Getting the best heavy bag isn't an easy task if you haven't bought one before. There is a lot of types, sizes with different features, and hundreds of heavy punching bags out there. How do you know which suits you the best?
If you choose one made of poor materials, it'll break and tear in no time. A heavy bag will be under rough usage and stand those punches and kick for a long time.
When I bought my boxing bag many years ago, I spent days with research and reading reviews. But, I did my job well since my bag is still usable after millions of punches.
Within this guide, I'm going to show you the best heavy punching bags available today. I tried to make my list varied so that I can show you various buying options.
Let's find a good bag for you!
Overview of the Best Heavy Punching Bags
Best for boxing
Best for MMA, Muay Thai & Kickboxing
Best freestanding
Best human shaped (BOB)
Best cheap and beginner level:
Best package
Top-rated Hanging Heavy Bags
1. Outslayer Muay Thai Heavy Bag - Extra Long
- Heavy duty vinyl cover
- Special fabric filling up to 300 lbs
- 14 x 14 x 72 inches
- Long shape so perfect for any martial art
- Perfect piece of equipment for punches and kicks (Muay Thai and MMA)
Overall Rating: 5/5
If you are looking for a professional filled Muay Thai punching heavy bag with an ideal design that is perfect for all combat sports, this product from Outslayer would be the best heavy bag you can get.
This Outslayer bag is 72 inches in length with an additional 12 inches long heavy duty straps for hanging it. You can extend the bag length by varying the straps.
The weight is 130 pound which is quite enough for the boxers and heavyweight champions. The exterior cover is strong imported vinyl that can bear extreme strikes easily.
Moreover, it is available with a 10 years warranty which means that you do not have to worry about your investment.
It is the best MMA heavy bag on this list. Read the full Outslayer Muay Thai bag review.
Pros:
Cons:
2. Outslayer 100-pound Punching Bag (Filled) - Top Rated for Boxing
- Heavy duty vinyl exterior
- Special fabric stuffing to keep shape
- 100 pounds
- Height: 55 inches body length,
- Diameter: 14″
- Perfect equipment for boxing enthusiasts
Overall Rating: 5/5
If you are searching for a home heavy bag for boxing at an affordable price range and reasonable weight, this Outslayer bag is what you want. This 100 pounds weighting bag is more than enough for boxing training by an averaged height and weighted male person.
Moreover, the height of the Outslayer heavy bag is perfect which is 55 inches tall and 10 inches additional for the nylon straps. It is shipped in a reusable vinyl cover which can be used for storage and for moving it from one place to another.
Along with that, it is also available with a 10-year warranty card for ultimate coverage. The warranty covers everything just not the normal wear and tear of the heavy bag. You can purchase all this for affordable price with free shipping on Amazon. Read the full review.
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Cons:
3. Ringside Powerhide Heavy Bag - With Soft Filling
- Premium synthetic leather cover
- Shredded fiber filling (powerhide material for shock absorption)
- 100 lbs
- Width 14″
- Height: 42″
- Providing a comfortable striking surface for professional and amateur boxers
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
In case you want a softly filled and traditional boxing bag, then Ringside Powerhide is for you. It can be beneficial if you have problems with your wrist or fingers, but you do not want to give up the heavy bag drill. But, you still have to use boxing gloves.
Featuring shock absorbers, this bag reduces vibration, allowing you to avoid disturbing neighbors or other family members. The special blend of synthetic fibers and natural fibers in its filler provides good shock absorption, thus ensuring this bag will last and bounce back.
Customers like Ringside Powerhide hitting surface and it fulfills any martial art training needs. See the full review. It was designed for long-term durability and heavy-hitting for advanced trainees.
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4. RDX Punching Bag Set - With All the Required Equipment
- All required hardware and equipment is included (mounting, D ring,)
- Durable and comfortable hitting area made from durable synthetic leather exterior. Great for impoving boxing skills.
- Choose from 2 sizes.
