Heavy Bag Workout For Weight Loss

A heavy bag workout is a great way to lose weight instead of the more traditional methods such as jogging, sit-ups and press-ups etc. This article looks at the ways in which you can conduct your heavy bag workout specifically to lose weight.

The first step is to choose the right heavy bag and boxing gloves. The size of the heavy bag will vary depending on your size and strength. However, seeing as you want to lose weight you will not be hitting the bag too hard anyway, as you will have to focus more on the movement around the bag and the style of the workout. Bags can be found to weigh anything from 25lbs- 150lbs, however for you I would not recommend you to not waste your money going over 100lbs if you are simply trying to lose weight. I would recommend an 80lb bag for a woman and a 100lb for a man (depending on your strength you may need more or less). Everlast heavy bags usually offer good value for money.

Boxing gloves on the other hand, can range between 6oz-18oz. Again, as you are looking to lose weight, you will not need anything heavier then a pair of 14oz. It is important that the gloves are not too heavy; as this will cause muscle fatigue too quickly in the arms before your body can start to burn fat, yet they still provide enough protection for your hands. I would say men and woman would both benefit from 12oz (although if you expect to be hitting the bag quite hard go for a 14oz)

If you have already purchased your equipment, then it does not matter, you can still benefit from the next step I will give you. I will advise you on the correct equipment that will help you lose weight faster.

Now we have the equipment out the way, you must know how to conduct your heavy bag workout most effectively to lose weight. The first thing you must do is, break your workout into rounds. Start with five 2-minute rounds. This will allow you to control your workout and keep a record of how well your performing. The next thing is to focus on your defence. Many people tend to be very stationary on a heavy bag workout so they do not maximise their results. To burn fat you will need to involve a lot of movement such as, moving around the bag on the balls of your feet, weaving your upper body, bobbing from side-to-side and ducking using your legs (almost like a squat). This will also work far more muscles then if you just stand still punching the bag. Also combining all of these elements effectively is a great way help your coordination and to keep your work rate up if you become tired from punching. A good way to keep track of how hard your working is to keep a record of the number of punches you throw each round. Aim to beat your previous records each time, while maintaining the quality of each punch. This way you will ensure you work harder and always push forward.

If you want to learn the proper form there are many websites that will help you with the techniques of boxing that can be used for a heavy bag workout.