How to Hang a Heavy Bag
Contents
If you agree with over 60% of Americans who think that home gyms will eventually replace traditional brick and mortar gyms, then you may be in the process of beefing up your home gym. Day in and day out, it seems like there are new products being released to help people create their ideal home gyms. From stationary bikes, treadmills, workout mirrors, and more, there are so many options to choose from!
If you’re interested in a piece of home gym equipment that will serve as a great form of cross training, then you should look into getting a heavy bag! They’re affordable and effective – what more could you want?
But, before you decide to buy a heavy bag, you’ve got to know and understand where you’re going to put it! Like the name suggests, heavy bags (or punching bags) are heavy! On top of this, they need to be hung in order to use it. So, as you’re considering this exceptional piece of workout equipment, you need to know how to hang it in your given space.
In this article, I’m going to be covering just that! Let’s explore the 4 best ways of how to hang a heavy bag so that you can get an amazing workout from home!
Gather Needed Info
Before you know how to hang your heavy bag, there are two pieces of information that you’ll need to gather that can affect how you hang your bag, and they are…
Bag Weight – How much does your heavy bag weigh?
Before you dive into hanging your bag, it is essential that you know the weight of your bag. Knowing this will equip you with an understanding of what your options are when deciding how to hang a heavy bag.
The heavier your bag is, the more planning you’ll need to do. Similarly, the heavier your bag is, the fewer options you may have for hanging depending on your available space. This leads us to the second essential piece of information you’ll need to gather…
Hanging Location – Where do you want to hang your heavy bag?
Determining where you can hang your heavy bag is the last thing you’ll need to know before picking how you’ll hang it. You’ll need to pick a spot that will give you plenty of room to use the punching bag. And, you’ve got to consider that when you punch the bag, it will swing and sway. You’ll need to pick a spot with plenty of space 360 degrees around the bag to allow for movement, etc.
Once you have the ideal location of where your heavy bag will go and you know the weight, you can start deciding which way is the best way to hang it. But, before we do that. Let’s talk more about heavy bags and their weight.
How Much Does a Heavy Bag Weigh?
If you haven’t picked out your heavy bag you want to hang for your home gym, take into consideration the weight before choosing one.
While most heavy bags are around 70-100 pounds, there are some really heavy duty ones that can reach up to 200 pounds. On the completely other end of the spectrum, you can even find some that weigh as little as 30 pounds. So, as you can see, the weight range is pretty wide! If you’re in the market for a heavy bag, I’d suggest aiming for the average. Find one with great reviews, but that won’t weigh you down too much.
When you’re deciding how much weight the spot you’re hanging your heavy bag can handle, you can’t just consider the weight of the bag alone, which is why it’s ideal to lean a little lighter if possible. If you think about it, when you punch a heavy bag, the actual force of it moving or dropping on the anchor can be significantly more than the bag’s actual weight. Therefore, if your bag weighs 100 pounds, you might need two times that amount in terms of support.
On top of this, there are even some instances when you are working out where you hit in a way that the bag jumps a little. In these times, there is even more force on the bag lifting in the air and then hitting down, putting a great deal of pressure on your anchor point.
All of this to say, you’ve got to have a solid anchor point to hang a heavy bag safely. It’s got to withstand a lot of weight & force, and you just can’t take any chances.
So, now that you know where your bag will best fit in your home and how much weight it actually needs to withstand, let’s explore the 4 best options of how to hang a heavy bag for your home gym.
Hang Heavy Bag To Ceiling Joist
The number one rule of hanging a heavy bag is to NEVER hang it from drywall alone. If you try to just hang it up straight from the ceiling, you’re bound to have a giant hole and quite the mess on your hands. Instead, your first option is to use the ceiling joist to hang your bag. Most joists should be able to handle 4 times the weight of your bag, depending on the weight of your bag, of course.
With this method, you’ll need to have your ceiling mount (and all the hardware included), a pencil, drill, and wrench. It should come with screws, but get wood screws if not. Once you’ve got your supplies, follow the directions below.
