Wasn't sure where exactly to put this thread, so I figured since it was a personal type of training. I apologize in advance if it's in the wrong section.

Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what type of benefits there may be with working almost strictly with a punching bag. I know that working with one is a good cardio source, as long as you keep your hr up. And, you can do a multitude of things to incorporate different muscles and movements, but if one were to almost strictly use the bag and have a good diet, would it be possible to see many results in the form of look and appearance? Or would it mainly just be results in the stamina and cardio (Feeling better) areas? I am wanting to lift as much as is possible throughout the week, but I've noticed that with my work schedule, sometimes it's hard to actually get to the gym, although I would always be able to come home and use the bag!

Thanks,
Ryan

Over using the bag could result in injury to hands, wrists, and elbows. Just something to think about.

The heavy bag is one of my favourite conditioning tools. Obviously, this comes from my kickboxing background, but also, its a very efficient tool.

There are so many different drills you can do on it, from punchout (punching as hard as you can), to speed drills. You can even incorporate it into a conditioning circut. For example:

10 Burpees
50 punches to the bag (Jab, Cross)
10 Pushups
20 Crunches
Repeat 5-10 times.

Only hit the bag with good quality boxing gloves. Wrist wraps are also a very good idea.

In regards to appearance. Any muscle growth benefits will be very negligible. It is very much a conditioning tool, not a muscle building tool. With proper diet requirements, you'll notice fat loss from using the heavy bag properly.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

I will definitely try out that conditioning workout. I didn't really think I'd see much as far as muscle mass from it, but more along the lines of the fat loss and possible toning down (I'm mainly worried about my chest and stomach areas, but I also need to make myself eat a healthier diet and workout more).

Bag workouts can be incredible for conditioning and losing weight. When I first started doing them I dropped about 15 pounds a month for about 3 months. I boxed throughout high school and would spend a good portion of time on the heaving bag during my workout. I would always do 3 minute rounds, and would do about 5 or 6 rounds on the bag during my workout and got great results. There are alot of drills you can do to mix things up. I like the one Spartan posted, but never tried anything like that. Focus more on speed instead of punching through the bag for better conditioning. Also keep your knees bent so you can work your legs. And as Spartan mentioned, always properly wrap your hands so you don't injure your hands or knuckles, I would suggest googling proper hand wrap technique since its pretty important. I would recommend starting with 12 ounce gloves and eventually move to 16 to get strength up. Shadow boxing with 1-1.5 lb weights in between rounds will also help muscle growth. Enjoy

Thanks for all the great tips guys, I really appreciate it. Just one more questions (Well, opinions really)

I went to a local sporting goods store to price bags and all and saw that they have a multitude of things there. There were three in particular that caught my eye though. Which do you guys think would be the best fit for me? Just a little about what I'm looking to do with the bag - I'm not really trying to learn how to box or anything, I mainly want to use it for conditioning and a nice core workout. I'd also like to use it to get my arm speed and leg strength up. So I want something that I can not only punch with, but kick with also, so I know a longer heavier bag would be best (right?). So with that, would even having a speed bag be beneficial, or is that something that is more essential to boxing?

Here are the options:
1) It's a UFC MMA 100lbs bag for $100
2) An 80lbs Everlast NevaTear heavy bag for $79
3) A 70lbs Everlast heavybag speed bag and stand combo for $179 (regularly $400+)

I like the idea of the combo package because it has a really durable and nice stand for both the heavy bag and the speed bag, but do I really *need* the speed bag for what I'm looking to do?

For punching routines I'd go with the 80 pounder at 79$. And with this bag you can opt for kicking workouts as well. ***EDIT nevermind! go with #3 I didn't notice all of the stuff it included!***

It's really up to you, personally I'd go with #3 because speed bags are awesome for hand-eye coordination improvements and cardio....plus they are fun as hell!

I used to have one....and I put it through hell and it never tore apart.

Here are a couple of ideas:

#1 thing to do for these workouts though is to make sure you got good form...with this kind if impact you don't want to hurt yourself. Maybe ask a local martial artist for proper form or sample exercises to get you ready.


Now onto the exercises....

Buy cheap dumbells weighing from 1lb to 5lbs.
Hold one in each hand
Start with the 1lb dumbells and punch non-stop until you are near failure.
Rest 30 seconds. (Adjust accordingly)
Start with the 2lb dumbells and punch non-stop until you are near failure.
rinse and repeat up to 5lb and down back to 1lb.

Believe me....you will become an incredible punching machine if you do this routine a couple times a week.

Next one is shadow boxing...pretend your punching bag is someone trying to take you down...pretend to dodge....counter attack...strike him...land some kicks...do this until near failure. Rest 2 minutes....rinse and repeat 2 times. Use your knees and legs and move around the bag...this is good for leg conditioning.

Next one is all out straight leads...for your punching form you should be hitting
the punching bag at the same area where your nose would be if you we're the punching bag...punch with your right and as you retract punch with your left...kind of like a piston action motion. Stand still and have you feet should width apart...maybe have the one you are more comfortable with planted a little in front of you. You can either go all out until failure or you can do 10 sets of 20 punches (10 each hand) with barely 2 seconds of rest between sets.

PM me if you want more ideas!

Hope I helped!

I just purchaced a bag for my son, and I figure I might use it. I don't have any boxing experience so this may be a dumb question. I don't have a lot of space, so I was wondering if it is real important to be able to move around the whole bag, or if being albe to just move around half of the bag will be good enough for working out. thanks

I just got a bag a few days ago and like the sound of the workouts posted.

I'm wondering how easy is it to damage your hands on the bags? I hear about martial artists that punch brick walls for two hours a day on documentaries.