Heavy Boxing Bag Routine

Leon11 · 23-07-2007 7:02pm #1

I'm gonna start using the heavy bag in my gym for bout half an hour twice a week on my off days. Has any of the lads here got any suggested routines as such, or do you just go like hell for a min, stop and repeat?

Advice/links appreciated.

HammerHeadGym · 24-07-2007 5:50am

Check out RossBoxing. He knows a lot about heavy bag training particularly check out this page.

Hope this helps

The FitnessDock · 24-07-2007 3:51pm

Ross Enamait is incredible - when he does those weighted reverse hamstring curls, I cringe. Every time I try them (with just my own bodyweight), my hamstrings feel like they're going to pop! He does them wearing a weighted vest!

Odysseus · 24-07-2007 7:53pm

Just my own programme which includes slaps, knees, elbows, hammers, palm shots as well as jabs, crosses and hooks. I personally go for 10x5 mins rounds with a 90 sec break in between.

Beelzebub · 24-07-2007 9:25pm

HammerHeadGym wrote:

Check out RossBoxing. He knows a lot about heavy bag training particularly check out this page.

Hope this helps

I like his motto " Your motto should be “no pain, no pain.” You will make greater gain, if you avoid injury and pain."

But how do you prevent mashing your hands and wrists?
And just how heavy should the bag be? Just for recreational use now not for fight training.

I've done some light bag work, just fooling around.
I have to say that the legs get quite the workout, which most people wouldn't believe.

nesf · 24-07-2007 9:39pm

Beelzebub wrote:

But how do you prevent mashing your hands and wrists?

Never punch anything with a weak or limp wrist. Basic advice but so many people don't seem to realise that the force of the punch doesn't stop at the fist and needs somewhere to go afterwards.

Wear bag gloves if you're worried about cutting your hands.

Apologies if you already know this stuff, I don't mean to be patronising or anything.

Beelzebub · 24-07-2007 9:44pm

nesf wrote:

Never punch anything with a weak or limp wrist. Basic advice but so many people don't seem to realise that the force of the punch doesn't stop at the fist and needs somewhere to go afterwards.

Wear bag gloves if you're worried about cutting your hands.

Apologies if you already know this stuff, I don't mean to be patronising or anything.

Not at all!
Should the hands and wrists be strapped up as well?
And any other tips?

Leon11 · 24-07-2007 9:56pm

I'm the same, total noob at bag work! Any other basic advice feel free to throw at me:D

Cheers Hammerhead for the Ross Enamait link!

nesf · 24-07-2007 10:09pm

Beelzebub wrote:

Not at all!
Should the hands and wrists be strapped up as well?
And any other tips?

We just used something like these for the hands: http://www.boxingdepot.com/bx-bg-34.html

I never strapped up my hands or wrists but I've no idea if I should have. All we had was a bag, some light gloves and a basic set of weights in the shed. We just did 1-2 1-2 drills and punch/kick drills. No internet meant no easy access to information, not like these days.

All I can offer is some of the basic stuff tbh. I never got into the technical side of it, it was just a fitness/punching tool to me at that time.

Odysseus · 24-07-2007 11:24pm

Leon11 wrote:

I'm the same, total noob at bag work! Any other basic advice feel free to throw at me!

Don't know if this helps but if you want to do more strikes than punchs, heel-palm, slaps, hammerfists, get some mma gloves rather than boxing gloves. The mma gloves allow you to use a varity of strikes.

nesf · 24-07-2007 11:43pm

Odysseus wrote:

Don't know if this helps but if you want to do more strikes than punchs, heel-palm, slaps, hammerfists, get some mma gloves rather than boxing gloves. The mma gloves allow you to use a varity of strikes.

From purely a fitness point of view for a person not doing martial arts does doing different strikes make much of a difference do you think? It might make it more interesting, but (depending on if the bag is suitable) knee strikes etc might give a better general workout, maybe.

Odysseus · 25-07-2007 12:08am

Yeah that is an interesting point and of course my interest is SD as well as general fitness. Apart from the SD vaule of bag-work which really only in my experience I find a great way of cross training for ultra running, when I'm training for running in difficult climates, my "heat work or acclimatision" is done on with my bag,. I use a six fot one, it just give me a lot more freedom to be creative. So those are my personal reasons for thinking that it helps with general fitness. Thought saying that when I heat train I heat the room to anywhere between 22 and 30 degrees, whist whilst i'm in thermal gear. I really reckon that it helped with a better degree of general fitness earlier on this year.

