Treadmill Vs Punching Bag

Hitting the gym and hopping on the treadmill is a common and effective way to burn calories and improve overall health, but it's not the only way to blow off some steam. Boxing with a punching bag gives you many of the same benefits as running on the treadmill and teaches you some valuable skills at the same time. Both treadmills and punching bags have unique benefits and disadvantages, but you don't have to include one in your routine at the expense of the other.

  1. Calories Burned

    • Near the top of the list for most people developing a fitness routine is weight loss. Both running on a treadmill and boxing with a punching bag can help you burn a significant number of calories. According to Harvard Health Publications, you can burn between 240 and 355 calories per hour running at 5 miles per hour, depending on your weight. Doubling your speed will allow you to burn more than double the calories. As for calories burned when hitting a punching bag, you can burn between 354 and 518 calories per hour .

    Other Benefits

    • Calorie-burn isn't the only thing you'll get out of these exercises. Aerobic exercise increases stamina, keeps your arteries clear, boosts your mood and helps manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Since boxing has aerobic and anaerobic components, it also has unique benefits compared with running on a treadmill. You can strengthen and tone muscles with a punching bag by simulating high intensity interval training with fast burnouts.

    Effort and Difficulty

    • Measuring effort and difficulty isn't easy because it's so subjective. Generally speaking, boxing is a more complex form of exercise than running on a treadmill, since it has anaerobic components and requires more skill and coordination. A 2011 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" states that students require a solid minimum level of aerobic fitness for boxing exercises. It may be easier to scale a workout down to your level of fitness on a treadmill, and then you can work up as you get stronger.

    Safety

    • When it comes to safety, neither running on a treadmill nor punching a bag is particularly dangerous, but injuries do occur. Stress fractures and chronic pain can result from running too often, while injuries to the shoulder joint are common among punchers. Observing proper running mechanics and punching form will help you avoid most common forms of injury.