The Best Ways To Hang A Heavy Bag At Home

STORE-BOUGHT OR HOME-MADE, HERE'S HOW TO HANG YOUR BAG

By Randy Pilares

You’ve finally bought or made a heavy bag for your home workouts. Your excitement is through the roof! 

You can now train Muay Thai at home any time you want to.

Hone the basics...

Perfect your favorite combinations... 

Drill Muay Thai until you drop....

The mere presence of the heavy bag will seriously upgrade your Muay Thai training at home!

You got one slight issue before you can start enjoying all of that, though. You will need to hang the heavy bag first, and it is not as simple as it first seems.

Before you hang that beast up, there are a few things to consider:

Location, Location, Location

Once you have your heavy bag, the first thing you need to do is to find the perfect location for it. 

The location needs to be just right. A lot of things could go wrong if you happen to select the wrong spot to hang your heavy bag.

It needs to be an area that offers plenty of space for you to move. Remember, you are not just going to throw punches at the bag. Kicks, elbows and knees are part of the mix as well.

You also need to be able to go around the heavy bag as you work out. So having 360-degree access to it is essential. 

Whether that location is indoor or outdoor, the important thing is to choose the right one.

How Much Does the Heavy Bag Weigh?

Just as important as the location is the weight of the heavy bag. How much does it weigh, exactly?

Sure, heavy wag weights are not the same. The usual range of home heavy bags is from 70 to 100 pounds. But some can weigh much more than that, especially for some Muay Thai heavy bags that are longer.

The point in knowing how much your home heavy bag weighs is to prevent any unnecessary problems while installing it. Accidents and similar mishaps are the last things you’d want when installing your heavy bag at home.

You are not just considering the actual weight of the heavy bag. There is also the force that you exert on the bag every time you strike it.

Whether it is a punch, a kick or an elbow, you apply force and that has its own weight. Please note that the weight of this force is likely to be more than the actual weight of the bag.

Aside from that, the bag is going to move with every strike you make. All this means that you need to be extra careful when choosing how to hang your heavy bag.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s now check on some of the best ways to hang a heavy bag at home:

Hang The Heavy Bag From A Support Beam

The number one choice for most is to hang the heavy bag from the support beam in the ceiling. This provides you with the highest degree of mobility for using the bag.

Make sure you are able to select the strongest support beam for the purpose. Prepare the following tools and equipment before you start:

• Drill
• Eye bolt
• Heavy bag and chains
• S-hook
• Wrench

Then:

• Start by drilling a hole in the support beam.
• Get an eye bolt and twist it into the hole made. Use a wrench to tighten it. 
• Connect the heavy bag to the chain and then the chain to the S-hook.
• Lift up the heavy bag then hang the S-hook from the eye bolt.
• Check if the bag is properly secured by throwing a punch or kick.

Hang With The Use Of A Ceiling Mount

Another top option is to hang your heavy bag with the use of a ceiling mount.

There are a variety of ceiling mounts that you can choose from and they are available online. You can put this type of mount on ceiling beams or joists. 

A tip: The place where the beam meets the joists is the strongest point to place the mount.

You will need the following equipment:

• Bag and chains
• Drill
• Marker
• Mount
• Nuts and bolts
• Screwdriver
• Wrench

The steps to hang the bag using a ceiling mount are:

• Put the mount against the ceiling and mark where the bolts will be placed.
• Use the drill to make holes in the marked areas.
• Put the mount in place and screw in the bolts. Use a wrench or screwdriver to do the job.
• Connect the chains to the heavy bag and then to the S-hook.
• Hang the heavy bag to the mount with the S-hook.
• Check the stability of the mount by throwing a few strikes to the bag.

Hang With Use Of A Wall Mount

You might not be able to use the ceiling for whatever reason. So the next best option you have is to use wall mounts to hang your heavy bag. 

Wall mounts are available online and they already come with all of the needed hardware when you purchase.

Be careful not to use a wall mount on drywall. It should only be used for masonry walls.

These are the equipment that you will need for the wall mount:

• Heavy bag and chains
• Drill
• Marker
• Mount
• Nuts and bolts
• Screwdriver
• Wrench

The steps to hang the heavy bag using a wall mount are:

• Put the mount against the wall and carefully mark where the bolts will be placed.
• Use the drill to make holes in the areas that were marked.
• Put the mount against the wall and then tighten the bolts.
• Connect the bag and the S-hook to the chain.
• Hang the heavy bag on the wall mount.
• Hit the bag with a few kicks and punches to see if it is stable and secure enough.

Use a Heavy Bag Stand

The last option on our list is to use a heavy bag stand.

There is a reason why this is last on the list. It is because it is not as recommended as the other ways to hang a bag.

A heavy bag stand just presents too many risks. The fact that it is portable also means that it is going to move a lot when it is hit. Whether it is a punch or a kick, the stand is going to just move too much and it might even topple. 

Imagine you are in the middle of a great workout and you happen to hit the bag too hard and it comes crashing down. Bye bye, momentum.

To make it easier to use, you will probably have to use some weights to at least stabilize it.

Look at all these options and choose the best one according to your situation and location. 

Once you are set, get ready to start striking to your heart’s content - “Ooh-wee!"

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