Training at a gym is always ideal, but sometimes it’s far more convenient to get those hours of training in at home. If you’ve got the space, you might be considering setting up a home gym. We wanted to help you out with some tips on home boxing equipment.
There’s a lot of things that you could include in your home gym, which will depend on your situation. The things to ask yourself are how much space you have, what your budget is, and whether things need to be stored away, or can be kept out permanently. Don’t take this list as a checklist of home boxing equipment that you need to own, but rather a series of options to help guide your plan.
Boxing Gloves
Okay, so if you’re training regularly then you’ll probably have a pair of gloves already. If you’re planning on training at both a boxing gym and at home, then consider a separate set of gloves for training at home. Doing this means that you can alternate between them, letting them properly air out in between sessions. It also means you’re less likely to accidentally leave your gloves at home.
If you don’t know what you’re looking for when it comes to boxing gloves, then we have plenty of great guides to brands, sizes and more. If you’re completely lost, then we even have a super detailed Ultimate Guide to everything there is to know.
Our suggestions for beginners
Mitts and a partner
If you live with someone who also loves boxing, you’re in luck. If so, one of the best things you can buy is a pair of boxing mitts, to train together. One person wears a set of gloves, while the other acts like a pad holder and leads the session. Unlike many of the other items in this list, having a partner to train with means that every session is unique. You can focus on specific combinations, as well as having someone to help correct your mistakes. Additionally, you’ll probably find yourself working harder than if you were alone.
We’ve reviewed a number of sets of boxing mitts, which might help you out if you’re after a pair.
Our suggestions for beginners
Punch bag
Punching bags have some great benefits for beginners. Here are a few things which having a punching bag lets you do:
- Boxing in your spare time without a partner or coach
- Training at your own pace
- Having fun and getting fit without much experience
- Practicing punches at full power without worrying about injuring anyone
- Experimenting with your own combinations
- Repeating a technique to help perfect your technique
There are many different punch bag types, so we’ve listed some which are more suited to a home gym below.
Heavy Bag
The heavy bag is the most common punching bag used for boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and other martial arts. The term heavy bag can be used to refer to bags of multiple shapes and sizes, but a typical heavy bag is usually 4ft-5ft tall, with a consistent width from top to bottom. Usually they’ll hang so that the bottom is just below waist height.
A heavy bag is perfect because they can be picked up for a good price. They’re fairly versatile, and let you work on most techniques such as straight punches, hooks, kicks, elbows and perhaps knees. You will however need to make sure that you can hang it safely.
Our suggestions for beginners
Double End Bag
The double end bag (or floor to ceiling bag), is a small bag on a cord between two points. Usually these will connect to the floor and ceiling. The tension of the ropes can change how quickly the bag swings. Likewise, the size of the ball can determine how big or small a target it is for training accuracy.
The double end bag allows for some good speed and rhythm training, with the added benefit that you can move around and use proper strikes. The speed that the bag swings back with means that this bag is also useful for practicing blocking, which means you can easily practice counter striking.
The benefit of these is that they are pretty easy and cheap to get hold of. Just be aware you will need an attachment on the floor and the ceiling, so it will need it’s own dedicated space.
Our suggestions for beginners
Cobra bag
Reflex bags (also referred to as Cobra bags), are similar to freestanding bags. The difference is that they have a smaller target and a spring, meaning the bag bounces back to you when hit.
These bags are easy to find and small enough that they can easily be put away when not in use. They make a good way to try out some light boxing combinations and work on timing. Unfortunately, you often can’t put too much power in on them.
Our suggestions for beginners
Thai wall bag
Although they’re a little harder to find, a Thai-style wall bag might be perfect if you’re after smaller home boxing equipment. This style of bag doesn’t need any room to swing or hang. It screws on to a wall, giving you a target you can throw all angles of shots on. Although these can be pretty expensive, there are also simpler budget solutions that might suit you.
Our suggestions for beginners
Skipping rope
Boxers and other fighters will often skip as a warm up before every training session, and it’s a great way to get the blood warm so it’s bound to get plenty of use. We wrote about the Adidas Weighted Skipping Rope Set a while back, which comes with a great case and multiple ropes/weights, but there are plenty of other great speed ropes or weighted ropes available on the market.
hand weights / egg weights
It’s easy to look at these smaller weights and think they’re pointless. For boxers though, smaller hand weights have a brilliant secret purpose: Shadow boxing. If you haven’t been shadow boxing until now, you’re missing out, because it has a range of benefits. While you’re throwing punches into the air, a light set of weights can provide a little resistance and help to improve your punches. They’re a super easy addition to your collection of home boxing equipment.
Resistance Bands
When you’re not boxing or shadow boxing, you might want some other exercises to work on the muscles needed for boxing. Resistance bands are a great choice, and don’t take up much space at all. When using resistance bands, you’re using the natural elasticity of the bands instead of weighted objects. Because of this, they can be used in a range of ways, and aren’t limited to the static ‘lifts’ that typical weights require.
weights
It may be that a good set of weights is the best supplement to your training. If you’ve got space then a barbell might be a good call, but otherwise a set of dumbbells or a kettlebell would also give you a great workout while being a little easier to store. Kettlebells in particular are great at utilising a variety of muscles which often don’t get exercised enough in typical training.
Foam roller
When training boxing it’s inevitable that you’re going to end up with aches and pains. There are plenty of massage tools which can be bought, but the simplest of these to pick up if you’re training at home is a foam roller. As the name suggests, these are made with firm, cylindrical foam that you roll your muscles over. As well as when you have muscle aches, the roller also works great as part of your cooldown and stretching routine. They’re a perfect way to release tension and relax the muscles straight after a hard session.
So that was our list of the best home boxing equipment to pick up for your home gym. If you’re looking to find out more about boxing and other martial arts, we have plenty of info on the site, or you can follow us on social media such as Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with what’s going on. If you have any other great suggestions, drop them down in the comments to help out others.