- With gloves, wraps, jump rope and hand gripper
Overall Rating: 4/5
If we want to set up a home boxing gym, we need to buy all the gear, hardware, and attachments separately, which is quite complicated for someone who has never done it before. That's why RDX comes out with this excellent heavy bag package, which includes everything we need in one package.
The kit includes a commercial-grade wall-bracket and a ceiling hook to choose from two mounting options. To hung the bag properly we get steel chains with a swivel.
The RDX set also includes a pair of heavy bag gloves and hand wraps for safe punching. Also, we get a gripper and skipping rope, which is essential for conditional heavy bag workouts.
Any problems? You won't get a professional bag for this price, but it will do for an average level trainer. Plus, you need to install it carefully.
To sum up, if you don't want to spend your time finding the right heavy bag for your home gym, look no further because the RDX package includes everything you need. Each of the things is quality pieces made by a trusted manufacturer dedicated to martial arts.
Top Rated Free Standing Heavy Bags
5. Century BOB XL - The Best Body Opponent Bag
- Human-like upper torso shape to substitute partners
- Perfect for practicing head and body shots (uppercuts, combinations). For accuracy training.
- Very stable (270 pound base)
- Torso: 40" x 15.5" x 10.5"
- Height settings: from 60 inches to 82 inches
- Excellent stability and shape
- Good for punching and kicking
- Comfortable and durable hitting surface made from quality materials
Overall Rating: 5/5
Can you see the ugly face of that guy? Yeah, it would be so good to land a vast punch there, wouldn't it? With this free standing punching bag, you will never get bored for sure. The Century BOB XL bag is an excellent bag for many reasons. I's the best freestanding option.
Firstly, because of the torso and the head design, we can practice the various targets much better. With a standard bag, we need to imagine those areas. With BOB heavy bag, we don't need imagination. We can fight as if we were against a real opponent. The dummy's size is 40" x 15.5" x 10.5", so we have plenty of space to attack. The plastisol torso is filled with urethane foam for optimal shock absorption and durability.
BOB XL is a free standing punching bag that requires no installation and demands minimal space for storage. The only thing we have to do is fill the plastic base with either water or sand. Once it's loaded, it weighs 270 lb, making it very stable.
Another useful feature of the Bob Torso Training Bag is that we can adjust the height from 60 to 82 inches. That means we can set it to our height and practice kicking. With minimal work, we can remove the dummy as well so we can use it for grappling.
The downside? This body opponent bag heavy bag costs more money than the others, but you get a fantastic product.
To sum up, Century BOB is a perfectly designed and versatile free standing heavy bag suitable for everyone. It's so durable that even commercial gyms use it—a perfect choice for any combat sports.
Related: Best punching dummy bags
6. Ringside Elite Heavy Bag - Ultra Stable
- Heavy-duty and very stable with extended base (sand or water filling for stability)
- Large hitting exterior made from durable synthetic leather construction
- Good for any combat sports with kicks (MMA, boxing, kickboxing training)
- Height: 6'4" tall
- Rebounds well
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Well, this is the ultimate standing punching bag for any level of training. No matter what kind of martial arts you do, or how heavy you are, the Ringside Elite Freestanding Bag will be your partner. It is maybe the highest quality free standing bag available today used by top fighters and trainers all over the world. It's particularly beneficial for kicks. This MMA heavy bag is on my wishlist.
7 . Century Wavemaster XXL Training Bag - With Huge Hitting Surface
- Huge body for kicks (great for MMA and kickboxing training)
- Huge base to stop tipping (water or sand filling for stability)
- Comfortable exterior with shock absorbency
- Multiple colors
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Are you searching for a more versatile heavy bag to develop your martial art skills (kicks, knees and punches)? Then Century XXL Wavemaster free standing bag is the solution for you. This standing punching bag can be filled with water or sand, no assembly required and made from durable material. Even if it is a free standing model, Wavemaster is stable. It does not fall even if it is punched hard.
