The first question everyone asks?

"Which side is the front?"

The picture below makes that nice and easy - the big ramp goes in the back, and the "point" of the teardrop points forward.

Unlike a flat mat, Topo encourages multiple healthy movements and stances that bring your standing desk to the next level. The raised ramp in the rear prompts frequent engagement of the skeletal muscle pump in your calf. Taking a step back from your work puts your heel on the "ramp" which can serve as a trigger to come up on your forefoot and give your calves a good flex. You can even do full deep calf raises off the back. You can also curl and hook your toes around the two front corners. The side rails allow you to play with inversion and eversion in a wide stance, and the teardrop is just plain fun to explore!

First time working from home? Check out this blog post for helpful tips!

Now, that's just a recommendation. So long as you don't violate the warnings on the packaging insert (you did read the insert, didn't you?), there's really no wrong way to use Topo. Here's a few different possibilities our biomechanics specialist came up with:

Looks like fun doesn't it?

Slide it under your feet and get standing! (If you're a first time stander, check out QuittingSitting's Transition Plan). Explore the calculated terrain with your feet, experiment with different postures on every contour. Just move more and have fun!

When you are finished using Topo, you can just kick it under your desk. Later when you're ready for more standing awesomeness, just hook the divot with your foot to slide it back out into position.

We hope you're already in love with your new mat. If something's wrong, Click here to let us know and we'll get that sorted out right away.

Thanks for your Topo purchase and your support of Ergodriven!

By popular demand, we put together a little cheat sheet poster to get you going with a few of our favorite stances. Below is a smaller version, click here to view the full-size version. Enjoy!