Deadlifting on Tile - Protecting the Floor

[Bradley]

I've transformed my living room into a home gym. There's not a lot of space, but it seems perfectly adequate for what I need. The only thing left I need to figure out is how to deadlift while not destroying my tile flooring.

I planned to purchase these ubiquitous mats and was originally just going to lay them down over the tile like I've seen many people do in their garages. However, tile is not concrete and I think that may not be enough for dropping iron. I don't intend on ever flat out dropping the iron plates, but lowering the last rep of a max effort deadlift is certainly not gingerly.

I'm looking for the cheapest solution that will protect the floor. I've read contrasting stories across the internet from people not having any problems with just the mats, to saying that the tile will crack even with a full platform.

I could probably add some cheap wood under the rubber. Perhaps two layers of 7/16 OSB under the rubber might be sufficient? Do I need to be worried about the wood directly in contact with the tile?

Does anyone have experience with lifting on tile?

[Jimmy Tereyla]

What type of subfloor? What size are the tiles? Even if you protect the surface of the tile, I'd guess the grout lines will still crack.. especially on a wood subfloor.

[Bradley]

What type of subfloor? What size are the tiles? Even if you protect the surface of the tile, I'd guess the grout lines will still crack.. especially on a wood subfloor.

The tiles are 13 inches and I'm pretty sure the subfloor is concrete.

[Dastardly]

Having concrete underneath is necessary, make sure you have that.

I would use three layers to be on the safe side. Rubber against the tiles, then wood, then rubber.

[Jimmy Tereyla]

Larger tiles are easier to crack... Grout lines will almost certainly crack. But what do I know?... Try it and let us know how it goes!