The Yoga Mat I Bought for Exercises That Aren't Yoga

When I committed to the primal fitness lifestyle, I decided I needed a proper exercise mat. I Googled 'best yoga mat' because that's what mats are called even if you have no intention of doing yoga. Every list said Manduka PRO. Lifetime guarantee. Used by yoga instructors worldwide. Six millimeters of high-density cushioning.

One hundred and twenty dollars later, I unrolled it on my living room floor and attempted a push-up. I slid. The Manduka PRO has a 'break-in period' of approximately 20 uses before the surface gets grippy. Twenty uses. I need to slip around on a $120 mat for a month before it works properly. That's not a feature. That's a bug.

After the break-in period it's genuinely great. Dense, comfortable, doesn't bunch up. But here's the thing: I do push-ups, planks, mountain climbers, and burpees. I am not doing Ashtanga flows. I am not holding Warrior II for five breaths. I am flopping around on my floor like a fish doing HIIT intervals. I don't need a lifetime-guaranteed yoga mat. I need a cushion between my knees and the tile floor.

The Amazon Basics mat is half an inch thick (thicker than the Manduka), has a textured surface that grips from day one, and costs $20. Fifty-four thousand people reviewed it. My downstairs neighbor probably has one. It's the Honda Civic of exercise mats — not glamorous, but it shows up and does the job.

The Manduka lives in my living room. The Amazon Basics mat lives in a world where I made better decisions.