8 . Everlast PowerCore Free standing Heavy Bag - Compact
- Compact shape, portability and easy to store
- Rebounds
- Heavy base to fill with water or sand that gives good stability
- Affordable
- Effective training tool for fitness, learn basic boxing moves and boxing punch combinations.
- Made by a well-kown boxing equipment manufacturer.
Overall Rating: 4/5
This Everlast heavy bag is a freestanding punching bag for practicing punches and kicks alike. The compact bag offers ease of assembly so that you do not have to call for technicians to install it. You can fill the base with water or sand.
Moreover, the Everlast free standing design is also much improved from the previous version and increased strength. It also offers better impact and absorption along with the recoil for learning the counter striking skill.
However, you also need to keep in mind that this bag has some negative reviews, mainly about the durability. For example, it's only suitable for limited punches and not good for kicks at all. The price is around $100 which is ok for a mobile heavy bag but do not forget to read the reviews for some details. Everlast Powercore Bag full review.
Cheap Boxing Bags
9 . Everlast 70-Pound punching bag set - Good for women and beginners
- Comes with comfy filler mix
- Soft punching surface
- Canvas bag
- Affordable, good for cardio
Overall Rating: 4/5
Well, if you are searching for a beginner level heavy bag kit that comes with all the accessories, then this Everlast bag is the way to go. You get a high-quality bag, gloves, wraps, and a customizable heavy duty chain. Hence, you will have everything to start working out immediately. Plus, the price is affordable, too. I think it is the best budget punching bag for beginners to start training kicks and punches at home.
10. Last Punch Bag Canvas - Without filling
- Fill up with whatever you desire
- With chain
- Cheap
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
This cheap canvas heavy bag is available just for some bucks, and in case you search for for the minimal price, this model is ideal for you. The length is 33 inches that along with 55 inches including the length of chains.
It is 18 inches wide, so the dimensions are ideal for beginners. This heavy bag canvas is perfect for practicing boxing, and you also have the freedom of stuffing it with anything including cotton, plastic bags, old clothes, foam, etc. Read the review.
11. Ringside Boxing Bag Kit - Good for Kids
- Fill up with whatever you desire
- With chain
- 50 pounds
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Do you want to buy an even more reasonable and lower priced heavy bag for home gym but want quality in that price tag? Ringside Kit is maybe for you. It weighs 70 pounds which is perfect for an average male person.
Moreover, its length and width are also ideal for every sort of workout including fighting, muscle toning, practicing and regular fitness, etc. The outer material is made from heavy duty vinyl which is filled with natural and synthetic materials so that the contents may not sink after a few hits.
You will get boxing gloves with the hand wraps along with the package. A swivel and mounting clip is also included helping you to mount it. This Ringside heavy bag is a great solution for beginners. Rull review.
Heavy Bag Buying Guide
What types of punching bags are there?
To choose the best heavy bags for your exercise, you should know about the various models available for making a selection. Below are listed the different types you can choose from:
Heavy bags
If you need one for strength training, either for punches or kicks, you should get a heavy punching bag. It should be the right weight for achieving the power and muscle toning you are looking for.
Heavy bags are the top choice for providing weight resistance without being excessively harsh and strong. But you must select a suitable weight option as the wrong selection can also injure your hand and knuckles.
Sand or water are basically the two materials that are used to fill them. It is important to choose the material appropriately.
Where sand selection offers more durability, water is used for achieving variable weight exercises and have better kickback ability.
You also have a choice to make among the freestanding and hanging heavy punching bag types according to the usage. The free standing bag is an all-rounder unit but is ideal for kicking exercises. However, you can also perform punching exercises with equal as well.
As for the hanging heavy bags are concerned, such heavy punching bags are good for power and speeds striking. They are the best options in the areas where floor space is smaller.
Speed bags
For achieving agility in your punches, speed bags are needed. They are filled with air. Hence, they are excellent at bouncing back quickly whenever they are hit with power.
They are ideal for developing hand-eye coordination along with pace and synchronization. They need to be mounted on ceilings or walls so that they cannot move freely.
