When aerobics first hit the scene about two decades ago there were very few choices available for aerobic flooring. Our first heath club's aerobic floor consisted of a concrete floor covered by a thin pad topped-off by carpet. It is little wonder that hardly a week went by that an instructor was not injured from shin splints or a sprained ankle.

Today we use a specially  designed subfloor that consist of two thin layers of specialty plywood that  is elevated on thousands of rubber energy return blocks.The result is an air cushion with the response of an air mattress that is almost therapeutic. We have found this type of flooring to best for step aerobics. The entire subfloor is covered with a thin commercial carpet. The total cost of this type of flooring (excluding carpet) is   $2.50 to $3.00  per ft¾ depending on the design. These prices are an average for the wood, screws, hardware, glue and rubber blocks. Does not include any labor costs. The rubber energy return blocks as well as complete plans may be purchased from either:

http://www.stagestep.com/subfloors.htm   or http://www.gerstung.com/airbase.html

If you are mainly into floor aerobics you may prefer to try a suspended hardwood floor.This is because quick turning movements are more safely performed on a hardwood surface than on carpet. Both of the companies listed above can also provide you with everything you need for this type of flooring.Costs for this type of flooring is very high and can easily cost at least $11 per ft¾.

Another alternative is a floor that made by Sport Court. This is a ver simple to install rubber flooring that is used in roller hockey rinks, basketball courts, tennis courts and Health Clubs. This type of flooring utilizes specially designed rubber tiles that snap easily together.  For more info go to http://www.sportcourt.com/

Safety is the number one issue with home exercisers when it comes to flooring. The first safety concern is the degree of non-slip. The second safety issue is absorption and resilience. If the floor is not absorbent, the body becomes the shock absorber, resulting in fatigue, pain and injury.

The following is what Stage Step recommends when considering constructing your own aerobics floor

Absorption
All movement activity generates energy. Walking, jumping, hopping, skipping even the impact of standing still (gravity). Energy directly returned to the body is bad. Shin splints, back and knee problems, fatigue, strains and even broken foot bones can result. A non-energy absorbent floor or flooring system is dangerous. It can result in injury and law suits. Concrete is non energy absorbent. Any substance put directly on concrete does not remove you from the concrete unless it contains air (like foam). Basket weave subfloors and foam or spring floating subfloors provide shock absorbent characteristics that eliminate the problems associated with hard, non absorbent floors.

Resilience
In addition to energy absorbency, energy can be dissipated by resiliency. (think of a diving board or trampoline), energy transfers from the body to a subfloor that deflects and safely returns energy (spring). Wood is the best of the resilient materials.

Lateral Foot Support
In addition to the absorbent and resilient nature of your subfloor, perhaps the most important and most overlooked attribute is lateral foot support. Try standing on one leg on a resilient trampoline. No lateral foot support, no balance. Sink into an absorbent floor and you increase your chances of turning an ankle. Today, the leading cause of injury is not shin splints, but ankle injury, due in part to flooring systems that rely solely on absorbent materials or systems that are too spongy. Warning: any floor/floor system that you can squish together in your hands (feels soft) can be dangerous due to lack of lateral foot support!