Free Standing Punching Bag Reviews
If you really want to maximize your training or workouts, a hanging heavy bag is an absolute necessity. However, for the majority of martial artists, boxers, and fitness enthusiasts, purchasing a hanging heavy bag is not realistic. A hanging heavy bag requires additional support structures to be installed inside your home. These support structures protect the foundation of your ceiling, allowing you to maximize power kicks and punches without worrying about causing structural damage. These installations can be extremely costly, averaging thousands of dollars, and may take days to complete. The solution to safely training at home for a fraction of the price is a free standing punching bag. They can also usually be easily rolled into place when needed and then quickly stored afterwards. This also makes them an excellent tool for aerobic fitness classes at exercise gyms. Free standing bags vary in size and quality, and as a result some are more recommended for more serious MMA or boxing fighters than others.
Made from a variety of materials, the free standing punching bag is supported on a structural base that can be filled with water or sand. Some bases even allow you to secure the punching stand with weight plates. There is an array of benefits to opting for a free standing punching bag as well as a few inconveniences to take into consideration.
PROS
Convenience
• The free standing heavy bag is one of the most convenient ways to work out and train. Since the heavy bag is not secured to a ceiling fixture, you are able to move it around your home and store it appropriately. If you are a personal trainer and want to use the free standing punching bag with a client, you can easily transport it to your studio or client’s home.
Durability
• Although quality can vary depending on the brand, free standing punching bags overall are very durable. The outside material may be synthetic leather, vinyl, rubber, or a combination of all three. Popular brands are built to be used by professional martial artists and therefore are made to absorb thousands upon thousands of kicks and punches.
Cost
• Since you don’t have to worry about installing a ceiling support beam, you will be saving yourself a lot of money with a free standing punching bag. Also, as mentioned above, the durability of the punching bag will ensure that it can be used for years to come.
CONS
Unstable Support
• Again, this will depend heavily on the brand, but you may find that some free standing punching bags are not supported in a stable fashion to allow for optimal training or workouts. Sloshing water or uneven sand within the base of the foundation may cause issues.
Limited Use of Power
• Continuing with the idea above, some free standing punching bags are not able to withstand full power kicks and punches as the bag may topple over. Be sure to read carefully when purchasing a bag to ensure it will be able to absorb a high percentage of pressure per square inch.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW:
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Century BOB
- Weight: 270 pounds (when filled)
- User Rating: 4.5
The BOB Heavy Bag from Century is one of the best free standing punching bags on the market. Not only is the striking surface made with an extremely durable rubber material but also the base is constructed from a hard plastic and PVC combination. BOB can be filled with sand or water, weighing up to 275 pounds. Your hardest kicks and punches won’t phase this realistic training tool. Best of all, it comes with a great manufacturer’s warranty.
The main feature of the Century Heavy Bag is the human shape allowing you a realistic training while still maintaining a over average durability of the material used.
We therefore highly recommend the Century BOB for all boxing enthusiasts wanting to invest in a product from the world largest manufacturer of martial arts and fitness apparel.
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Everlast Omniflex
- Weight: 130 pounds (including base)
- User Rating: 4.4
The Everlast Omniflex free standing heavy bag is constructed from a durable, webbed, interconnected matrix of black synthetic leather and vinyl. The bag is 67 inches tall at its highest setting. The plastic base can be filled with water or sand, with the entire apparatus weighing in at around 130 lbs when filled.
The main feature of the Everlast Heavy Bag is the flexible neck on which the bag sits. This allows the bag to swing back at an angle of around 30 degrees on impact and then quickly spring back to its original position, without the base moving noticeably. This allows the bag to absorb significantly more force than most free standing punching bags. It also allows for wider functionality as uppercuts can also be trained on this bag, which is not something that can commonly be trained on most heavy bags. On its shortest setting it can also be hit with knees.
