A heavy boxing bag provides an intense workout for anyone looking to improve their cardiovascular conditioning and get stronger. However, it is a tool of the trade for boxers and mixed martial arts fighters. A heavy bag provides significant resistance to punches. It is a taxing piece of equipment, and just hitting the bag can be exhausting. Boxers use it to work on their punching skills, to improve their strength and to help increase their overall power.
Step 1
Finish your workout by punching the heavy bag for three minutes at a time. Boxing rounds are three minutes in length, so prepare yourself for your upcoming fight by hitting the heavy bag for three minutes at a time. If you are new to this kind of workout, one three-minute round will be a major workout. If you are a veteran, go for two or three rounds. The heavy bag workout should be done at the end of your normal workout because you want to be tired when you start. Ending the workout with one of the most grueling exercises will teach you what it's like to fight when you are exhausted.
Step 2
Throw jabs at the heavy bag with your left fist (for a right-handed fighter) to get started. Notice how you have to throw the jab with power or the bag will not move. This is not like the speed bag where you throw punches in rhythm and build up a fast pace. Your job is to build your power.
Step 3
Punch with your right hand after hitting the bag with two jabs. Becoming an effective boxer is about throwing punches in combinations. Most combinations start with the left jab, so start your combination by throwing a left jab, another left jab and right cross. This is an effective punching sequence that will hurt your opponent. Try to punch through the bag each time you hit it.
Step 4
Punch with your entire body. When you throw a right cross, your base comes from your legs and hips. Turn your hips as you deliver the punch. Throw your left hook to the middle area of the heavy bag. This is the equivalent of a shot to the ribs. Double that hook by either going back to the ribs or to the head. Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier had perhaps the best hook in boxing history, and he liked to double his hook. Frazier was known for working to exhaustion when he punched the heavy bag.
Step 5
Pepper the bag with a series of punches as you get your rhythm for punching. You are punching through the bag, and each punch will take significant energy. Work out an effective strategy as you are punching. In your mind, that heavy bag must be your opponent. Feature your jab and make sure you add a right cross, a left hook, a right uppercut and a left uppercut. You want to develop all of your punches.
Tips and Warnings
- Drink 64 oz. of water every day when you are preparing for a fight. You will be asking a lot of your body, and the water will keep you lubricated and refreshed.
Things You'll Need
- Boxing gloves
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