Being fit is the best way to enjoy life. Sometimes exercises need some accessories. A punching bag is one of them. It can be used for exercise or punching training. It helps you to increase your power, improve your footwork and so on.
But if you are a beginner you might need to change the weight of your punching bag. In that case, you have to buy an empty punching bag and fill it yourself. Here you will learn the best items you can fill your punching bag with.
Materials You Could Use
There are three main types of materials you can use to fill your punching bag. These are clothes/torn rags, sawdust, and sand. There are some other materials like rice husk and corn that can be used. But it is better not to use them as they can hurt your arm or lounge.
Some punching bag fillers also available in the market. You could choose one of them according to your need.
Combination of Materials
There are mainly three types of punching bags. Lightweight, medium weight, and heavyweight punching bags. Depending on what type of bag you want, you have to select your combination of materials accordingly.
Light Weight Punching Bag
For a lightweight punching bag, you will only need clothes or rags. If you are using clothes then fold it to make layers. If you are using torn rags then use a stick to push it in better. If you don’t have extra clothes you can always buy torn rags for cheap.
Pros of a Lightweight Punching Bag
Lightweight bags are really good for beginners as it doesn’t put much strain on your hand when punching it. Besides these move faster than the heavyweight ones. This significantly improves your precision.
Cons of a Lightweight Punching Bag
As it is a lightweight bag it swings easily if you are using too much force. It won’t contribute to your strength training. You’ll get faster and weaker if this is all that you use for training.
Awareness when Filling a Lightweight Bag
Use the clothes layer by layer for a better experience. Remove the buttons or any metal parts from the clothes. Try to push it down as much as possible for a sturdy bag.
Medium Weight Punching Bag
For a medium weight bag, you have to combine sawdust and clothes. Use sawdust to make it weigh more. Use clothes on the bottom layer and top layer while using the sawdust in the middle. Make a few layers like that to ensure cushioning as well.
Pros of a Medium weight Punching Bag
As you progress through your training or exercise, you will need to adjust the weight. This combination is good for that as you can always add more sawdust to it. It doesn’t swing as easily as the lightweight bag.
Cons Medium weight Punching Bag
You have to be careful about your punch as you can spill sawdust everywhere. Put the sawdust in a rubble sack or plastic bag.
Awareness When Filling Medium Weight Bag
For added safety, you can duct tape the plastic bag or rubble sack full of sawdust and completely hide it under the tape. That way it won’t break easily by your punch. Be careful though, if this sawdust bag crumbles they can go to your nose and lungs and choke you down.
Heavy Weight Punching Bag
For a heavyweight punching bag, you will need all of the basic three materials. Use cloths and sawdust layer by layer. Add sand for extra weight. You can add sand at the bottom or in the middle depending on where you want your bag to be harder.
Use a 30% volume of your punching bag as a measurement of how much you should use clothes for this combination. Use these clothes to wrap your punching bag from inside. Then use the sawdust and sand to make it gain weight.
Pros and cons of a Heavy Weight Punching Bag
It can tank your heaviest punch without any swing. So it is best for power training. But you’ll have a higher chance of bruising your hand or hurt yourself if you are not instructed by a professional.
Awareness When filling Heavy Weight Bag
Don’t overfill the bag with sand or it will break because of excess pressure and weight. Do not use a bag that is too heavy for you.
Conclusion
If you are a beginner then use a lightweight bag. It will give softer feedback and be more forgiving to the user. At the same time, you can use its swing to train your footwork. Then go heavier gradually.
Also read- How Long Does It Take to Learn Boxing?
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