ProsourceFit Extra Thick Yoga Mat Review: 6 Months of Daily Floor Workouts

Six months ago, I was doing crunches on a folded bath towel on our living room carpet. My wife Mildred was resting in her chair nearby, and I was trying to get through a set of knee push-ups without wincing every time my elbows hit the floor. The towel bunched up under me mid-rep, I lost my balance, and I sat there thinking there had to be something better than this. A few days later, the ProsourceFit Extra Thick Yoga Mat showed up at our front door. I have used it every single day since, and it changed how I think about home floor workouts.

I ordered the 1-inch thick version because our whole downstairs is hardwood and tile, and I knew a thin mat would not cut it. At 71 inches long, it is long enough for just about anything I do. At today's price, it costs less than a single session with a physical therapist. Here is what I found after using it daily for six months.

How I Have Used It

I do a mix of bodyweight exercises on this mat: crunches, planks, bird dogs, glute bridges, hip thrusts, and a lot of core stability work. On days when my lower back is tight from sitting at my desk too long, I just lie on the mat and do gentle spinal twists and cat-cow stretches. The mat stays put on the hardwood, and my hips and knees finally stopped hurting after workouts.

I roll the mat out near the window in our living room where the morning sun comes in. Mildred sometimes does gentle seated stretches on it while I make breakfast. On nicer days, I bring it out to the back patio. The nylon carrying strap makes it easy to roll up and carry in one hand. I take it outside, do a quick 15-minute floor workout, roll it back up, and bring it inside. The whole process takes less time than driving to a gym.

I weigh about 185 pounds and I use the mat for at least 20 to 30 minutes every day. Some days that means bodyweight circuits. Other days it means 10 minutes of stretching and mobility work. The mat handles all of it without the foam packing down in one spot.

One thing that surprised me is how much the mat has reduced overall soreness. Before I started using it, I would feel a dull ache in my tailbone and hips after floor workouts. That ache is completely gone now. I can do a full bodyweight circuit in the morning and still walk Mildred to her appointments without that low-grade stiffness in my lower back.

Why Thickness Changes Everything on Hard Floors

The 1-inch thickness is what sold me on this mat. A standard yoga mat is about one-eighth inch or one-quarter inch at most. That works fine for yoga on a padded studio floor, but on hardwood or tile it feels like doing crunches on concrete. The ProsourceFit mat is one full inch of dense foam, and the difference is night and day.

When I do a plank on a thin mat on our hardwood floor, I can feel the floor pressing through after about thirty seconds. On the ProsourceFit mat, I can hold a three-minute plank without any discomfort in my elbows or forearms. The foam compresses just enough to cushion you, but it stays firm enough that you do not sink in and lose stability. That balance matters for core exercises where you need a solid base.

For side-lying leg lifts and hip work, the cushioning makes a real difference. Those exercises put your entire body weight on one hip bone. On a thin mat that gets painful fast. On the 1-inch ProsourceFit mat, I can do three sets of fifteen reps per side without stopping to shift my position or adjust the mat under me.

The Surface Grip Is Not an Afterthought

Some thick mats have a rubbery bottom that grabs the floor too aggressively and a slick top that lets you slide around. The ProsourceFit mat gets both sides right. The bottom has a light grip texture that holds on hardwood without leaving marks or sticking so hard that the mat is hard to pick up and move. I have used it on tile, hardwood, and laminate, and it stayed in place on all three surfaces.

The top surface is textured but not abrasive. I do a lot of exercises on my back, and the mat does not make me feel stuck to it. My shirt moves freely across the surface, but my feet and hands do not slide during push-up or plank positions. That balance is harder to find than you would expect, and ProsourceFit nailed it. The texture also helps when my hands get slightly sweaty during longer workout sessions.

Durability After Six Months

I was not sure how well a thick foam mat would hold up to daily use. I had a cheaper mat years ago that developed permanent dents where my knees and elbows hit every day, and the surface started peeling after about three months. The ProsourceFit mat has none of those problems after six months. The surface is not peeling or flaking anywhere. The edges have not curled up at all. There are no permanent compression marks in the foam.

The carrying strap is still in good shape. I roll the mat up and use the strap every morning to move it out of the way so Mildred can get through the living room with her walker. The strap buckle is plastic and shows no signs of cracking. The foam itself has not lost any of its original spring. It still feels as supportive as the day I opened the box.

