Punching bag workouts have many benefits. It increases your upper-body strength, coordination, stamina, and improves self-esteem and confidence. Considering the perfectly balanced weight coated with synthetic threads and stitched with nylon or polyester, it is truly the best option for boxing workouts.
Regardless of the reason, you may want something as an alternative to a punching bag. Luckily, we have prepared a list of things you can substitute for a punching bag. These will not be as good as a punching bag but they’ll be excellent as a substitute.
Best Substitutes of a Punching Bag
You will not find everything that a punching bag used to offer in these replacements because these replacements were not built to be used as a punching bag. But things we listed below are the best alternatives with minimal to no drawbacks.
Shadow Boxing
Boxing with a shadow is like boxing with the air, no resistance from the opposition. It may not sound useful but it’s actually a good alternative to a punching bag. It increases your focus during the workout and also boosts up your stamina. Professional trainers recommend shadow boxing to aspiring boxers too.
Since there is nothing in front of you, you can stand in front of a mirror which will help you focus. But you can also imagine yourself in different scenarios like inside a professional boxing ring with thousands of fans watching live. This will serve as a type of motivation for you to practice and train harder.
Wrist Weights
Portable weight straps for the wrist are available in the market nowadays. Tie them up around your wrist and shadow box. This will take your shadow boxing to the next level. Shadowboxing already has some good benefits. Adding resistance to this exercise will boost those benefits and add new ones too.
It will primarily improve your strength and stamina as you will feel your arms to be heavier during shadowboxing. But be careful about the weight you use. Start with lower weights and work yourself up to higher ones. Shadowboxing with wrist weights is proven to increase heartbeat rate by 10 beats per minute.
Punching Mitts
These are basically punching pads. You need another person to hold them for you. So far, it is the only alternative that is a physical object for punching. Your partner needs to change the position of the pads and you need to hit them accurately.
By doing this, you improve your speed and focus. You can practice moves like an uppercut, straight punch, etc. while hitting the pads. Instead of striking nothing but air, these pads give you a better feel of punching and might be useful to some people.
Floor Bags
Mostly used by military personnel, a flour bag can accommodate sand inside it and make it like a punching bag. This makes them ideal for boxing training but they become rougher than your normal punching bag. However, these bags are not made of poly canvas material so that makes them not as powerful as punching bags.
Tires
Car tires are an excellent alternative to a punching bag, chiefly because they are soft, as well as powerful like a real punching bag. Martial arts academies use tires sometimes for training their students. And as they are made of rubber, the possibility of hurting yourself is much lower.
If you can manage to get a set of 6 to 5 small tires, then you can make a dummy to practice with. You just need to manage a stand to place those tires. But be sure to attach the tires firmly. We recommend using gloves during practice. The last thing you would want is a pierce in your hand because of any sharp edges.
Conclusion
A punching bag’s job cannot be 100% executed by any other substitute. With that being said, the options we provided here are the best you can do to start your punching workouts. You can also make punching bag out of pillows at home. These have the best combination of safety and effectiveness.
We suggest you start shadow boxing with wrist weights. When you get comfortable with an increased amount of weight, go for punching mitts or tires. But remember that punching mitts are a two-man job whereas you can work alone with tires. But whatever you do, make sure that it’s not hurting you.
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