Whether you’ve boxed for years or recently threw on a pair of gloves for the first time, adding a punching bag to your home gym makes it easier to develop your speed, endurance, power and technique. From heavy bags to speed bags, the best punching bags serve as a pivotal part of your setup. We evaluated the top bags from Everlast, Prolast, Fitven and others before giving the belt to the Everlast Nevatear Heavy Bag for its value and durable features, while the Elite Sports Canvas Bag earned high marks for its build quality and sub-$50 price tag.
MORE FROMFORBES VETTED
The Types Of Punching Bags
You’ll want to decipher between the types of punch bags for a better idea of what's suited to your space and boxing style. Smaller bags, known as speed bags, are a helpful training tool for working on reaction time and speed, as well as hand and eye coordination, says Ryan McGivern, a boxer for over 20 years and head coach and owner of Meraki Box in South Dakota. In this category, you can find double-ended bags (round bags with two attachment points) which are reactive yet much softer and safer on your hands.
Heavy bags are perhaps what’s most typically conjured when thinking of a punching bag—the ones you might see at your local gym either attached to a stand or wall mount. “They’re great for developing power and learning how to punch correctly,” explains McGivern. “These are a great option to get comfortable with hitting something that feels like an opponent.’’ Because of their size, there’s not much coordination involved, but they are a bigger target that remains still.
Another popular punching bag is a freestanding bag that doesn’t require fixing to a wall. Yet, its base (usually packed with water or sand) gives it stability to withstand ongoing rounds in the ring. This may be your go-to option if wall mounting isn’t an option.
With that in mind, we’ve hit high and low to find the punching bags worth adding to your home gym equipment line-up. Although not exhaustive, these are some of the more popular bags, especially for beginners or those incorporating boxing into a repertoire of other workouts.
Best Punching Bag Overall: Everlast Nevatear Heavy Punching Bag
Best Freestanding Punching Bag: Fitven Freestanding Punching Bag
Best Punching Bag For Beginners: Prorobust Punching Bag
Best Budget Punching Bag: Elite Sport Canvas Punching Bag
Best Heavy Punching Bag: Everlast Polycanvas Heavy Punching Bag
Best Long Punching Bag: Prolast Muay Thai Heavy Bag
Best Speed Punch Bag: MaxxMMA Heavy Duty Speed Bag
Best Punching Bag Overall
An All-Round Contender For Your Daily Boxing Sessions
Everlast Nevatear Heavy Punching Bag
Dimensions:12 x 41 inches |Material: Syntheticleather|Weight:70 pounds
Pros:
- Includes additional equipment in the kit
- Durable materials
- Adjustable height
Cons:
- Heavy bag anchor not included
The 70-pound hangable heavy punching bag by Everlast has earned the title of overall best punching bag for its value and protective features. Made from durable polyurethane, it can withstand savage punches and arrives with a bungee cord should you wish toanchor it tothe floor (the heavy bag anchor is not included). The height chain is adjustable tofit your height too.
It’s also designed for optimal shock absorbency. The interior is a mix of foam and sand for superior padding and the bundle buy includes a pair of MMA gloves and hand wraps for extra protection. That’s not to say other brands of boxing gloves won’t work just as well.
Something to consider, you will need to purchase a punching bag stand or wall mount separately.
What the reviews say:“I've been using this bag 5 days a week, 1-2 hrs a day for about a month now, and so far all of the stitching and strapping has held up perfectly.”
Best Freestanding Punching Bag
Maintains Solid Grounding During Rounds Of Beating
Dimensions: 10 x 56 inches | Material: Faux leather | Weight: 56 pound bag, 140 pound base
Pros:
- No need to mount
- Designed with noise-reducing springs
- Easy to set up
Cons:
- Base is not pre-filled
When shopping for a freestanding punching bag, you want something sturdy that won’t falter against heavy strikes. The Fitven Freestanding Punching Bag not only features a shock-absorption system with both dual PVC shock absorbers and four springs to reduce noise, but 12 suction cups to securely affix the base to the ground. The springs also give the bag a degree of “rebound” to respond to hard punches.
The bag itself is made from a four-layer construction of high-density EPE foam, PU leather, eco-friendly fabric buffer and an internal stainless steel tube that should hold up over time. Another durability factor is the base, which acts as a superior anchor and can be filled with 160 pounds of water or 140 pounds of sand (the brand recommends sand as the more stable of the two).
Sold as a kit, you’ll also receive a pair of 12-ounce boxing gloves padded with thick foam for shock absorption.
