Use a Punching Bag
Working out on a punching bag affords an effective all body workout. There are ways in which you can enhance the benefits. There are also ways in which you can stress your body and risk injury. Therefore, consider the following steps if you want to use a punching bag successfully, and without injury.
Steps
- Hang your punching bag from a strong beam. Use a heavy-duty eye hook that is strong enough to hold the weight of the bag. Note that if you place it in the basement or garage, you will hear it being used in the room above. Another option would be to hang the bag to an iron bracket that is attached to the wall.
- Consider purchasing bag or box gloves to protect your hands. If you plan on using the punching bag on a regular basis, then invest in a quality pair of boxing gloves with extra padding to reduce the risk of injury.
- Design a punching bag workout routine that consists of punching and kicking. Include basic punches and kicks that are favorable to training on a punching bag, such as lead, hook and uppercut strikes, elbow strikes and front, knee and roundhouse kicks.
- Always begin your workout routine with warm ups. You reduce the risk of injury and muscle ache when you warm the body before working your routine. Stretch before working the punching bag. You could also jump rope in place or shadow box.
- Begin your punching bag workout slowly and increase intensity. This will allow your body to transition into the right mode. Start your routine as you have designed it. Take your time.
- Focus on technique instead of speed. You need to execute each punch and kick correctly in order to avoid getting injured. If you focus on the technique, the strength behind each strike should naturally increase in a more productive manner.
- Don't beat the punching bag with excessive force.
- push the punching bag when striking. You need to strike the bag with a quick punch that penetrates the bag only a few inches.
- Avoid locking your elbow during punches. When throwing a punch, ensure that you finish your strike as you near the full extension of your arm, not at full extension.
- Avoid kicking the bag with the tips of your toes. A front kick calls for a kick with the flat part of the foot impacting the bag. The roundhouse kick strikes the bag with the top of the foot. Learn the correct way to kick before striking a punching bag, if necessary.
- Schedule a cool down period after punching bag training. Cooling down allows your heart rate to resume its normal rate. Slow down your routine and then finish with a series of stretches.
Tips
- Working out on a punching bag does stress the body. Intense training takes longer to recover from. Allow your body to rest between workouts, so schedule training on the bag only a few times a week.
