Speed Bag Workouts

A speed bag is an inflatable bag that hangs at chin height from a solid platform. Athletes and trainers often use a speed bag to increase a boxer's or fighter's hand speed and coordination. A speed bag is a highly adaptable tool that you can use as part of, or as the main focus of, your workout to build speed, strength and rhythm. Speed-bag enthusiast and martial artist Alan Kahn states in his book, "The Speed Bag Bible," that speed bags are excellent training tools for people living with disabilities.

Basic Workout

When you first learn to use the speed bag, keep your workouts simple and focus on your hand timing. Kahn recommends that you resist your instinct to hit the speed bag as hard as possible at first. Punch the bag with a straight right hand and let it rebound an odd number of times against the platform. Most beginners start with five or seven rebounds. Alternate punches between your right and left hands, while maintaining the same punching rhythm, for around 3 minutes.

Speed

To build your punching speed, take your basic workout to the next level and reduce the number of bounces happening between each punch. Select a single punch you would like to train for speed and then punch the bag as many times as possible for 30 to 60 seconds. For example, you may want to train a right front straight punch in one session and train a left front circle punch motion in your next session. Rest for a few minutes after each session; then perform two more sets of timed workouts with each arm or for each punch that you are training.

Endurance

Endurance training on a speed bag builds your upper-body strength while expanding your cardiovascular capacity. Punch the bag at a slow pace -- five or seven rebounds between strikes, for up to 1 minute -- as you start the workout. Transition into a medium-paced workout, in which you are hitting the bag as hard and as fast as you can while sustaining your pace for a long period. After 2 or 3 minutes, start punching the bag at your fastest pace until you begin to tire and lose your rhythm. As your endurance improves, gradually increase the amount of time you spend in the medium- and fast-paced sections.

Trapping

The ultimate speed-bag workout for a boxer involves "trapping" the bag against the platform, according to R. Michael Onello in his book, "Boxing: Advanced Tactics and Strategies." The goal with this type of workout is to hit the bag so quickly and consistently, with a variety of punches, that it remains horizontal against the platform rather than vertical. Keep your hands high and your punches short to be successful at trapping the bag.