Boxing Forum - Boxing Discussion Forums banner

Hitting the Heavy Bag

84K views 55 replies 25 participants last post by  Dave1066 
#1 · (Edited)
Hitting the Heavy Bag

The heavy bag provides one of the best cardiovascular fitness and endurance training workouts available to a boxer. It helps to build your strength and stamina, and really helps you to develop your punches properly.

Heavy bags come in vinyl, synthetic leather, leather, and canvas. There are soft filled, foam lined, and water filled varieties. A water filled provides the best protection for your hands, while a soft filled large heavy bag will feel most like an opponent. You should pick a bag that suits your skill, size and ability level.

When working the heavy bag focus on proper foot spacing and proper punching form. A good workout to start out with to really get your endurance and power up is this:

Start out by jabbing only for 1 1/2 minutes single jabbing, doubling it up, and multiple jabs, body and head. After a round of jabbing work on your straight right. Once again single, then multiple. Drop down and shoot some to the body as well. After a 1 1/2 minute round of that, do a round of left hooks. work the head and the body, focusing on form and getting as many punches in as you can. Remember, when throwing the left hook, your right foot has to come up a half step, to keep your balance, and help you get some power behind it. After a 1 1/2 minute round of that, then mix it up with your combinations of all of those punches above. Work hard for a minute and a half, then repeat 1 more round of combination punching, really trying to burn yourself out, but keep correct form at all times. Work on your footwork and movement around the bag, and always keep your proper spacing and balance. Hands up, elbows in and protected just like you would in the ring. Try to really burn yourself out in the last 30 seconds of each round. Throw quick combinations to the head and body and really get that "burn". This will really help to increase your stamina.
Once you build your endurance up, you can extend your round times to 2 mins, 2 1/2 mins, 3 mins, and so on.
Its also recommended that you keep a mouthpiece in while your hitting the bag, so that you really stay used to the difference in breathing with the mouthpiece. You should also make sure that your exhaling some air with your punches. This will help you to preserve energy.

Good Luck and Train Hard!
 
See less See more
#27 ·
I'd go with a 14oz training/bag glove with good protection. Not that 36 is old of course, but being away from it for a while, you'll want to make sure you take it easy on your hands. 70lb or 100lb is really up to you, although I would still get the 100lb bag. Even more important is bag selection though. Try to get a bag that has a good soft fill, and even a foam liner. Both Ringside and Title make those type and they are very high quality. They'll make it a bunch easier on your hands.

For gloves, check out the Boxing Equipment review section. There are a couple of very good options there right up your alley for great had protection.
http://www.boxingforum.com/boxing-equipment-reviews/




.
 
#28 ·
nice thread. I have a question. My wife bought me an everlast heavy bag and an everlast stand (nice one) I have it in my room, but i think the bag is too light for my weight.

i weight 220 and the bag is 70 pounds...i hit the bottom of the bag where the weight is concentrated so maybe it swings less but it still swings alot.

do you recommend moving up to a heavier bag (considering my body weight) or should I just hit the bag faster but with less power?!

sorry if this question sounds too simple I am not a boxer but I am an angry guy that like to beat the crap out of things often :)

also i am trying to lose some weight....thanks in advance for your response.
 
#29 ·
asefati,

welcome to the forum. There is something you can try to do first. Check your bag to see if it has a little loop on the bottom of the bag. Many do, and this loop is used to bungee the bag to the ground to prevent wild swinging of the bag. You could go that route first and see if that works for you.

If not, than yes a heavier bag should do nicely for you. I would recommend a 135lb for your size. It wont swing nearly as much as long as your not "pushing" your punches.
 
#34 ·
I'm just starting to get into boxing, and i'm going to buy a heavy bag, i found an 80lb everlast heavy bag for $65 (its on sale for now). I weigh about 160lbs and i just want to know if this bag would be good for me? i think this seems like a good price and i dont want to spend too much more. Also i've been looking at stands and i dont know if a regular stand or a wall mount would be better. (The ceiling in my garage is about 10 feet high so i dont think a ceiling mount would work too well.)
 
#36 ·
10ft high is fine to mount to the ceiling and that is the best option. I had a bag mounted in my garage to the ceiling which was only 8ft high. The bag was about half a foot lower than it should have ben for me at 6'2" tall.
I'd recommend mounting to the ceiling with that much room for sure :thumbsup: AND, it'll probably cost less than buying either stand which is a bonus
 
#37 ·
Its ok to hit a full size bag, sure. In the gym I was at, all of our guys of every age were using the same Ringside Large Heavy bags (around 135lbs). Just make sure you are wrapping your hands and that you are using a pair of quality, well padded gloves. :thumbsup:
 
#40 ·
Well I would say that typically, the top of the bag should be at least a foot higher than your height. When jabbing the bag, you jab at a slightly upward angle, not completely straight.
 
#43 ·
I don't really understand what your asking in your first question, if you hook it and it starts swinging, use that to simulate an opponent moving with you. So when and if the bag swings to you move to the side and counter, etc.

You develop most of your power on the heavy bag, so mix it up, don't just do fast taps or powerful slow, do both at the same time, snap them out there. If you really wanna develop some good power shots, set aside the last 3min rnd and do power punches by setting every shot and putting your body and as much power as you can into each one, as if you had a guy on the ropes:thumbsup:
 
#47 ·
I want to build on what NsBLife said. The bag is supposed to simulate an opponent moving with you. After you hit the opponent, he's gonna come forward. Move out of the way, take a quick step to the right, move out. Or take a pivot to the left or right, move around. Work your jab to stop him, throw a combo, repeat. The bag is the aggressor, you are the boxer. Always have your mind on that scenario, whether it's shadowboxing or working the bag.
 
#52 ·
Hello. I just joined here because I have a question. I recently got a heavy bag and have been using it as a cardio workout lately. After I am done I always have red blotches on my hands, mostly in between my fingers, they look like I am bleeding under the skin. I use 14oz training gloves and I wrap my hands. Is this normal?
 
#54 ·
I would like to thank you all in advance for your help, you all do a great job at making boxing the best sport!

Now to my question: What's the purpouse of buying different wieghted bag? Why should I spend $50 dollars more on a 135lbs bag rather then just buy a 60lbs or 80lbs bag, are there advantages with different wieghts?
 
#55 ·
When I bought my heavybag, the salesman had told me to buy a bag that was half of my body weight as a rule of thumb. I bought a bag that was half of my body weight, and it's worked so much better than the seventy pound bag. So I guess it depends on how big you are. Although somebody might have different information than I do.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top