4 Specialty Heavy Bags For Your Home Gym

TRY A NON-TRADITIONAL HEAVY BAG

By Matt Filart

When do you opt for a specialty heavy bag instead of the traditional types? 

We’ve talked a lot about picking up your own heavy bag and awesome solo workouts to pair with your new home bag so you can scratch that training itch whenever you want.

Hell, if you want to, you can even make your own heavy bag!

But we haven't touched on a key question:

"What if I don't want the traditional style of heavy bag?"

Or maybe, you wonder:

"What can I add to my home gym to spice up my heavy bag routine(s)?"

Are there other options available?? In fact, there are! Here are 4 great options for non-traditional, specialty heavy bags. Which one makes the most sense for you and your training?

#1: RINGSIDE COBRA BAG

You've probably seen this one before, as vids of boxers working on it are popular on Instagram. The Ringside Cobra is mainly used to train the timing of your punches, your reflexes, and even your head movement if you adjust it right.  

The bag itself is adjustable from 5-7 feet, so 99% of people should have no problem setting it to meet their needs. The bag’s base can be filled to 140 pounds with either sand or water.

While this bag was meant to be used for punches, you can train your other strikes on it, too, especially elbows. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even try to work your kicks and knees.

I don’t recommend doing too much outside of punching that too often, though, as these bags hold a reputation for having their springs wear out early. This is why you don’t see these bags in gyms: if one got regular use from a stream of different strikers, it's going to break down real fast. Mind you, that's not likely to happen if it's placed in a home gym.

I recommend using this bag to work on counters off your head movement - mainly your slips and pulls, as it helps you develop the timing that is so important to have when you are trying to counter an opponent’s shot. 

 How To Use The Heavy Bag For Muay Thai (13 Best Tips!)

 #2: EVERLAST DOUBLE END BAG

The Double End Bag from Everlast is another one you’ve probably seen at least a few times on Instagram (that is, if you’re like me and your feed is 100% fight-related content).

Similar to the Cobra above, you are going to be able to work your hands, timing and reflexes. Also like the Cobra, while it was designed mainly for punches, you can also work all of your strikes on it.

Again, elbows are a good strike to train for the bag, as it’s essentially shaped like a head. Plus, the way it moves also allows you to train your slashing elbow instead of a smashing one, which you are kind of forced to train on a normal heavy bag.

The setup for this bag is a little complicated. Like a normal heavy bag, you're going to need to hang it from something. This might mean installing hooks on your roof - not a possible feat for apartment dwellers. You have to anchor it the ground, as well, and you need to buy something specifically designed to do this, though there are ways to attach it to something with some weight (like dumbbells) if you’re a little creative.

Like we mentioned earlier, this bag is good for your reflexes, and you can also work your head movement very well with this bag. The difference between this and the Cobra is that the Double End has a lot more freedom of movement and, in a lot of ways, is more difficult to control than the Cobra.

>>> More top heavy bags that Muay Thai Guy recommends. <<< 

 #3: TITLE BOXING WALL MOUNT MENACE TRAINING BAG

You’ve probably seen something like this if you’ve trained in a couple of different gyms. The TITLE Boxing Menace isn't so much a "bag" as it is pads that you attach to the wall. This is another bag that you probably won’t be able to use if you live in an apartment as you need to bolt this sucker right into a wall to use it.

If you can install this bag, it’s great for people who might not have a lot of space where they live. Clearly, it doesn’t take up much room and won't swing around.

The bag itself has two sections. The top part juts out a bit so that you can practice head shots, including uppercuts on the top part. You can also work in body shots thanks to the flat lower area.

The problem with this bag for nak muays is that you can’t work any round kicks on it. You can work on punches, knees and elbows, though, and you can have some fun with jumping knees on this bag in ways you can’t with normal ones. 

>>> More top heavy bags that Muay Thai Guy recommends. <<< 

#4: TITLE MMA GRAPPLING DUMMY

This Grappling Dummy from TITLE is the most similar to traditional Muay Thai heavy bags. The thing that sets this bag apart is that it has a shape somewhat similar to a human body. Could that possibly benefit your striking training?

This bag is 52 inches in length and comes filled, weighing in at 140 pounds. This bag can be hung up like any other bag, and its shape allows you to better target specific parts of the body. This bag also allows for uppercuts to the head due to its shape, unlike other bags.

The other nice thing about this bag is that you don’t have to hang it. It is designed to be used as a wrestling dummy, so you can practice your clinch work and knees in ways that you can’t with a normal bag. This also makes it a good option for those who want to do weight training or plyometric drills with it, as you can treat it like a weighted fitness bag.

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