MMA / Lifting mats

[Dakota]

We have enough of a varied crowd that hang out here I thought I might use the resources we have at PM.

I am moving to a house that has a 3 car garage. I am going to go back to a home gym. My girlfriend son is 17 and is a pretty damn good muay thai fighter. He has decided to move into MMA and is going training in some grappling disciplines. I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to get back into grappling again too as he looks up to me and knows my wrestling/judo/jiu jitsu background and has quizzed me about some informal training. My son could join us for a change up in his training as well. It would be great to roll with him too.

All that background for a pretty simple question but maybe there isn't a simple answer. If possible I would like to find mats that would be comfortable enough to grapple on that could also serve as padding for lifting iron. One that could handle tossing plates around and dropping dumbbells. Does and animal like that exist? I know judo mats would not be appropriate but mats similar to a wrestling mat might fit the bill.

Any help here ironmen? Choke?

[choke]

Man... I do not know how I missed this thread....

Bro, you have a ton of options. First of all, let me start with the easy options.
Zebra Mats
Swain Mats
Best stuff on the market from those company's. There are other manufacturers out there, and I've tried them; but mats from those two company's are the only ones I'll ever use again.

I've outfitted several MMA schools (that have heavy iron areas), and two houses.
Figure out how much mat space that you want to have.
Then decide if you want roll up mats, that you literally roll up when you're done. Or the traditional mats that either stay on the floor, or you stack. These are the ones that you see at tournaments and in schools.

The roll up mats are the most cost effective. However, what you save in cost, you give up a little bit in durability. But that is a very relative statement. I have some Zebra roll up's that I use for taking over to friends houses for some training when they have no mats of their own. I've beat the hell out of these things for 5 years, and they're still going strong. They show some wear, and the corners are starting to peel; but not one bit of functionality is gone from them.

And the panel mats, they are a bit more pricey; but man... you know that feeling you get when you walk onto the mats at your school, dojo or academy. Nothing like it; and they last forever. I have a 30x32 mat space in my house; and the mats are pushing 15 years old. And you'd never be able to tell. They look new. They cost a chunk, but worth every penny.

You can call both of those manufacturers and ask for what they have on hand that have been used in tournaments. They'll give you a helluva discounts on the typical panel mats. If they're $100 per mat, they'll sell them for about $60 to $80 per. Big savings if you're fitting a sizeable space, and are going to be hard on them.

They also sell puzzle mats that can go under power racks.

I have a few other sources that I've used before, but I need to look em up. I'm on a new laptop, so I'm rediscovering stuff. But that'll get you started.

[Dakota]

Thank you brother! I had you in mind with I posted this.