Hello & Excersise question

**hispanicmakingpanic** · 05-10-2007, 02:21 PM

speedbag benefits

Well mr Triffid, I should probably let Mr speedbag answer this since he is the all knowing wizard, but I think I speak for everyone in saying that the speedbags benefits are many, ontop of being a great aerobic excercise. There's also the timing and hand to eye coordination you develop that cannot be "rivaled". Get it? Like the bag. Dumb joke. My only advice on your setup would be to make sure your platform is dense enough to deliver a rebound with minimum vibration, I made mine out of studs 2 inches thick and I can wallop on it without fear of vibration or damage. Good luck and on behalf of everyone (I'm new myself) Welcome.

**Chris M** · 05-10-2007, 02:40 PM

While the speed bag does provide good exercise, if you're looking for a really good aerobic workout, consider getting a heavy bag as well.

A heavy bag will provides me a much better workout and overall exercise than the speed bag does.

A lot of it depends on what size bag you use. Sometimes I'll put my gigantic 10x12 Title and it gives me a much better aerobic workout than using a much smaller 5x8 bag because it takes more punching effort to get the bigger heavier bag going and to keep it going. I can also hit the 10x12 bag pretty much as hard as I can and it never goes too fast to get out of control. Because the bigger bags are much slower, I can also workout on them much longer.

In short, I think it depends on what you're looking for, strength training or endurance. If you want strength, go for the larger bag. If you're after endurance, go for the smaller bag.

**Triffid** · 05-10-2007, 02:51 PM

Hi, thanks for the responses.

I'm mostly looking for something just to break a good sweat for 30 or 40 minutes. I do quite a bit of weight/strength training... so I'm not really worried about using the speed bag for that. Maybe I should install a heavy bag too, is it ok to hang one from your standard 2X10 vertical basement rafter?

Thanks again

**BillyMack** · 05-10-2007, 03:19 PM

Yola-
I feel ya man, I broke my ankle last October and had to focus on upper body. The speed bag CAN provide excellent aerobic stress, it just takes more discipline and dedication than running.

I would highly recommend you consider leaving some room for height adjustment when you start building your set-up. This way you can experiment with different sized bags. A smaller bag will not push your aerobic threshold very far, but it will help you develop tone in your arms and shoulders.

A big bag (7x10 and up) will definitely tax your arms, but it also requires more effort from the shoulders, upper back, and core. This is when you really start breaking a sweat.

You can defnitely hang a heavy bag from the rafter. There are some devices that you install between the rafters, which let you hang the bag a little higher than from the bottom of the rafter. You can also purchase special hardware (hooks and swivels) to hang a bag as well as heavy duty springs to hang the bag from which reduce noise and vibration.

Check out dis link, mon, you gonna find everyting ya need dere...

http://store.titleboxing.com/heavy-bags-heavy-bag-accessories.html

**jaguiler** · 05-10-2007, 07:04 PM

more discipline than running ?....... sorry Billy - have to disagree....

I too am heavy into running - I find that a good boxing workout is a perfect complement.... the speedbag being aerobic, well that's only if you are hitting all out.... since you are used ot the longer distances... then a speedbag is good to keep a good heart in the low heart rate zone, burning fat, and doing faster hits to get into the aerobic occasionally, like Fartleks or wind sprints....

I wrote a thread about this subject a little while back, using a heart rate monitor.....

here is the link

Thoughts on Heart rate research, calories burned, and speedbag - Speed Bag Forum

http://www.speedbagforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299&highlight=heart+rate

**BillyMack** · 05-10-2007, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by jaguiler View Post

more discipline than running ?....... sorry Billy - have to disagree....

Well, it definitely requires more discipline to go out everyday and run a few miles. What I meant is that it requires discipline to learn the speed bag well enough to achieve an increase in heart rate.

If Joe Couchpotato were to perform 40 minutes of each activity, the running will obviously get his heart rate going faster than hitting the bag would.

Running is hard. Getting your heart going via running is easy.
Speedbagging is easy. Getting your heart going via speedbagging is hard.

Would you agree to that?

**Chris M** · 05-10-2007, 08:29 PM

Running is hard. Getting your heart going via running is easy.
Speedbagging is easy. Getting your heart going via speedbagging is hard.

Would you agree to that?

I would definitely agree to that. I definitely get a much better aerobic workout in a 30 minute run than I do with 30 minutes on the speed bag.

