So, you’ve bought yourself a punch bag and are getting bored of just standing there throwing random punches. There is a lot more to bag training and we’ve got some great workouts for you to try whether you want to increase your fitness, improve technique or lose some weight.
Let’s look at some great routines to get the most from your bag.
Contents
High-Intensity Interval Training and Boxing
High-intensity interval training or HIIT is a form of cardio that has shown to work the cardiovascular system tremendously well. If you’re trying to drop a few extra pounds or improve your overall physique, HIIT is also a smart and efficient way of losing fat.
In case you are not familiar with how to perform HIIT cardio, all you need to do is alternate between short bursts of intense exertion, and then immediately follow through with a resting period.
For example, if you’re on a treadmill, this can look like a 30-second sprint followed by 45 seconds of brisk walking until you recover.
HIIT translates well to any other form of cardio. Boxing is an optimal choice since, by nature, it’s already quite an intense form of exercise.
For this workout, take your hanging or free standing punch bag, a pair of gloves and try this boxing HIIT workout at home. By implementing this workout three times a week, your stamina will dramatically improve.
Quick Total Body HIIT
- Set a timer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Warm-up for 2-3 minutes by punching the free standing punch bag at a moderate intensity
- Jump rope for 30 seconds as fast as you can
- Switch to 45 seconds heavy punching
- Rest until you are fully recovered
- Repeat steps 2-4 until your timer goes off
Upper Body Drill
- Set a timer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Warm-up by doing light bag work. Make sure not to waste your energy
- Do 30 seconds of uppercuts, making sure to alternate between left and right
- Rest
- Do 45 seconds of non-stop jabs, alternating your arms. Opt for speed, punching as fast as you can
- Rest
- Do 45 seconds of a side jab + side jab+ uppercut combo for 45 seconds
- Rest
- Repeat steps two through seven for the rest of your twenty-minute workout
Total Body Strength
Boxing isn’t just a strictly cardiovascular intensive sport. Combine using your punch bag with strength training, and you’re sure to see results like never before.
However, if you don’t have access to a gym, dumbells and machines, don’t worry. Even boxing as a stand-alone exercise can increase your overall level of fitness. Try this strength-based workout if you wish to see more definition in your shoulders and biceps.
Boxing for Beginners
This workout is excellent for first-time boxers. It emphasizes taking proper rest periods, so you can fully recover in between sets. This workout should last thirty to forty minutes— but if you’re struggling, decrease the time down to twenty-five instead.
For this workout, instead of trying to raise your heart rate by going as fast as you can, try to make that mind to muscle connection, and focus on firing the right muscle groups with every punch and kick.
- Warm-up by jogging in place while punching the air for one minute straight. Then, put your gloves on and begin
- Start the workout with one minute of the following combo. Left jab + squat down + right jab + squat down
- Rest for one to three minutes
- High knee to bag + side kick left + side kick right combo for one minute
- Rest for one to three minutes
- Duck to the left + left jab + duck to the right + right jab for a full minute (Add in some light footwork if you feel comfortable doing so and take one step back and one step forward when you jab)
- Repeat the desired combo for the rest of the workout, working in minute-long intervals
Intermediate Kickboxing Workout
This workout combines more advanced footwork and prolonged bouts of intense punching. Move onto this workout when the beginner’s workout is no longer challenging you.
- Warm-up with sixty seconds of a step back+ left hook + step forward + right hook combo
- Thirty seconds of skipping rope superset with 30 seconds of a left-handed uppercut + 30 seconds of a right-handed uppercut
- Rest for one minute
- High kicks for 30 second followed by an all-out sprint on a treadmill, track, or in place
- Rest for one minute
- One minute of the following combo step forward + jab + step back + jab+ step forward + undercut left + undercut right + duck down
- Jump rope for thirty seconds
- Rest for a minute
- High kick + duck+ high kick combo until failure
- Restart from step two until you have reached 30 minutes
Practising Self Defence
Want to know another great use for your at-home free standing punch bag?
You can learn and practice some great self-defence tactics in the comfort of your own home. No matter your age or gender, it’s essential to learn some degree of protection and it has the added benefit of increasing your fitness levels.
Some moves you can practise at home are as follows.
- Stomp and punch
- Stomp and high kick
- Hammer fist to the face
- Elbow strikes
- Groin kicks
- Palm to nose upward punch
Weight Loss
When it comes to losing weight, you must follow this simple formula—burn more calories than you’re consuming.
This negative energy balance helps to burn fat and shrink down to your desired size. While many people turn to jogging or cycling to shed excess weight, boxing is another great alternative that can help you burn up to 1000 calories per hour-long workout! This workout keeps resting to a minimum, so you’re forced to move for the entirety of the session.
- Warm-up by running in place
- Start with 30 seconds of burpees
- Jump to the punch bag and perform 30 seconds of high kicks, alternating legs
- Rest for 30 seconds
- Perform jumping jacks for 30 seconds
- 30-second combo of squat + jab + squat + jab on the bag
- Rest for 30 seconds
- Speedbag the punch bag, hitting as fast as you can until failure
- Rest for three to five minutes
- Repeat steps two through eight for another five rounds
Conclusion
We hope you find these workouts useful. They will certainly help your technique and improve your fitness levels. If done properly a punch bag routine is absolutely killer and great fun too. Let us know how you get on in the comments below.