I also think that by introducting as many different strikes as possible, correct me if I'm wrong, that you are using different muscles, when you move from heel-palm to slap, to hammerfist to elbow, etc the list is endless. I'm the first to admit I make up my own training programmes, so I'm really interested in any further development. How do you manage your own bag-work and what are you own goals?

nesf · 25-07-2007 12:21am

Odysseus wrote:

I also think that by introducting as many different strikes as possible, correct me if I'm wrong, that you are using different muscles, when you move from heel-palm to slap, to hammerfist to elbow, etc the list is endless.

Depends on whether your focus is cardio or functionality I guess.

Odysseus wrote:

How do you manage your own bag-work and what are you own goals?

Haven't used a bag for years tbh. Only did it when I lived at home and was doing TKD. There's not much room to hang one in an apartment, unfortunately. It is a lot more fun than sitting on a bike for a half hour imho.

Odysseus · 25-07-2007 12:36am

nesf wrote:

Depends on whether your focus is cardio or functionality I guess.

For me it would be both, but my point was it helps with my cardio. The difference between the explosive nature of bag-work as opposed to running for double figures in hours is very significant. However, ever on a say 50k run there is a significant difference in my timings and my recovery, so for cardio I think it works, or it does for me.

Odysseus · 25-07-2007 12:39am

nesf wrote:

Haven't used a bag for years tbh. Only did it when I lived at home and was doing TKD. There's not much room to hang one in an apartment, unfortunately. It is a lot more fun than sitting on a bike for a half hour imho.

That's a bummer mate, I'm luckly with where I live train when I want.

nesf · 25-07-2007 12:44am

Odysseus wrote:

That's a bummer mate, I'm luckly with where I live train when I want.

A combination of a toddler plus a full time job is making things awkward for me at the moment. I need to make time for it and get over my dislike for gyms. Training at home is not an option, weights etc around a toddler are a recipe for disaster.

Odysseus wrote:

For me it would be both, but my point was it helps with my cardio. The difference between the explosive nature of bag-work as opposed to running for double figures in hours is very significant. However, ever on a say 50k run there is a significant difference in my timings and my recovery, so for cardion I think it works, or it does for me.

I found it good for cardio too, it's relatively easy to keep your heart rate up and active and it's easy to work in "intervals" into the sessions too if you want.

DAVE_K · 25-07-2007 9:09am

Strap your hands up - i didn't at the start and have paid the price, with sore wrists

Suggested bag routine

5 mins bag

30 burpees

1 min rest

5 mins bag

30 burpees

1 min rest

and so on.

If you can manage 6 cycles you're doing well.

As you get better increase the burpees and decrease the rest

or what i used to do

5 mins bag

5 mins skip

5 mins bag

5 mins skip and so on

no rest in between

Rather than just slap the bag for 5 mins do something like

10 left jabs
10 left, right
10 left, right, left, right,
10 left, right, left, right, right knee
10 left jab, right cross, left hook, right uppercut

OR THE LIKE

I'm no boxer, done some MA but this does work up a sweat.

gabgab · 25-07-2007 9:12am

Hi guys,

You could put this on the boxing forum, they are very helpful over there. From what I know

your hands and more importantly your wrists should be wrapped at all times

your fists should be clenched at all times, sounds silly but be surprised if you try shadow boxing how loose and out of a fist sshape your hands will get, the reason they need to be is to stop you breaking fingers etc if you catch it wrong,

from a self defence point of view you should hit it as hard as you can all the time, the body learns a strike over a period of time, and if you half hit the bag, you will half hit the attacker

if you are looking for fitness etc I can highly recommend skipping too, it will benefit your boxing, it teahes hand and feet co-ordination,

Hope this was helpful

BrianD3 · 25-07-2007 9:30am

As already stated, learn how to wrap your hands (guides on the web) and always wrap them for heavy bag work. The wraps are actually more important than gloves IMO but both should be used.

Now you can get possibly away with bare hands if throwing jabs and crosses but if you're throwing hooks sooner or later you're going to misjudge a punch and without protection you will hurt your wrist.

Also, snap your punches, don't push the bag!

Hail 2 Da Chimp · 25-07-2007 11:21am

DAVE_K wrote:

Strap your hands up - i didn't at the start and have paid the price, with sore wrists

I'd agree with that, espically if your not used to throwing hooks, I always sprain my wrist with my left hook if I dont wrap it. Doesnt help that I'm out of practice. Any good sports shop should have them and they're only about a fiver.

Heavy Boxing Bag Routine

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