Can a punching bag build muscle?

[Kayce]

One aspect of boxing that most boxers find confusing is if training with a punching bag is necessary. There are different options for training as a boxer; while some choose punching bags, others prefer to utilize mitts and shadow ox, and some use no equipment at all. When you're learning a new boxing combo, you might need to shadowbox until you master the moves, so you don't hurt yourself if you hit the wrong way.

But once you've mastered your moves, you should start training on a punching bag, which can help you improve and perfect your technique even more. Most boxers want to know if punching a bag helps build muscle. Continue reading to find out more about punching bags and building muscles by punching a bag.

Types of Punching Bags​

Heavy Duty Or Jumbo​

Heavy-duty bags, also known as jumbo bags, are usually heavy and used for hard training because of their weight. This type of punching bag can improve muscle tone and strength. These types of bags can be used as either freestanding or hanging bags. They're best for strength training and powerful hits.

Uppercut​

Uppercut bags are usually small in size and are used to train for combination punches and to improve hooks and uppercuts. To win every boxing match, you must be an expert in combination punches meaning that uppercut bags must be part of your training equipment. You can use it to train to increase your speed.

Speed Ball​

A speedball is mainly used to enhance hand-eye coordination and helps a boxer work on conditioning. Speed balls are usually inflated and mostly fixed to the wallboard, but sometimes they can be freestanding. Punching speedball swirls and bounces back, so you have to respond quickly and work on your footwork. The more air in the bag, the faster it bounces back, and the smaller the size of the ball, the more difficult it is to hit.

Maize Ball And Bags​

Maize balls are small hanging punch bags best used to train your head movements. They're smaller than uppercut bags. They are best for improving defensive moves and fitting in smaller spaces. Filling up a maize bag with fake granules and rags increases weight and helps improve your endurance.

Free Standing​

Freestanding punch bags are designed with a base. They are usually filled with sand or water and are easy to move around and store away. The taller ones are meant for practicing punching and kicking, while the heavier ones with wider bases stay in place when kicked. They are ideal for both beginners and professionals and are more useful in areas where punching bags cannot be hung from the ceilings.

Does Punching A Bag Build Muscle?​

When punching bags, you work up muscles like your arms, shoulders, chest, and back. This means that your upper body develops as you hit the punching bags. However, punching bags don't only focus on building the muscles in the upper body but the lower body too.

Punching bags are an ideal way to build the muscles in your quads and hamstrings. It also accentuates your glutes, resulting in a more toned and lean physique. It is safe to say that punching bags build muscles because, while punching, you don't stay still in one position; you move, shuffle, twist, and turn as you punch. These movements can help build your muscles and tone your lower body. Punching bags also help you maintain balance and stability.

What Muscles Are Worked When A Punching Bag?​

Punching bags help to build your lower and upper body muscles, but this also depends on the type of punching bag you use for your training. Punching bags like the jumbo bag and freestanding bag help to build muscles more than a speed bag or uppercut bag. The most engaged muscles are:

• Shoulders (deltoids)
• Arms (biceps, triceps)
• Chest (pectorals)
• Back (trapezius, latissimus dorsi)
• Core (abdominals)
• Glutes
• Legs (quadriceps, hamstrings)

Benefits Of A Punching Bag Workout to Muscle Growth.​

In addition to helping you improve your technique, punching bags strengthen your forearm and wrist and help you build other muscles in your body. Punching bags can provide numerous benefits, among which are:

Effective striking practice​

While it's okay to practice your techniques using shadow boxing, punching real bags gives you a different type of feeling like you're in an actual fight. Shadowboxing can make it difficult to know if you're throwing a punch right since you're getting no response. At the same time, jumping into training with punching bags can cause an injury. So before you switch to a bag, you should make sure you have a good handle on your shadow boxing skills. Training with the punching bag can help you master your moves and strengthen your power.

More difficult workouts​

Punching bags makes your workout more complex, and the more complex your workout, the more muscles you can build. It's challenging to improve your punching power by shadowboxing. Punching heavy bags have multiple benefits, but increased resistance is one of the most important benefits.

Hitting a heavy bag with your punches can improve your arm strength and build your arm muscles; it also makes your workout more challenging. As you punch the bag, you're engaging different muscles in your arms, shoulders, chest, and legs than when you are shadow boxing.

Improved balance and coordination ​

Punching a bag helps to increase your balance and coordination and will continue to improve as you keep practicing over time. While shadowboxing, it's easy to control your balance because there's no resistance. But you lose your control when punching a bag. For instance, when you train with a heavy bag, you must take cognizance of the bag's movement. Also, it would help if you targeted some specific area on the bag before you punch. This can help you prevent injury and develop your coordination.

Some tips help you get the most muscle-building gains from punching bags.​

Include Boxing HIIT Sessions in Your Training Routine​

Including high-intensity interval training into your punching bag workout routine, it makes your training program more challenging, complex, and practical. For instance, you can mix your boxing workouts with high-intensity training like jumping jacks, pull-ups, squats, shadow boxing, sparring, and others. Also, to prevent injury, remember to protect your hands with boxing gloves or hand wraps, and don't forget to focus on your breathing.

Add Variety ​

Punching bags alone cannot help you get the most muscle-building gains; however, you can achieve that by adding more exercises to spice up your workout routine. You can include weightlifting, circuit bodyweight strength training, and other alternative activities.

There are other combinations you can try to build your muscles, such as doing a lateral raise with lighter dumbbells or doing a left-right uppercut combo and switching to a shoulder press. Also, to work different muscles simultaneously, you can include different punches(jabs, uppercuts, hooks, crosses). Do this while focusing on improving your speed, power, and accuracy.

Adopt a Healthy Muscle-Building Diet​

It's not enough to put so much time into training when you don't have a balanced muscle-building diet. Eating junk foods and neglecting a balanced diet can make your training and workout sessions futile. Instead, ensure to consume lots of proteins because they're essential in muscle building. Mix them with carbohydrates, healthy fats, vegetables, and fruits.

Know When to Stop​

Taking breaks and getting adequate sleep between training sessions is the way to succeed in building muscles. When you sleep, your body repairs and rebuilds damaged tissues. The problem with many beginners is that they do not know when to stop, so they push themselves to the extreme and put their bodies in undue pain and injury.

Choose the Right Punching Bag​

Before choosing a punching back, take the time to decide which one is more suitable for your needs. Not all punching bags serve the same purpose. A speed bag can not perform the function of a jumbo bag; a speed bag can only help improve your speed but can it improve your punching power like the heavy bag?

How Long Should I Punch A Punching Bag?​

There's no specific time on how long to punch a bag. For beginners, you have to include other activities with punching the bag, like push-ups and sit-ups. These different activities involve you exerting strength and may affect the duration of your boxing workout. However, the average accepted time to punch a bag can be anywhere from 20-30 minutes per day. But as with other sports and exercises, as you increase your practice time, you get more endurance to last longer during your workouts. You can practice boxing without a punching bag, but with a punching bag, you'll be able to see more benefits and advance in your training.