Homemade Punching Bag

Punching bags are staples of every boxer's trainer regiment, but they can also provide a great workout for the average person. While regular punching bags can be a bit expensive, creating your own homemade punching bag is a fun, inexpensive project that requires only a few supplies.

  1. Bag

    • When making your own punching bag, the first thing to do is select the material you would like. The best choice is either canvas or nylon, though you can go with leather. The leather may be a bit more expensive. If you are truly feeling thrifty, you can go to your local second-hand shop and see if they have any old army duffel bags, which are perfect for re-purposing as punching bags. Large potato sacks are also a good choice.

    Weight

    • The second thing to consider is how heavy you want the bag to be. A nice beginner's punching bag should weight roughly 70 pounds. To prepare the bulk of the weight, you are going to need sand. Using heavy-duty, black trash bags, fill one with roughly 50 pounds of sand. Use a scale to help determine the weight. Tie this bag and place it inside of a second trash bag. Tie the second bag. Repeat this one more time. This way, if the punching bag breaks or rips, the sand won't spill everywhere.

    Filler

    • Use foam to line the punching bag. Egg-crate mattress toppers are a simple and cheap source of foam--just make sure the smooth side faces out. Grab some scissors or sheers since you're probably going to have to do some trimming. Place extra foam on the bottom of the bag and then insert the sand weight. Top the bag off with old rags and towels or sheets. Pack everything down tightly and weigh the bag, it should be roughly 70 pounds by now. If it isn't, add an extra sand bag and pack down again with rags and towels.

    Close and Box

    • Close the bag up by zipping it closed if it has a zipper. If it doesn't, securely tie the bag off and reinforce with duct tape. Hanging it up is the tricky part. If your bag does not have straps at the top of it, you may need to attach a hook through the top of bag, again reinforcing with duct tape. Attach this hook to a strong chain and hang it on a hook from a ceiling. Choose an area where there is nothing breakable and be sure to secure it to a ceiling beam.

      Now practice your right and left hooks.