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DESIGNING A HEAVY BAG ROUTINE
It's difficult to teach physical skills in an article. Obviously, your best bet to establish a good training program is to seek the guidance of a qualified coach or instructor. However, many of you reading this article are martial art students or have taken self-defense training before.
If this is the case, you probably have the basic striking skills you need to workout on a heavy bag. If you haven't hit a heavy bag before, take your time and use your head (to think, not to hit the bag with!). Start gradually and figure it out. It's not brain surgery! Here are some suggestions to designing a heavy bag routine.
* * Always warm up and cool down. * *
Warming up improves performance and reduces injuries and post-exercise muscle soreness. Before exercising intensely, you should always work up a light sweat and engage in some basic limbering exercises to increase blood flow, your range of motion and to lubricate your joints. Jumping rope, running in place and shadow boxing for 10 to 15 minutes are excellent ways to begin a workout. (Note: don't do extensive stretching during the warm up. It can compromise joint stability and make you more susceptible to injury. Leave vigorous stretching until the end of your workout)
Cooling down at the end of your workout gradually returns your system (breathing, heart rate, etc.) to a resting state. Never finish an intense workout and then just plunk down on the couch. The cool down is a time to work on your flexibility with stretching exercises.
STRUCTURING YOUR WORKOUT
Basic Punches and Kicks conducive to heavy bag training include:
=> Lead punch (jab) => Cross (reverse punch) => Hook punch => Uppercut => Forearm/elbow strikes => Round house kick => Front kick => Back kick => Knee strike
REP-BASED TRAINING: Identify the basic strikes, kicks and combinations you want to train. Perform sets and reps of each. For example, execute two sets of 20 lead punches, three sets of 20 roundhouse kicks, etc. Rest long enough between sets to catch your breath and move on to the next set.
TIME-BASED TRAINING: Another excellent way to train is to work for a time limit or set number of rounds. For example, execute either random strikes and kicks or pre-determined combinations continuously for 2 to 3 minute rounds with 1- minute rest period in between.
CIRCUIT TRAINING: If you are already in good shape, consider alternating your bag work with other exercises to form a circuit. However, don't alternate with weight lifting exercises because the muscle fatigue will make you more susceptible to injury. Here is an example. Alternate 3-5 minutes of jumping rope with 3-5 minutes of bag work. Complete as many cycles as you need to get a good workout.
BLITZ TRAINING: Blitz training should be reserved for those who have establish a high level of fitness and proper striking and kicking mechanics. This training involves intense, rapid- fire barrages of strikes and kicks for a time limit (15 to 30 seconds) or a rep goal (20 to 30 repetitions of a combination). This training is as mental as it is physical.
There are significant benefits to this 'stop/start' or interval-based training. You exert yourself for a brief, intense period, recover, and then exert yourself again. This training improves your ability to recover quickly, increases the efficiency of your muscular and anaerobic energy systems and elevates your metabolism (burning body fat) for several hours after your workout.
FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY
Heavy bag training, like other forms of exercises, stresses the body. Training too intensely can surpass the body's (joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, nervous system) ability to recover. I recommend that heavy bag training be limited to 2 or 3 times per week. The more intensely you train, the more time off you should take between workouts. It is a good idea to alternate intense workouts with easier ones.
In terms of intensity, keep in mind that your tendons and connective tissues need more time to develop than your muscles. Therefore, the speed and power for your strikes and kicks can increase disproportionately to the development of those structures. Start your training moderately with light to medium power hits and concentrate on proper body mechanics. There is little benefit to continuously pounding the bag as hard as you can.
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
First and foremost, you need a heavy bag and a place to hang it. Usually, the main beam in your basement will do nicely. Just screw in a heavy- duty eyehook that will support the weight of the bag. Some people buy or build a metal bracket that can be anchored into a wall to hang the bag from.
Heavy bags are made of canvass, vinyl, leather, etc. They range in size and weight from 40 to 100 lbs. The size and style you buy is a matter of personal preference and how much you are willing to spend. A decent heavy bag will run you around $100.
You will need to protect your hands with a good pair of boxing or bag gloves. Don't skimp here. Buy the best you can afford. I compare cheap gloves with jogging in inadequate running shoes. It's not worth it to save a few bucks and end up injured. I prefer a sturdy pair of 16-ounce boxing gloves for bag work. The additional padding not only protects your hands but reduces the trauma to wrist, elbow and shoulder joints. Bag gloves have less padding and therefore are harder on your hands and joints.
Many people wrap their hands for added protection with the cotton wraps that boxers use. Others feel that if you need to wrap your hands you are probably hitting too hard. Remember that the leading injury sustained in a street fight is broken hands! It is better to punch smart and accurately than just hard. I don't wrap my hands when I do bag work.
CONCLUSION
I wrote this article because of enquires I've had over the years about self-directed training and how to hit the heavy bag. Bag work is one of my favorite training activities. If you are looking for an excellent, total body workout that will not only condition your body but also enhance your ability to protect it, give heavy bag training a try. Just take your time, use your common sense and have fun!
Randy LaHaie
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