a quieter training environment, which is better for instruction as well as comfort.

Toughness: The floors of a weight room or a fitness center are perhaps the most abused surfaces in any facility. They have to withstand heavy weights, equipment, and foot traffic. The demands are relentless, too. These floors are in constant use, so make sure to choose a floor that is quick and easy to clean. Again, recycled rubber floors like Regupol’s Aktiv series are popular in weight training areas because they are extremely durable and do not show dirt easily.

Inspiration: Finally, training areas can provide a way to foster team cohesiveness, as well as inspire personal growth. With good design, you can create an environment that motivates athletes and recycled rubber flooring can help. In addition to meeting the other criteria mentioned above, rubber flooring like Regupol’s Aktiv series has the potential to incorporate team logos and custom colors. Abacus Sports has lots of flooring projects published online that demonstrate the possibilities of customized weight room surfaces and inlaid platforms.

If you’re ready to give athletic training facilities the attention they deserve, Abacus is here to assist you. Let’s create spaces that are safe, comfortable, durable, and inspiring!