Most people think of punching bag exercises as just a tool for boxers or other combat sports to prepare themselves for a fight. However, it actually has many more fitness benefits, not least one of which is weight loss.
Punching bag exercises can be considered one of the most complete exercises in existence. In addition to toning the body, developing muscle mass, and understanding defense techniques, it also burns calories during training. This enables a good definition of the body to be achieved in a relatively short period of time.
Using a punching bag is a great alternative to more classic forms of exercise such as running, cycling or swimming. You can easily exercise in the comfort of your home without much space. Punching bag training involves sweating a lot and burning calories quickly, and these exercises must be performed in a timed fashion through classes.
Training with punching bags adds to the realism of the exercise. It significantly increases resistance and helps to dissipate and/or release accumulated energy and tension. Boxing with a bag on your back is not only a great way to improve your physical condition, it’s also good for your mental health!
I would encourage you to learn boxing technique and adapt it to your training to strengthen your body and show it off. You don’t need to hit people, you just have a punching bag in your workout space that allows you to develop strength, agility, flexibility and burn essential fat fast. If your desire is to burn fat, punching bag exercises are an ideal form of training to shape your body and lose weight effectively and healthily.
How to start a punching bag workout to lose weight?
You can start your boxing practice by hitting some basic punches. We recommend that you perform these techniques in front of a mirror so you can see what you are doing and correct it if necessary. This technique is called shadow boxing.
Gradually develop an affinity for boxing as your technique improves. We recommend using the various exercises below, which can be performed with punching bags. It will help you develop discipline and make your body feel more comfortable.
As a beginner, most of the time people hurt themselves because I went through this. When I started boxing, I was full of motivation because when I used every quick remedy to lose weight.
Without prior arrangement, or what you might call an undisciplined person, I started working out with some quick punching bags. In the beginning, it was a very unique experience for me as my body started to sweeten after a few minutes of boxing training.
Looking at my body as the calories burned fast, I felt some amazing comfort. I lost almost two hours of my amazing movement. I slept well that day and felt more actively relaxed, which you can imagine hard to get from other types of workouts.
Ha-ha, but the next morning, when I woke up from a deep sleep, I felt that someone hit me, and my whole body seemed to be broken. Every muscle in my body was crying with pain, like a tissue was torn apart.
The saddest thing is that my fists were bruised and injured. Due to this condition, I was almost unable to do my day job, nor my punching practice the next day.
In any case, it was entirely my fault that this happened to me. I was not wearing gloves, punching incorrectly, not training properly for long periods of time, not listening to my body but being emotionally controlled, etc.
The reason my experience is mentioned here is that in the future if you want to start your punching bag training, you should be aware and avoid situations like what I encountered.
First of all, don’t get overwhelmed, because it is necessary to avoid injury at all costs. Overwork has its limits, and you have to know how to listen to your body. For this reason, I recommend hitting them slowly once you start practicing your punching bag. Don’t worry, as you master the right technique, you’ll gradually see how the speed improves.
You can start training from the comfort of your home. However, if you can’t find a bag, or you don’t have the money to invest in a good punching bag, you can go to the gym, but try to follow biosecurity measures.
Of the two options above, I would always encourage you to practice in the comfort and safety of your home. The main reason I prefer working out at home rather than the gym is mostly related to consistency. I’ve noticed that most people get memberships at the gym, go to the gym happily a few days later, and suddenly stop their fitness activities with some self-made apology.
On the other hand, if you just bring a good punching bag, depending on your physique, you can afford it, and you can practice anytime as long as your self-motivation is at its peak. There are plenty of punching bags on the market to choose from, or you can simply read our reviews about best types of punching bags, other essential boxing gears and choose the one that suit your needs.
Important things before starting a punching bag workout
- Try to find a timer, for example, you can use your phone’s stopwatch or any clock. In this way, you can control the timing of your daily activities, including warm-up and relaxation.
- Warm up your body before exercising
- Always use boxing gloves unless you are training for MMA or combat sports
- Plan your workout times and the techniques you will perform
- In the initial stages of beginners, always practice the shortest amount of time in the short term
- After exercising, be sure to cover your body with a thick cloth to prevent rapid cooling.