The heavy bag would fall somewhere in between running and the speedbag if you're doing 3 minute intervals with a 30 second break between rounds, at least in my experience.

Don't underestimate the heavy bag for serious aerobic workouts. Of course, to hit correctly and get the maximum benefit you do need to incorporate some footwork as well. That may be a problem if you have a leg, ankle, or foot problem. It's not necessary, but you definitely have to use your legs a lot more than you do with the speed bag. You do kind of a speed bag dance when you're hitting the bag, but you don't move your feet nearly as much as you do with the heavy bag.

**Triffid** · 05-10-2007, 09:49 PM

Much thanks for the advice everyone... you've convinced me to get both a heavy bag and a speed bag.

I've got a perfect wide open spot in the basement and I'm afraid this just might be a start to my own little gym

Thanks for the link BillyMack, nice stuff there.

**jaguiler** · 05-11-2007, 08:29 AM

Originally posted by BillyMack View Post

Well, it definitely requires more discipline to go out everyday and run a few miles. What I meant is that it requires discipline to learn the speed bag well enough to achieve an increase in heart rate.

If Joe Couchpotato were to perform 40 minutes of each activity, the running will obviously get his heart rate going faster than hitting the bag would.

Running is hard. Getting your heart going via running is easy.
Speedbagging is easy. Getting your heart going via speedbagging is hard.

Would you agree to that?

yes sort of...what you are saying is that a higher skill level is needed to maintain a higher heart rate....

I agree to a certain extent... but for the original posters question, it depends on whether he want a truly aerobic workout or want to train up to or below an aerobic threshold. With basic hitting, I can keep my heart rate up at 113-120 bpm... which is what I keep for a long slow run.... burns fat, conditions body for endurance.... with rapid hitting I can get 140 bmp, which is getting towards aerobic in the technical sense....

For the original poster, I would keep workouting at low intensity while your body recovers, try swimming as well. No need to keep the same heart rates as when you were runnning.

check out the Medtent in the Coolrunning forums as well. www.coolrunning.com

**Triffid** · 05-15-2007, 05:27 AM

Well... I got my speed bag up

I'm a lot better than I thought I would be starting out. I really can get a sweat going.... especially if I jog in place a little while hitting it. Here is what I put up...

It had a bit too much vibration until I put up the 2 little stabilizer boards in the front... now its solid as a rock

I did have another question though... Here is a picture of the bag I bought...

Do the laces look right there? They seem like they bulge out too much in the middle. I don't think I overinflated the bag... sure doesn't feel like it anyway. I didn't have a pump that had a gauge on it. I didn't re-lace the bag at all... just pumped it up straight from the packaging.

Thanks for your help

**Speedbag** · 05-15-2007, 06:51 AM

Very nice set up. Your bag looks fine. in fact, the bottom picture has a few bends and wrinkles in the leather that make it appear a bit underinflated. The 4210 is a nice bag and I have always liked it as a big bag to train with.

**Tim** · 05-15-2007, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by Triffid View Post

Well... I got my speed bag up

I

Nice looking setup.

The bag looks fine. I had a similar Everlast bag and it looked like that as well.

**Triffid** · 05-18-2007, 08:33 AM

Hey... I just wanted to update this...

I've definitely been able to get a decent workout using the speed bag this week. I have spent about an hour a day on it since getting it and can feel it in my shoulders and upper back muscles...the good kind of hurt

I've found myself more hungry than usual this week and I think I can contribute that directly to my speed bag work. I'm not a big guy (5'10" 157 pounds) and I do tend to easily notice increased hunger from increased workouts.

I'm having fun and already seeing improvements in skill... I was able to put together a few rolling double hits last night

(not sure of the technical term there)

I've found that I really, really have to pound on my current bag in order to go faster... I think it is an 8x11 bag but I'm not 100%. If I wanted to go a bit faster, would the 6x9 bag here be a good choice?

http://store.titleboxing.com/titlespeedbags1.html

Thanks again for the help

**jaguiler** · 05-18-2007, 09:32 AM

great - glad you can see the benefits....

the 6x9 is a good choice...lots of guys here either like the Title, or the Everlast Pro series... I use the Everlast Pro... I believe the Title's are a little lighter. There are quite a few bag comparison posts here ... take a looky.
The bag you have is on the heavier side, so you will notice a huge difference... you won;t have to work so hard to get a good even rythm and to keep it going. and you can save your hands a little too with a softer bag.

Hello & Excersise question

Hello & Excersise question

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