I was also concerned about the mat sliding on our tile floor in the kitchen, where I sometimes do quick stretching sessions while waiting for water to boil. The grip holds just as well on tile as it does on hardwood. No slippage at either end, even during dynamic movements like jumping jacks or burpees that I do directly on the mat.

The 71-Inch Length Matters More Than You Think

I am 5 foot 10, and 71 inches is exactly long enough for me to lie flat with my arms extended overhead without my hands hanging off the end. For a taller person, the extra length of this mat compared to standard 68-inch yoga mats means your head and feet stay on the mat during floor exercises. That sounds like a small difference, but when you are doing lying leg raises or dead bugs, having your full body on the mat keeps your form consistent.

The mat is also wide enough at 24 inches for comfortable side-to-side movement. I do not feel like I am going to roll off during hip thrusts or spinal twists. The proportions are well thought out for how people actually use a mat at home, not just for yoga class.

The 1/2-Inch vs 1-Inch Decision

The ProsourceFit mat comes in two thicknesses: 1/2-inch and 1-inch. I bought the 1-inch version because I use the mat almost exclusively for floor exercises on hardwood. The 1/2-inch version is a better choice for yoga, pilates, or anyone who wants a middle ground between a standard yoga mat and a thick exercise mat. If you are 150 pounds or lighter and mostly do pilates and gentle stretching, the 1/2-inch version might be all you need. If you are heavier or do a lot of exercises on your knees, elbows, or hips, go with the 1-inch.

The 1-inch version weighs more than the 1/2-inch because it has more foam. That is not an issue for me since I only move it between the living room and the back patio. But if you plan to carry the mat to a gym or a park regularly, the 1/2-inch version is noticeably lighter and easier to manage with the carrying strap.

How It Compares to Other Mats I Have Tried

Before this mat, I used a standard 1/4-inch yoga mat from a big box store that was cheap. It worked okay for yoga, but it was terrible for floor exercises. My knees and elbows ached after every session. I tried laying a thick blanket under it to add cushioning. The blanket bunched up and moved around, which was worse than the towel problem I started with.

I also tried a friend's name-brand thick mat that cost a lot more. The ProsourceFit mat feels about 90 percent as cushioned as that expensive mat for less than half the price. The expensive mat had a nicer surface feel and no initial smell out of the box, but the ProsourceFit mat held up just as well over time. I would rather save the difference and spend it on other home exercise gear like a jump rope or resistance bands.

The Practical Details That Add Up

When the mat first arrived, it had a slight chemical smell from being packed in plastic. I unrolled it in the living room and let it air out for about a week. The smell was completely gone after that. I have had other foam products that never lost that smell, so this was a welcome improvement.

One thing to know: the textured surface does collect dust and pet hair more than a smooth mat would. I give it a quick wipe with a damp cloth once a week and shake it out before I roll it up. That keeps it clean with about thirty seconds of effort. I store it rolled up with the strap, and it fits neatly behind the armchair when I am not using it.

After six months of daily floor workouts, the mat has no permanent dents, the surface is not peeling, and the edges have not curled up at all. That surprised me for a budget mat.

Who This Is For

This mat is for anyone who does floor exercises at home on a hard surface. If you have hardwood, tile, laminate, or thin carpet over concrete, the extra thickness makes a real difference in comfort. It is especially good for people in their forties and older, anyone with joint sensitivity in their hips or knees, and people recovering from an injury who need to do rehab exercises at home without pain.

It is also for anyone who does not have a dedicated home gym space. The mat rolls up with a strap, stores behind a door or under a bed, and takes about ten seconds to set up. If you are like me and you exercise in whatever room your spouse is in at the time, being able to move the mat out of the way matters.

Who Should Skip It

If you practice standing yoga where you need a firm, thin connection to the floor for balance, this mat is probably too thick. The extra cushioning makes it harder to feel stable in standing balances like tree pose, warrior III, or half moon. A standard thin yoga mat would serve you better for those movements. The same goes for anyone who needs precise foot placement feedback from the ground, like in certain martial arts or dance conditioning.

Also skip this if you need a travel mat that folds small enough to fit in a suitcase. The 1-inch foam does not fold; it rolls, and the rolled mat is about 8 inches in diameter at 71 inches long. It is portable enough for moving around the house or taking to the back yard, but it is not a packing-on-a-plane kind of mat.