- For weight loss purposes, if you feel thirsty, always consume minimal water during exercise and take it in sips
Punching Bag Exercises and Techniques
The following boxing terms are the names of certain boxing styles and techniques that are popular among boxers. As a beginner, if you memorize and implement these tips in your daily exercise routine, you’ll be on the right track.
The repetitions of the following techniques will not only familiarize you with the exercises you should be doing, but will also allow you to easily achieve your fitness goals or improve your boxing skills to a professional level.
Jab Punch: This is the first and essential punch every boxer learns. It’s simple, you just need to put your fist in a straight direction. To perform this punch, strike directly toward the punching bag in a quick, back-to-front manner.
During the jab, your body position is critical to executing your movements with strength and balance. Try turning your torso and hips more subtly the moment you hit the bag. The position is as follows: the foot you have to place forward will be opposite the arm performing the action. As you practice, you will notice the progression of this movement as you hit the ball.
Walking: Practicing punching while stationary position is neither a good thing for your boxing skills nor good for your muscles as a fitness action. If you really want to get the most out of it, like muscle flexibility, and lose weight fast, then you have to walk around the bag while you practice.
When practicing, I recommend that you wrap the bag constantly. Walk around, keeping your knees slightly bent and your hands up and close to your face. Also, after a few days, you can change your walking style to light jumps for muscle flexibility, quicker and reactive strikes.
Cross Strike: As the name suggests, this strike can be performed with your strongest hand, which is your best limb. As a beginner boxer, you have to practice defending and counter-attacking as much as possible. However, if you’re doing the punching bag exercises just for fitness purposes, then you can skip this technique or give it a minimal amount of time.
To perform this blow, get into the starting position and turn on the same axis with your dominant foot; to do this, you must rotate your leg and hip. Rotate your dominant arm and bend your elbow slightly. Protect yourself by bringing the other hand close to your face. Then return your dominant arms, hips, legs, and heels to the starting position.
Hook: Again, this is a boxing technique that is well practiced in the presence of an opponent or with a punching dummy, but used in boxing techniques or combat sports as a power blow.
To practice the uppercut, from the starting position, rotate the heel of the non-dominant foot. As you rotate, extend your non-dominant arm horizontally so that it is in front of your body and do a small elbow lift. Bring your dominant hand close to your face to protect yourself, and when you’re done with this technique, return your arms to the starting position.
Uppercut: This punch also belongs to the boxer, but for self-defense, you can practice it with a dummy punching bag. The uppercut is a powerful but brief blow to the jaw of the boxing opponent. It has a curved upward trajectory, aimed primarily at the opponent’s jaw, and is fired from the fighter’s rear hand.
To start with the right hand and do this blow: Your blow will be executed in a vertical direction, directly to the opponent’s chin. To make this shot better stretch your knees so you can hit the ball with all the power of your torso.
Crochet: This is a powerful blow, but slower than a jab or cross strike. It is a sliding strike that can specifically target the opponent’s head.
It can also be done with both hands, but is most typically right crochet, which, as always, is accompanied by a hip rotation. With this blow, you can also target the lower part of your body (towards the kidneys), but you must bend your knees.
Combination 1-2: You can jab first, then return to the starting position and immediately throw a horizontal punch. Remember to return the arm to the starting position.
Combination 1-2-3: It is similar to the previous combination; the only difference is that a hook is executed when “2” is clicked. Leave the series as follows: jab, uppercut and cross strike.
In conclusion
If you are looking for the answer, is punching bag good for weight loss, I will say 100% yes. Compared to other types of exercises, its affordability and convenience is at the highest level. Simply put, you can exercise in the comfort of your home without much space.
This is my personal experience and you can further explore these types of workouts that are very beneficial for fitness purposes. Especially for overweight and fat body it is the best source/method to get body shape.
I assure you that by consistently practicing with punching bag, and by eating a well-balanced diet, you can lose weight in a healthy way.
If you’re worried about learning and practicing boxing techniques, don’t worry, just grab a punching bag and start exercising normally.
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