best heavy bag

Absolutely Top 4 Best Heavy Bag for You

Water is wet, humans breathe air, and fighters train on heavy bags. These are inarguable facts of life, and anyone training in any martial art will need to find the best heavy bag they can get their hands on to train.

Whether you’re just starting your training or already an experienced practitioner, purchasing the right heavy bag is an essential part of your regimen.

At A Glance: Heavy Bag Overview

Boxing MMA 100lbs Heavy Bag Filled by Outslayer

A pre-filled heavy bag weighted at 100 pounds, this Outslayer brand bag can be filled up to 300 pounds and has a vinyl covering. It has a 10-year warranty and is filled with compressed fabric.

Muay Thai Heavy Punching Bag Red (130 Pound) by Outslayer

Another Outslayer brand pre-filled heavy bag, this is in the “banana bag” style and can be used to practice leg kicks. It has a smaller striking surface than other traditional bags, is filled to a 130-pound weight and has a 10-year warranty.

Century Wavemaster XXL Training Bag

This is a standing heavy bag, meaning it won’t hang from the ceiling. If you’re looking for a heavy bag and can’t mount one to the ceiling, this is an excellent choice. The base will fill with sand or water. The Century Wavemaster is one of our favorites if you’re seeking the best free standing punching bag.

Everlast 100-Pound Nevatear Heavy Bag

Everlast makes great home gym products, and their 100-Pound Nevatear heavy bag is an excellent choice for anyone looking to get an inexpensive punching bag.

Reviews of The Best Heavy Bag

Boxing MMA 100lbs Heavy Bag Filled by OutslayerBest Heavy Bag - Boxing MMA

This pre-filled heavy bag by Outslayer sits at the higher end of the price range, but you are getting your money’s worth.

Outslayer is a well-known brand when it comes to fight equipment and they put the time in to make sure their products are of a high quality for their consumers.

The fabric inside the bag is evenly distributed to ensure a consistent striking surface across the bag, and it comes already packed; this means the material inside has already settled and the density of the surface won’t change much over time.

If you need more than 100 pounds of fill, you can add more weight – up to 300 pounds. Outslayer will also ship you a base ring if you need to attach their bag to a stand or a floor if you don’t intend to hang it. It comes with sewn on straps, so there’s no need for your own chains when hanging the bag.

As a bonus, it comes with a 10-year warranty against damage. That’s a really long time for a heavy bag and helps ensure your purchase will last for many training sessions.

Things We Like

  • Fill comes compressed to ensure consistent striking surface
  • Can add up to 300 pounds of weight if needed
  • 10-year warranty is one of the best in the industry

Things We Didn’t Like

  • Sits at the high end of the price range for hanging home gym bags

Boxing MMA 100lbs Heavy Bag Filled by Outslayer

Muay Thai Heavy Punching Bag Red (130 Pound) by OutslayerBest Heavy Bag - MT Heavy

This is what’s referred to as a “banana bag”; it’s longer and has a much taller striking surface and can be used for training lower-leg kicks.

It can also be used for traditional boxing as well, and becomes a very versatile tool in any gym. This bag has a vinyl cover and, like the above bag, is made my Outslayer.

It comes pre-filled to 130 pounds with fabric and is compressed to provide a consistent striking surface right out of the box.

The shell itself is rated to be filled with up to 300 pounds, so when buying this bag, you have the option of a heavier weight if needed.

Like most of their products, a bottom ring for floor mounting will be sent for free if requested, and the bag comes with Outslayer’s 10-year warranty.

Things We Like

  • Taller bag is perfect for all forms of strike training
  • 130-pound weight is good even for heavy-hitters
  • 10-year wear-and-tear warranty

Things We Didn’t Like

  • Expensive!
  • Taller striking surface means it’s also thinner and is a smaller target for upper-body strikes

Muay Thai Heavy Punching Bag Red (130 Pound) by Outslayer

Century Wavemaster XXL Training BagBest Heavy Bag - Century

This is a standing heavy bag, meaning it doesn’t hang from the ceiling and is instead mounted on a fixed base.

For those who don’t have access to a proper ceiling mount or are otherwise unable to use a hanging bag, this is a solid choice.

The bag itself comes compressed and has a good striking surface, while the base can be filled with water or sand (we highly recommend sand).

Keep in mind that going with a standing bag like this is a compromise; the bag will not be as stable as a heavy hanging bag and even when fully filled there will be lots of swing.

