How to Hang a Punching Bag in Your Home Gym?

Introduction

Heavy Bags, also known as punching bags or boxing bags can be an awesome addition to your home gym. They help you build muscle and are helpful in cardiovascular activities.

As the name gives out, these bags are massive. The most commonly available heavy bag weighs around 45kgs (around 100 pounds) and can go up to 90kgs (around 200 pounds).

After buying a punching bag, the next step is to hang a boxing bag which is an important part.

So the installation of this bag should be precise to have a safe and effective workout session. To hang a heavy bag is not as straightforward as putting it on a hook. The process is simple but still you have to keep in mind a few things.

While setting up a punching bag, there are some factors to be considered.

1. The surface you are mounting on should be very strong so the punching bag doesn’t fall off.
2. Enough space should be available allowing you to punch the bag from all sides so your workout routine isn’t interrupted.
3. Try to keep your heavy bag as distant as possible from other objects in your home gym because due the momentum, it might have a high chance of hitting something else around it.

These two factors not only provide an effective workout session but also ensure a safe and healthy routine.

Due to the massiveness of an ideal heavy bag available commercially, it is common for people to wonder whether or not it is safe to hang a punching bag, especially on the ceiling.

Well, let us be the one to clarify once and for all, that it is safe to hang a punching bag in your home gym or garage if you follow some basic procedures.

Once properly installed, this equipment can be used for as much long as you can, as it is a one-time setup and the durability of these bags are also high.

Here we list out the most effective methods to hang a heavy bag right in your own home gym along with the easy steps of installation for you to follow along.

         1.  Mount the bag on the ceiling

This method is the most common way everyone thinks of while hanging a punching bag.  Now clearly if this is the method you are going to opt for, make sure the ceiling is strong enough to not only sustain the weight of the punching bag while hanging but also when hitting it.  

If you are mounting it onto a ceiling, you must first find the ceiling joist. A ceiling joist is a length of timber or steel supporting part of the structure of a building, typically arranged in parallel series to support the ceiling. The best way to find a joist is by using a stud finder.

The process of hanging a heavy punching bag from the ceiling is as follows:

●       Try to find a ceiling joist as mentioned. Take the assistance of a stud finder.

●       Once the joist has been located, measure the distance using tape and mark it using a marker.

●       Drill the number of holes required within the marked area and place the mount.

●       Properly fix the mount to the joist using nuts and bolts. Tighten the nuts as firmly as possible so it doesn’t get off during working out.

●       Once the mount has been firmly placed onto the ceiling, you are done with the hard part.

●       Take the chain and put it in the mount. Similarly, take the hook and attach it to the top strap of the heavy bag.

●       Then lift the heavy bag (be careful while lifting, ask for help if required), and attach the hood to the chain.

●       Once done, try punching and kicking as you would normally do from all sides to determine how strong the support is and how tight the mount has been placed.

Instead of a ceiling, a support beam can also be used with the same procedures.

2. Mount the bag on a wall

If you fail to find any strong joist on the ceiling, the wall is also a great option to hang your heavy punching bag. The wall may fail to provide a full 360 ° workout environment, but it won’t take up much of the punching bag’s surface area, thus still benefiting you.

The process of hanging a heavy bag on to the wall is similar to mounting it on the ceiling with just the difference of the type of mount used and the location.

Things you will need:

Wall mount, nuts, bolts, chains, hook, and other utility tools.

The steps to setup a wall mount to hang your heavy bag is as follows:

●       Place the wall mount on the area of the wall and mark the place to drill holes using a marker.

●       Drill holes into the marked places and place the mount over it.

●       Place the nut and bolts into the holes through the wall mount and tighten using a wrench.

●       Once the mount has been placed properly on a firm area of the wall, attach the hook to the chain.

●       Place the chain on the mount and attach the hook to the punching bag.

●       Throw in a few punches to verify everything and you are done!

3.      Use a free stand punching bag

For those of you who find it hard to hang or mount a heavy punching bag, either due to the lack of space or weak ceiling, we recommend using a free-stand punching bag.

A free-stand punching bag comes with a base and can be used anywhere irrespective of the space constraint. These type of punching bags come in two parts:

●       The base

●       The heavy bag

The base comes with a group of suction cups that can be used to firmly stick it to the ground. The bag is then tightly fixed on the base. This doesn’t take much space and the installation is way quicker than mounting it on either the ceiling or a wall.

The setup is self-explanatory from the equipment itself.

●       First, try to set up the base. Put on some weight in it and place the suction cups below the base.

●       Once the suction cup has been placed properly under the base, fix the base to the ground where you want your punching bag to be in your home gym.

●       Once the base has been firmly set up, place the heavy bag carefully on the base so that the holes for the bolts and nuts match each other. Ask for help to lift the bag if required.

●       Once the holes have been aligned, tighten the bond between the bag and the base using nuts and bolts. Tighten it as firm as possible using a wrench (a screwdriver in case of screws).

●       Once the bag has been placed, you are done. As usual throw in some punches and kicks to see how good everything is in order. Once you are satisfied, you are done setting up your free-stand heavy punching bag.

Use any one of the above methods depending on your space and strength of the hardware to hang your heavy bag for good. 

Just as a safety tip, we also recommend to always use a pair of gloves when hitting the punching bag to avoid any kind of injury to your arm.

 Given that you have considered the space while setting-up your heavy punching bag, you are good to go and build your strength.