Squating, DL standing on horse stall mats?

[DoctorWho]

Buidling an outdoor lifting platform, including for power cleans. Guidance appreciated.

Thinking of using horse stall mats for the entire surface. Concrete pad, covered by 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch horse stall mat from Tractor Supply. So instead of standing on plywood, the lifter stands on the horse stall mat.
Stable enough?

Anybody have experience or calculate the deformation?

[mbasic]

What is it like weather-wise where this is at?

I would do two layers of rubber mats. 3/4" for both.
I say this, because normally you would have 1 or 2 layers of plywood between the one rubber mat and the concrete.

I would NOT glue or afix the two rubber layers in any way if possible.
If they get divots over time (from deadlifting,etc) you can rotate them top to bottom, or turn them 90 deg to put fresh rubber at the typical impact spot.

[TimK]

If you’re worried about the stall mats being too squishy, don’t. They are incredibly dense.

[James]

They are literally made for 1000 lbs animals on metal shoes to stand on.

[mbasic]

They are literally made for 1000 lbs animals on metal shoes to stand on.

stability wise ^yes;
durability wise .... meh

They are probably great in a horse stall/ trailer.

I'm sure I could fuck up, in short order, a poor quality 1/2" rubber horse stall mat ontop of plain hard concrete with 405 deadlifts (semi-controlled lowering, but not dropping) with iron plates.. Or at least put divots in it which might be irritating on a few different levels. Or start cracking the concrete underneath.

Also, horse stall mats are typically inside horse stalls somewhat protected from the weather.
I'd be worried about UV beating down on it, and/or cold weather/hot weather rain/ice/thaw cycles .... in addition to the beat down the plates are giving it.

[asdf]

If the reason for the mats is to be able to drop power cleans, why not just get a couple of small mats for that purpose. My wife and I have been Olympic lifting on concrete for years. I rarely drop from overhead, but my wife does all the time. We each have two mats that are probably the same density as horse stall mats. Dimensions: 30 x 22.5 x 3/4 inch.

We lift in a garage with a slope. The loaded bars sits directly on the concrete. The pads stop the loaded bars from rolling downhill. If deadlifting, the pads only function as a barbell-stop between sets. When wife is dropping from overhead, she pulls the bar straight off the concrete floor and just drops it forward onto the mats. Controls the bar and then pulls it back so the mats act as a stop.

We park a car in the garage when we're not lifting. The mats are small and easy to move into and out of position.

[mbasic]

If the reason for the mats is to be able to drop power cleans, why not just get a couple of small mats for that purpose. My wife and I have been Olympic lifting on concrete for years. I rarely drop from overhead, but my wife does all the time. We each have two mats that are probably the same density as horse stall mats. Dimensions: 30 x 22.5 x 3/4 inch.

We lift in a garage with a slope. The loaded bars sits directly on the concrete. The pads stop the loaded bars from rolling downhill. If deadlifting, the pads only function as a barbell-stop between sets. When wife is dropping from overhead, she pulls the bar straight off the concrete floor and just drops it forward onto the mats. Controls the bar and then pulls it back so the mats act as a stop.

We park a car in the garage when we're not lifting. The mats are small and easy to move into and out of position.

smaller mats or tiles are handy.

I experimented with different setups in our makeshift office-gym-joker-room during covid lockdowns
Nice fake-tile floor surface, with post-tension concrete floor underneath .... so massive cringe factor dropping on that.
I ordered some of those 24"x24"x1.5" rubber tiles form rogue... (mis-ordered 8, but meant to get only 4)
They are not just a slab of rubber; I wish they'd show the bottoms, there's a dimpled pattern that might enhance some 'give' or 'deadening'.

You just put 4 tiles in a row to deadlift making a 2' long x 8' wide platform.
My powerclean, clean, and snatch form was pretty good ...so I could manage that as well.

You could also put two longways on each side in pairs to cover more ground ....or double up the tile (3" thk now) and drop the reps over into them after a clean like ASDF describes above.

four 24" square title are easy and compact to put away/store when not in use .... as easy as bumper plates.

https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/photo ... 85650122c8

[5hout]

I would get the 4x6 3/4 inch mats. They're an absolute beast to move (honestly you could simply get under one of them and run around with it on your back and do OHPs of it and sell are your exercise equipment and still get in great shape), but I cannot imagine they are going to be damaged by any amount of dropping power cleans.

I just bought and hung on the wall 2 of the 3/4 inch mats last week (archery backstop). There will be 0 perceptible deformation when lifting on it, provided a firm platform underneath. If UV is really a concern, say full direct sunlight, you can get a UV protecting rubber sealant and seal them once and then never bother again b/c they're going to last a decade + of lifting anyway. You could also double layer them for full insanity and protection from any ground shock induced tearing.

My only regret is that my deadlift mats are 1/2 inch and my archery ones are 3/4s, having worked with the 3/4s I'm considering swapping all my mats out for them.

[Hardartery]

Buidling an outdoor lifting platform, including for power cleans. Guidance appreciated.

Thinking of using horse stall mats for the entire surface. Concrete pad, covered by 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch horse stall mat from Tractor Supply. So instead of standing on plywood, the lifter stands on the horse stall mat.
Stable enough?

Anybody have experience or calculate the deformation?

Go for it. Double density is not necessary, you are super unlikely to bother the concrete. Maybe if you're dropping 315+ from full extension on a regular basis, but even then I doubt it. DL's are not an issue unless you are going all Pete Rubish and throwing 900 down from lockout, even then it would take a few rounds before the damage showed up. The main issue as far as damage goes is actually the moisture level. If the concrete gets wet and stays that way, it will suffer and it will not take a long time. If the concrete can dry out between rainstorms then no issue. It's best to leave some it uncovered just so the moisture can escape. It will wick out if there is exposed surface that gets some sun.