To offset this the stand itself can be mounted to the floor, and if that’s an option, we recommend doing so. It’s made of vinyl and has a very large striking surface for a standing heavy bag.

Things We Like

  • Sturdy standing heavy bag
  • Bag fill used is a good striking surface
  • Portable, just empty the base and go

Things We Didn’t Like

  • Heavy strikers will need to get a heavy hanging bag to use their full power
  • Bag fill itself can’t be easily adjusted

Century Wavemaster XXL Training Bag

Everlast 100-Pound Nevatear Heavy BagBest Heavy Bag - Everlast 100

Everlast sets the gold standard for home gym heavy bags. They’re inexpensive and tend to last a long time under moderate use.

This particular bag comes pre-filled with Everlast’s own materials, and we find they stay mostly consistent after many uses.

It has a variable length chain suspension for easy height adjustment, and it includes a second strap on the bottom of the bag if anchoring to the floor is necessary to reduce swing.

The outside material is synthetic leather that feels good to strike and seems durable. The suspension straps themselves are made of cloth for reduced noise.

The only real downside is the fixed bag weight. Unless you intend to tear the bag open and sew it back up yourself, it will stay at 100 pounds and can’t be adjusted.

Everlast’s warranty is only 120-days, which is long enough to detect and defects in the bag but not intended as a wear-and-tear protection policy.

Things We Like

  • Consistent striking surface
  • Adjustable ceiling anchor allows for easy height adjustment
  • Bottom anchor helps reduce swing if you can attach it to the floor

Things We Didn’t Like

  • Fixed weight can’t be adjusted
  • Warranty is only 120-days

Everlast 100-Pound Nevatear Heavy Bag

What Should I Be Looking for to Find The Best Heavy Bag?

As one of the most critical components of any martial arts training regimen, careful attention must be paid to your individual needs when picking the best heavy bag.

The weight of the bag will vary depending on how heavy-handed (or footed!) you are. The material placed inside the bag will also have a huge impact on your training, as will the materials used for the outside shell. Always ask yourself what your training goals are and choose accordingly!

Weight

The weight you choose for the bag itself will be different for different people, and can even be adjusted depending on the type of bag you buy.

Lighter practitioners or light-strikers can get away with a lighter bag, but we wouldn’t recommend going below 70 pounds.

Conversely, heavyweights will want to go with a much heavier bag, up to 150 pounds or even more. Now, the weight of the bag will change with the material placed inside it.

Some bags come pre-filled by the manufacturer, while others must be filled at home. If you’re comfortable filling a bag yourself, we highly recommend doing so. Being able to fill your own bag gives you more control over important factors like the weight, hardness, and swing.

A bag that swings a lot because it’s too light will quickly become an annoyance rather than a fantastic training tool! The best heavy bag will have a minimal swing so you can strike at maximum power.

Hardness

Hardness entirely dependent upon the fill material. Lighter materials like cloth strips will result in a softer bag, and a more dense fill material like sand will give you a bag that’s as hard as a rock.

If you’re looking to get a bag that you can fill yourself, you are free to try different fill materials, but if you buy one pre-filled pay close attention to what’s inside the bag before purchasing!

Also bear in mind that when you first start hitting a bag, the material will start to settle and pack down. Over time, the bag will become harder, particularly near the bottom, and result in a tougher striking surface.

A harder bag will help condition your striking tools to be tough and less prone to injury, but you have to be careful not to injure yourself! Punching a bag filled with sand can literally be like hitting a rock!

Shell Material

The traditional, and most expensive, shell material is leather. Most bags you find in high-end gyms will be made from real leather. It’s a more durable material and results in a satisfying impact, with the trade-off being its cost.

Synthetic leathers are also used in bag construction. They are less expensive than real leather but won’t last as long and are less pleasing to strike.

On the low end of the spectrum is canvas, which is very cheap but only recommended if the other two materials are far out of your price range.

Winner: Outslayer 100lbs Heavy Bag

The winner for this round-up was a toss-up between the 100-pound Outslayer heavy bag and the 130-pound Outslayer heavy bag. As the best heavy bag, we chose the 100-pound version for its durability, 10-year warranty, and lower price.

Outslayer bags are used in gyms throughout the world, and it’s a trusted brand among martial arts trainers. This bag is a truly versatile product thanks to its variable weight and anchoring options, and we really can’t stress enough how outstanding that 10-year warranty is.

Outslayer stands behind their products, and that says more about them than any product description can. 

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