Sports turf for sleds, sprints and functional training

A strip of turf has become standard in serious training facilities. Sled pushes and pulls, short sprints, agility drills, carries, crawls and mobility work all happen on it. It looks great too. Not all turf is built for a sled loaded with plates, though. Choosing the wrong product, or installing it badly, shows up quickly.

What the turf has to do

A gym turf needs to:

• Stand up to sleds. Steel sled runners and heavy loads are far harder on a surface than feet.
• Grip without grabbing. Athletes need traction to drive and to hold their stance, but the sled still needs to move.
• Work in every direction. Agility and change-of-direction drills load the surface sideways as well as forwards.
• Meet building rules indoors. Indoor turf must comply with the building code, with the right fire testing certification.

The turf we install

We install a commercial gym turf from a specialist manufacturer with more than 40 years in synthetic turf. It's built for exactly this kind of use.

Our main gym turf is an extremely hardwearing, medium-pile, non-directional surface with high underfoot traction. It's made for resistance training, high-impact work and indoor field sports, and it carries a 10-year manufacturer's warranty. It's certified for indoor installation when partially infilled with sand. That small amount of sand is part of how indoor turf meets fire safety rules, so it shouldn't be skipped.

For mixed sports use, we can also supply a hockey-grade surface tested to FIH standards, and a longer-pile, multi-purpose turf for general gym areas.

What's underneath matters

Gym turf can be laid directly on concrete or over rubber. A shock-absorbing pad underneath gives a softer feel and helps the turf last longer. The right build-up depends on what happens on it:

• Heavy sled work suits a firm base.
• Sprinting, jumping and floor work benefit from more cushioning.

We often run turf straight into the rubber flooring, with a flush, clean transition between the two.

Length and width

Measure the run your coaches actually want. A sled track needs room to accelerate, push and stop, plus space at each end to turn the sled or reload it. If you can, plan two lanes so athletes can race or work in pairs.

Make it yours

Turf is the easiest place in a gym to add identity. Lines and distance notches can be marked at set intervals, either in the factory or on site. Numbers and words can be inserted, and different coloured turfs can create patterns, zones or a full logo. Our own showroom runway carries the LUXGYM logo. See Your logo in the floor.

Looking after it

Indoor gym turf is low maintenance:

• Clear debris and brush it regularly.
• Spot clean with a recommended cleaner, water and a stiff broom.
• Spray a commercial sanitiser on lightly when needed.

Regular brushing also keeps the infill even.

Try it first

Our Cooroy showroom has a full turf runway, so coaches and athletes can push a sled on it before choosing. Book a team trial.

Adding a turf track? LUXGYM specifies, supplies and installs sports turf and rubber flooring across the Sunshine Coast and beyond. See our flooring installer page or get in touch.