Double-ended bag
This type has two strings attached to its both ends which are used to tie it one side to the ground and other one to the ceiling. The size of them is just equivalent to the size of a basketball or smaller.
Double end bags are ideal for practicing counter striking skills and developing hand eye coordination. Moreover, it needs to be mounted permanently, so a dedicated floor space is required here.
Note: There is also the aqua training bag, but that's another topic.
What features look for when buying heavy bag?
There are some factors that you should keep an eye on while making a purchase of the best boxing bag. Ranging from the brand to the type and cost to the size, each and every factor is quite important.
Below are listed the different features that you should look for:
What are the typical problems with heavy bags?
We can put the problems into two groups: the quality of the bag and the installation.
If the bag isn’t made of durable materials, the shell tears quickly, straps break, and the inner mixture sinks to the bottom. Typically, we can experience these problems when we buy a cheap heavy bag. If you are serious about combat sports, you should buy a quality training bag suitable for your weight and force.
The other problem is the way we hang the punching bag. We need a solid anchor point. Never fix the bag to a weak beam or ceiling. I also asked for the help of an expert when I got my heavy bag.
If you are looking for a place to hang your heavy bag without damaging your ceiling, then a heavy bag stand is for you. The best heavy bag stands are made using heavy steel for the optimum weight distribution. They are strong enough to hold even the heaviest bags, so you won't have to worry about your piece of equipment tipping over.
Answers to related questions
That depends on which product you choose. If you don’t want to customize the filling or don’t want to spend time with it, you’d better get a filled heavy bag. Otherwise, if you want to customize the weight or softness of the bag, get an unfilled one. Keep in mind, for filling you need various materials such as clothes, foam, sand, shavings. The unfilled bags are also have less shipping costs.
A heavy punching bag typically has a hard punching surface. A poorly placed punch on the bag results in hand, wrist, and finger injuries. Hence, it’s crucial to wear boxing gloves and hand wraps. They protect the small bones, joints, and skin of the hands and wrists. If you wish to punch or kick the bag slightly softer, then some bags also come with gel or foam linings.
The simplest way to install punching bags is using a heavy bag stand. However, a stand rattles, and we don’t have full space around the bag as if it was hung from the ceiling. Hanging punching bags are typically attached to the ceiling by using an eye bolt anchor. We connect the hook to the eye bolt, and we attach the metal chains on this hook. Of course, can also buy hanging set for various installation. Keep in mind that a boxing bag is heavy and swing careful installation, and plenty of space is required. You can find many tutorials on how to hang the bag.
While a genuine leather heavy bag gives the best workout experience, they require maintenance. We shouldn’t let the leather to try out, but moisture also damages this sort of shell. After every home workouts, you should wipe it. Also, don’t use where humidity is high. Every month use a leather conditioner that keeps the leather punching bags “healthy.”
It’s recommended to get a bag which is half of your weight. Lighter heavy bags swing more, so they force us to move more, which is good to practice footwork, ducking, slipping, reaction time, weight loss, etc. But, we can’t practice huge punches. More massive punching bags don’t swing as much, but they stand more powerful hits so that we can develop punching power with them.
As I mentioned before, we need to pick a heavy bag that weighs half of our body weight. For beginners, I recommend buying a lighter one, about minus 20-30%. Beginners should learn the basics of pugilism first and shouldn’t care about improving punching power. A bag that swings is better for improving the technique and doesn’t allow the user to strike with big power.
As you see above, I recommend Amazon since the selection is huge and the prices aren’t bad. You can also check out the official webstore of the brand. You may find lower prices there. Finally, if you are on a budget, you can also consider buying a used heavy bag, but I recommend checking out personally. Learn more about punching bag prices here.
Conclusion
Within the post above, I tried to list the best punching bags for various purposes. If you are a beginner, you can get a cheaper bag, but advanced athletes must stick to more expensive quality bags. If you have a lack of space, you can also buy a standing bag.
Still, don’t know what the best heavy bag is for you? Feel free to ask below within the comment section, and I help you asap.
