If you’re looking for a workout at home that is cost efficient and doesn’t require too much bulky equipment. Boxing at home may be exactly what you’re looking for.
There are countless ways to get a good workout from the comfort of your own home. Most exercises are designed to target specific areas of your body and finding one that is a complete full body workout and extremely fun can be far and few in between.
Boxing at home can be as grand or as simple as you like it to be. A modest space with hand wraps, gloves and a punching bag is often all you need. You may want to expand your home gym with more equipment such as speed bags and light weights as you grow in your workout routines.
Even if you’re not sure if you want to invest into any equipment right away. But would like to still try boxing at home. An easy way to start is shadow boxing.
At first it may not seem like a very effective exercise. But shadow boxing – when done consistently and with effort – can be a great full body workout as well.
If shadow boxing sounds like a good start for you but you’re not sure how, you can follow along with this video from Precision Striking on Youtube, which would walk you through what you need to do.
Boxing At Home Essentials
Hand Wraps
This is often over looked and widely debated if it is even a necessity when training. Especially if you’re just casually hitting the bag at home.
For pure safety reasons and to avoid future issues with your hands, using hand wraps is a must when doing any type of training that involves hitting a bag or sparring.
Think of it this way, hand wraps help keep your hands and wrists stable and aligned. The tension from the wraps, helps spread the impact when hitting the punching bag.
“…an analogy I like to use is a pair of running shoes…you always put on a pair of socks before you put on shoes…”
csquaredboxing on Youtube – check out the video here
Why not just use boxing gloves? Although gloves are well padded and can absorb a lot of the impact. Most often then not, boxing gloves would fit well, but not snug enough to keep your hands from moving on the inside.
Typically you will find the boxing gloves you’re using will have some empty space inside after you hand is in. Wearing hand wraps isn’t meant to fill these gaps, but will help in protecting your hand from mishits where your hand lands awkwardly on a target.
Boxing Gloves
Having the right gloves would be where most individuals will look for first when planning to box at home. And finding the right ones is its own art form. You will find there will be a huge range in prices when looking for what’s right for you.
The more expensive you go does not necessarily mean its a better option. And for the gloves that have a smaller price tag, does not mean they will not perform well enough.
It really comes down to what your needs are when boxing at home.
For the scope of this article and majority of our readers being first time or beginners in participating with this type of workout. We will talk about what will work for that stage.
Boxing gloves and how they will fit are measured by the weight of the gloves compared to the height and weight of the person wearing them.
That would be a generic way in finding the right fit and typically would be accurate enough. You could also measure you hands and find the right size that way.
We go through step by step on how to do this through another article here.
A quick break down of what size boxing gloves compared to your weight will be as follows.
| User Weight (lbs) | Recommended Glove Size | Hand Circumference (inches) |
| Under 110 | 8oz | 5.5 |
| 110-140 | 8oz-10oz | 6.5-7 |
| 140-165 | 10oz-12oz | 7.5-8 |
| 165-190 | 10oz-14oz | 8.5-9 |
| 190-215 | 12oz-16oz | 9.5+ |
| 215+ | 14oz-18oz | 9.5+ |
Boxing gloves typically are made with leather or a synthetic leather material. Original leather being the more expensive option. However, the gloves made today in synthetic leather has already proved to be a viable option for people wanting to casually box at home.
They are generally filled with various layers of foam that gives ample cushion and shock absorbency that you will be looking for. We did some quick research to find out what exactly are inside boxing gloves, you can check out that article here.
Standing Punching Bags For Boxing At Home
The bread and butter when it comes to boxing at home. For most beginners and casual boxers, a standing punching bag is a popular option. They are easy to set up and move around if you need it out of the way.
Standing punch bags come in two parts, a base and the bag itself that would attach or slide on top of the base.
To keep it steady, you would need to fill the bottom with water, sand or gravel. This would make it heavy enough so it doesn’t move while you’re using it. Depending on which method you choose, it would make will determine how heavy the punching bag would be.
For example, with the base filled to the brim with water, typically the unit will weight about 250 pounds. If you plan on filling it entirely with sand, you could expect around 350 pounds for the total weight.
Filling it entirely with water is a popular choice, because it’s easy, doesn’t cost extra and 250 pounds is generally heavy enough for most people. If you think you might go heavier with sand or gravel. Remember at some point you may need to move the bag, or empty it entirely.
Trying to move around 350 pounds plus, and emptying the base would likely be a difficult task.
Does Your Home Boxing Gym Need Flooring
A basic home gym can work on any type of flooring. Carpet, tiles, hardwood, concrete you name it. You may want to set the punching bag on a single foam mat to protect your flooring and wear shoes when appropriate.
You will be hitting the bag a lot, so to prevent any damage on your floor have something soft that won’t slide when used.
If you do plan on having a complete home gym at some point, you may want to look at investing in rubber floor mats.
Having that extra buffer between your workout equipment and floor will prevent any type of scuffing or scratches. And a thicker rubber mat gives a nice cushion that eases the shock to your joints when moving around.
Conclusion
Having basic boxing equipment is a great way to add to your current home gym or if you just needed a workout and box from home. It’s fast and easy to get started and you wouldn’t have to lug around and set up any heavy weights.
As your needs change in your workout routine and you something more challenging. Or if you just wanted to focus on certain areas of your body. You can start adding the equipment that will help compliment your boxing routine.