Fit Tips: Training with a punching bag
Heavy bag training has been famously known as a boxer’s tool when preparing for bouts. But they are becoming popular as a fitness tool to tone your body into a fighting machine. The punch bag helps burn fat and build power fast in an intensive workout.
Before you start working with a punch bag, you have to ensure that you are protected. This reduces the risk of injury while working out. Use wraps around you knuckle and hand area to provide support to your hand and wrist, also wrap your feet for when you do kicks.
Then wear gloves on top of the wraps, you can have lighter to heavier gloves depending on what level you are with a heavy bag. Lighter gloves are about 10ounces, used by beginners for heavy bag training and when boxers want to improve their punching technique. Heavier gloves are used by experienced athletes to develop hand speed.
Start off your heavy bag training with a warm up to prepare you for the demands of the workout. Some warms ups you can do are skipping for about 5mins, rotating your joints and shadow boxing. Shadow boxing involves punching the air while using your shadow as an opponent. Then move to the heavy bag, begin with throwing light punches then increase power as you get more comfortable.
All punches should start from the fighting stance position, with the right distance between you and the bag so that there is enough space to make effective contact but not too close that you end up pushing the bag instead of punching it.
There are five basic types of punches you can practice with a heavy bag; straight, hook, cross, jab and uppercut. It is important to remember that you have to develop the right technique of throwing each type of punch in order to increase your punching power, speed and to get the results you want. A heavy bag allows you to add kick boxing to your workout; this helps you build leg muscles. Doing a combination of punches and kick will give you a full upper and lower body workout.
There are various benefits you can gain from training with a heavy bag. You develop power and strength through the resistance workout when you force your muscles to work against the resistance of the heavy bag as you strike it.
Strength is also built by using the muscles that are not normally worked in the arms, shoulders, legs and back.
As you kick and punch the heavy bag you rotate your core abs muscles strengthening them, this leads fat loss and toned abs. The increasing muscle strength will allow you to punch and kick more powerfully. Your coordination skills will increase overtime because when you move around the punch bag you are also trying to aim your hand specifically before you throw a punch or kick.
Heavy bags can be a great stress reliever, punching and kicking the bag helps your body remove stress hormones while increasing the release of hormones which improve mood and reduces pain. The bag becomes a cheap therapist that you can release your frustration and anger on.
You get toned using the bag. A heavy bag works a range of muscle groups like the triceps, biceps and core muscles of the abs, this will lead to changes in your physique as your muscles begin to develop, you can slow down and increase the development of different muscle group depending on what better meets your needs. This will make you feel more confident about yourself in reaching your target level of fitness and ability to defend yourself.
If you are beginner to punch bags you may need to consult your trainer who will assist you on the right way to hit the bag. You have to stay consistent with the workout in order to achieve that toned body. So why don’t you join in and give the heavy bag a try to see how amazing it is.
About the Author
My name is Suzyo Ngoma, am a recent graduate of accounting. I am currently working at Sports Direct in their eCommerce department.
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