We highly recommend the Everlast Omniflex bag as a good supplement for trained fighters looking to work on cardio, power, reaction time, and also some basic head movement (the bag snaps back into place with close to the same force as it was hit, which means that it could potentially hit you in the face after a well committed punch or haymaker). We also recommend it for aerobic fitness users looking for a fun way to let off some steam without fear of injury. It is well designed, long lasting and and in our opinion quite simply an excellent investment.
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Original Century Wavemaster
- Weight: 250 pounds (including base)
- User Rating: 4.2
The Original Century Wavemaster Freestanding Heavy Bag is the first standing heavy bag that Century released over a decade ago, and is a staple at many martial arts gyms. It is the predecessor to an entire line of Wavemasters, each of which are based on the original with various improvements on its design.
The free standing heavy bag is made of high-density, force dispersing foam with a durable, long lasting vinyl cover. It stands between 47 and 68 inches tall depending on the height setting. The base can be filled with sand or water. The entire apparatus weighs around 250 pounds, and is available in red, blue, or black. This bag is fairly stable, and somewhat padded, but is not as forgiving as more padded standing heavy bags and could potentially lead to foot or ankle injuries if kicked too hard or improperly.
The bag is smaller than most freestanding heavy bags and so we recommend this bag to shorter adults and children, who will find it more stable when adjusted to a shorter height. As well, we recommend it to aerobic fitness users as a good cardio training tool. However, we would not highly recommend it to people over 6 feet tall, as it becomes wobbly and unstable when adjusted to their height and may slide along the training surface, or worse tip over. It is also significantly nosier to hit at this height. You can read more reviews about other Wavemaster bags here.
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Everlast PowerCore
- Weight: 250 pounds (including base)
- User Rating: 2.6
The Everlast PowerCore free standing heavy bag has a shell that is constructed from a durable mixture of black synthetic leather and vinyl. It has a series of three metal plates at the core of the bag, which serve to contribute to the stability of the overall bag, with foam providing protection and force dispersion on the surface. The punching bag has a high density plastic neck and base, which can be filled with sand or water. The bag is adjustable in height and ranges from 52 inches to 65 inches. It is also easy to assemble and store and weighs in at approximately 250 pounds when filled.
The Everlast bag is relatively forgiving, and the surface of the bag is fairly durable, however it does have one significant design flaw. With a name like PowerCore, we would expect this heavy bag to be able to take powerful strikes, but this is in fact a misnomer. The problem with the bag is that the plastic neck has the tendency to crack from the force of powerful strikes. The bag was simply not designed to take hard shots, rather it was designed with aerobic fitness users in mind.
Therefore, we would recommend it to aerobic fitness users as it serves that purpose well enough. However, we would not recommend this to aspiring MMA or Boxing fighters who are interested in developing power in their punches and kicks or even to larger fitness users who naturally pack a stronger punch. This bag simply cannot take the punishment.
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Power Systems PowerForce
- Weight: 300 pounds (including base)
- User Rating: 5
The Power Systems PowerForce free standing punching bag is one of the largest free standing bags on the market. It stands a colossal 72 inches tall, and has a 16.5 inch diameter. The bag’s cover is a mixture of nylon and canvas and weighs well over 300 pounds when the base is full. The padding is thick, however because of the size, weight and material, we would heavily recommend that users wear at least 12 oz. gloves when hitting this bag.
An excellent feature of this bag is that it contains a heavy-duty rubber coil in its two-piece base, and a removable collar that allows the bag to swivel more when hit, making this bag exceptionally stable. In this mode, it will not move around the floor at all even when hit with power shots. With the collar in place, the PowerForce bag is still very stable as it just snaps back into place after punches faster, making this mode more ideal for combination punching.
We recommend this bag to aerobic fitness users and serious fighters alike, as it serves both of these groups well. This bag is a little more difficult to set up and move around than other freestanding heavy bags because of its size and recoil spring, so some assistance is probably necessary in the setup phase. It is also more expensive than most other standing bags, however its size, stability and durability are well worth the extra money.
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