- Use a stud finder to locate a ceiling joist.
- Line up the mount with the joist, and mark where the screw holes need to be.
- Remove the mount and screw holes where you marked them.
- Place the mount back up and attach the screws.
- Tighten fully with a wrench.
- Take the chains connected to the bag and connect them to the “S” hook.
- With help, if needed, connect the “S” hook to the eyebolt.
- Inspect the installation, tugging on the bag and making sure that it is secure.
Mount Heavy Bag To Wall
If you have trouble locating the ceiling joist or the ceiling joist is not an option for you, another installation technique is to hang a heavy bag on a wall. Again, this can’t be just any wall, and it most definitely can’t be just drywall (remember my number one rule I mentioned earlier?)
- This heavy bag hanger is built to hang the heaviest of heavy bags
- The bracket hold up to 1000 lbs, suggest mounted this on concrete wall
- The horizontal bar which supports the bag is about 2.2 feet
- Steel plate base, fastens securely to wall, make sure no vibrations and shaking
- 6 expansion bolts is included for assembly of the product
When using a wall mount, you will mount a heavy bag to a masonry wall. When I say masonry, I mean a brick wall or even concrete. More often than not, a person who hangs their heavy bag from the wall will put it in their basement. While you can also hang a bag on studs in walls, it just seems more ideal to use an area where you have heavier wall materials, if possible.
For this type of installation, you’re going to need a wall mount, pencil, drill, wrench, and wood screws or concrete anchors. You may also want a stud finder if you will hang it on studs.
- Either find the wall stud (if hanging with studs) or the ideal spot on your masonry wall.
- Place the wall mount in the location you found and mark where you need to drill holes.
- Using the drill, create the holes where you marked.
- Attach the wall mount (following the directions provided with the wood screws or concrete anchors).
- Take the chains connected to the bag and connect them to the “S” hook.
- With help, if needed, connect the “S” hook to the eyebolt.
- Inspect the installation, tugging on the bag and making sure that it is secure.
Freestanding Heavy Bag Stand
The fourth and final option when determining how to hang a heavy bag is the path of least resistance. Let’s say that your home is older and you’re worried about a hanging bag. Or maybe you’re renting your home and you don’t feel comfortable installing something of this magnitude? Well, you can always purchase a freestanding heavy bag stand!
- HEAVY DUTY - Sturdy base to support strong workouts
- TUBULAR CONSTRUCTION - 3-in. tubular steel construction
- HEAVY BAG CAPACITY - Holds up to a 100lb Bag
- VERSATILE USE - Perfect for boxers and martial artists
- SIMPLE SET UP - Some assembly required
As with all the other ways to hang a heavy bag, this has its pros and cons as well, so let’s look at them.
Pros
- Easier to install
With a freestanding heavy bag stand, you may or may not have to put it together, but the installation is pretty straightforward. Once you hang up the bag, it’s ready to go!
- Less “stress”
You also don’t have to worry about loads or weights because it’s specifically made to hold and bear the weight of a heavy bag! You don’t have to stress about whether you installed it properly, and that is a huge pro!
Cons
- Expensive
Having a freestanding heavy bag stand is going to be a lot more expensive than buying an eyebolt and some other supplies to hang it. With this form of hanging a heavy bag, it’s the biggest, made of the most material, and most expensive.
- Bulky
Last, and maybe most important, these stands can be pretty bulky. If you’ve got a basement or a big bonus room, you may have the space to use a freestanding heavy bag stand. But, if you’re limited in space, this probably won’t be an option for you!
Wrap-Up
Above we covered four options for hanging heavy bags in your home gym. Hang heavy bag directly to a ceiling joist, hang to ceiling with a mount, mount the heavy bag to a wall, and use a freestanding heavy bag stand.
Each of the above methods has their own pros and cons. No matter which option you choose, take the extra time to ensure your heavy bag is secured safely!
