Apr 8, 2021Recycled rubber flooring’s impact on the weight room
{Sponsored} Rubber sports flooring is ubiquitous in weight rooms. It’s the choice for optimal energy return and bounce back reduction, as well as to protect sub-flooring in drop zones. But of all the items in the weight room, it’s the easiest to overlook — and much more complex than it seems at first glance.
At higher levels, the considerations for rubber sports flooring go beyond a brand or color. The density changes depending on the space’s layout, with rubber that’s
more dense in drop zones under racks and less dense where athletes stand while lifting. A different density is also used where workouts not using weights are done.
Besides just the density, the underlayment also factors in. It offers the right amount of support for the wear layer, which is where logos are inlaid, and sound dampening for a quieter environment, as well as guarantees uniform shock absorption and stability under the training surface. By combining the correct layers in the correct zones, the flooring can be customized for exactly what is happening throughout the weight room or performance center.
One manufacturer of rubber sports flooring, REGUPOL, takes things a step further by offering customizations in both layers and using recycled rubber in their products. By combining various flooring thicknesses with super dense product where needed, and lighter weight where the density doesn’t make sense, REGUPOL flooring is just as important in the design of the space as the equipment layout itself.
In the drop zones, the densest material, Crash, is used both to protect athletes from bounce back and to reduce impact on sub-flooring. “In platform areas, we use the Impact underlay. It has lower force reduction, but the necessary rigidity for high impact loads. It withstands the rigors and abuse,” said Matt Montano, sales manager at REGUPOL. In areas where weights won’t be dropped, facilities might install Plyo flooring instead, since it returns more energy and the area does not need the force reduction of Crash. 
Sustainability is also important to REGUPOL. “It’s ingrained in our DNA,” Montano said. Their flooring is Green Circle Certified and typically used by architects to contribute up to five points in a couple different LEED categories, helping architects meet the level of LEED certification desired for the building.
The material itself is up to 90% post-consumer recycled rubber — based on third-party testing — with a conscientious approach to design as a central aspect of what REGUPOL does. Notably, the flooring is Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) tested, with verification by Berkeley Analytical that ensures the flooring is compliant for indoor air quality. “This testing gives peace of mind to the fitness and athletic community,” Montano said.
Kevin Cassidy, regional manager for Spec Athletic, is a dealer of REGUPOL flooring, with installations in facilities ranging from high school and NCAA D1 universities to the NFL. For Cassidy, the flooring is important because it protects athletes from the impact of an otherwise concrete floor. One of his favorite features is the custom widths that can be cut to perfectly fit a space and reduce the number of seams in the flooring. The variety of densities in underlayment and thicknesses of wear layers allows Cassidy to give each facility the perfect match for the exact needs of all who use it.
Martin Streight, CSCS USAW, of Abacus Sports Installations, Ltd., is a former coach and now installer of REGUPOL flooring in the Mid-Atlantic region. He says that REGUPOL flooring is “the most engineered product” in athletic flooring performance today. “Once coaches get it, they usually never turn back,” Streight said. “One thing about REGUPOL is that it is designed not only for performance but also to protect the athlete, given the safe, durable footing, great traction and shock absorption.”
Streight worked on the Duquesne University renovation of Cooper Fieldhouse. For that installation, they chose 1-inch thick Aktiv Pro flooring for the energy return and shock absorption. The underlayment is offered in customized widths, allowing for the fewest seams possible, which helps improve the integrity of the flooring overall.
“The REGUPOL flooring is a very resilient product. It gives great energy return and shock absorption while at the same time diminishes bar bounce and impact noise of a dropped barbell. It has great traction wet or dry and is the ultimate floor to train on,” Streight said.
To learn more about REGUPOL, visit www.regupol.us.
© 2021 REGUPOL America, LLC
