Monday, February 3, 2014

Heavy Bag Training



Heavy Bag What?
I invented The Silencer Mount so that I could take full advantage of the full body workout that you can achieve from using a heavy bag to train. Now although it may seem like an advanced exercise, by starting slow and building yourself up, we can achieve phenomenal fitness results through a fun exercise routine designed around a heavy bag. I want to share with you some simple tips and exercises to remember when using a heavy bag.

There is evidence that use of a standing, or hanging bag to practice striking maneuvers was a tool designed in ancient history through military and combat training and was later adapted into sports and martial arts training. Heavy bag training has worked its way into the home gym, but in my experience led to damaged walls and ceilings, which motivated me to design The Silencer CeilingMount which provides better support for the hanging bag by distributing weight. I don’t have to hold back now, for fear of inheriting a wall patch job after my workout, I can take my exercise regime to the next level.




Position and Posture


Stand straight, feet planted, and tighten your core, stay balanced and throw punches. When you have a feel for appropriate distance from the bag, you can begin building your agility, by moving your feet while maintaining your posture and balance. Position and posture are important to achieving a full body workout with out injury in any kind of exercise and that includes heavy bag training.


Technique


When you hit the bag, it should not swing wildly, there should be a loud smack, rather than a thudding - which indicates you are pushing the bag rather than punching the bag. Limit contact time and don’t use your shoulders to push off of the bag, if your arms become tired quickly, pause and readjust your positioning and posture. If you don’t maintain technique the actual quality of exercise is diminished and if weight loss/calorie burn is your goal it becomes even more important to maintain your technique and recognize when you need to readjust.


What type of exercise is Heavy Bag Training?


Using a heavy bag works most everything when done correctly and can become an excellent, fun, cardio exercise. By having your feet planted when you throw a punch you will have stability. By adding simple foot movements in between punches you will not only develop agility in your feet, but add to the cardio component of this exercise.



Striking the bag correctly stretches the extended muscles as you tighten your other muscles to maintain your balance and stability. You will become dexterous and start to move with more grace as you notice your body begins to tighten when exercise is done correctly. Although you will not experience a transformation like that achievable through weight training, your body will become more toned, your shoulders, biceps, and back can become more defined. It’s all a matter of how hard you push yourself and how you improve technique.


How to exercise using a Heavy Bag?


Use a variety of different strikes against the bag, jabs, hooks, crosses, uppercuts, hit low, hit high. Throw in bursts and when you need to rest, circle the bag, light on your feet as if dancing around it, think Ali - just keep in mind, he was, ‘the greatest’.



When should you take a rest? Consider that working with a heavy bag can become a form of interval training. You can work based off of what you are capable of, the key is to keep moving even at rest. For example you can hit the bag intensely for 30 seconds, dance for 15 and hit the bag some more, it’s all about what works for you. Alternatively you could hit for 20 seconds, side step around the bag and repeat. Ultimately there is any number of ways to work with a heavy bag, it’s recognizing how to develop your cardio and strength in a way that is manageable for your conditioning by continuously moving.


Developing Self Defense


By adding a ‘Hands up policy’ to your technique, you will have your hands up, covering your face, in between punches. You will learn how to, and practice throwing proper strikes that may help you in the future to defend yourself in sport. Visualize an opponent, bob and weave as if they are striking you, and strike like you’ve been struck. The experience you develop using a heavy bag in this manner will build your confidence if a real-life situation were to develop in or out of the ring.



Heavy bag training can be one of the most fun and intense exercises you undertake and when done correctly the results, skills, confidence and technique you build will become paramount in achieving your health and fitness goals. Sports professionals swear by, it was a crucial tool in military and combat history and by working it’s way into the privacy of your own home gym, you can develop and refine skills similar to those who participate in boxing, kick boxing and mixed martial arts.



D.


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