What the reviews say: “I love this bag. The feature that drew me to hit was the suction cups on the bottom. I have had other bags that fill with sand or water, but this one has suction cups that hold it to the floor. it does not move when i kick it.”
Best Punching Bag For Beginners
A Solid Bag To Get You Started
Dimensions:13.8 x 13.7 x 47.2 inches|Material:Polyurethane and faux leather|Weight:Up to 80 pounds
Pros:
- Comes with a reinforced hanger and expansion bolts
- Madefrom a strong,multi-layered construction
- Set includes boxing gloves, jumping rope and more
Cons:
- Filling not included
If you’re still finding your footinginboxing, hone your technique on a punching bag suitable for beginners. The Prorobust Punching Bag is just that, with a few add-ons to seal the deal. The 4-foot punching bag comes with a reinforced steel chain that allows for a 360-degree swivel, a jump rope to work on your speed, reflex balls, hand wraps and 12-ounce boxing gloves.
The bag is delivered inflated. It’s suggested you fill it with up to 80 pounds of materials includingquilts,foam, sawdust and sand for theperfectprotective blend. Once filled and securely zipped, give it allyou’ve got.The multi-layer materials (including premium PU leather and high-elastic pearl cotton) can take on your dailyrounds ofpunching.
What the reviews say:“Overalla verygoodand robustpunchingbag. It also comes with several handy accessories tocomplete the training.”
Best Budget Punching Bag
An Affordable, Quality Bag For Casual Boxers
Elite Sport Canvas Punching Bag
Dimensions: 17 x 34 inches | Material: Canvas |Weight: Depends on filling
Pros:
- Sold alongside a hanging chain and attachment
- Affordable at just $40
- Great for beginners and casual boxers
Cons:
- May not be durable enough for advanced boxers
While I can’t vouch for its longevity (although the reviews are positive), I can promote the Elite Sports Canvas Punching Bag for its value. For just $40, this durable canvas bag (with heavy-duty metal chains and attachments) fits the bill for a spontaneous boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai session. Or even better, as a station in your HIIT circuit.
The bag is made with reinforced stitching which should handle tough strikes, plus you can fill it with various materials to increase or decrease its weight. Plus, it has a degree of built-in padding for shock absorption. You can also detach the chains to work on your grappling technique.
What the reviews say: “This bag is as solid as they come. I've used it now for a few weeks and it feels great striking it. Seems to be made of durable canvas and stitched extremely well.”
Best Heavy Punching Bag
A Bag Fit For Your Daily Boxing Workout
Everlast Polycanvas Heavy Punching Bag
Dimensions: 13 x 42 inches| Material:Faux leather|Weight: 80 pounds
Pros:
- Ready to useout of thebox
- Contains asanitized synthetic and natural fiber filling
- Includes adouble-endloop
Cons:
- Nylon straps may not be as durable asa metal chain
As heavypunchingbagsgo, this Everlast 80-pound heavy bag is ideal for demanding boxing sessions. A major positive is that the bag comes pre-filled witha blend of sanitizedsynthetic and natural fibers. This givesit ampleshockabsorbency.Plus,itssynthetic leather claims to give it extra durability alongside an outer reinforced webbing for resilience. It also has adouble-endloopshould you wish to anchorit down.
One thing to note is the heavy-duty nylon straps, which you may or may not favor over metal hanging chains. Either way, it’s designed to withstand tough daily workouts. The bag is sold in red and white (although the latter costs more).
What the reviews say:“Really liked the quality overall. Just as I expected. Even has the loop at the bottomincaseyou want tobuy the weight to hold downthe bag, so that it doesn't move.”
Best Long Punching Bag
Perfect Your Jabs And Low Kicks On This 6-Footer
Dimensions:14 x 72 inches|Material:Ripstopvinyl|Weight:150 pounds
Pros:
- Supersturdyat 150 pounds
- Bagis delivered pre-filled
- Made from heavy-duty vinyl
Cons:
- May not be themost suitablefor beginners learning basic techniques
Known as a banana bag for its length and shape, this punching bag is designed to catertolower kicks too. So if you’re perfecting your full repertoire of boxing strikes, you may want to add the 6-foot Prolast Muay Thai Heavy Bag to your list.
Madefrom ripstopvinyl to reduce tearing (straps and seams are triple-stitched), the filling is 100% cotton fabric. Keep in mind that the stuffing will likely gather in thicker amounts at the bottom for a solid base to work on your low kicks.
The bag arrives filled and ready to use with chrome-plated D-rings thatshouldreduce noise.
What the reviews say:“Solid bag that has the perfect softness and firmness to kick and punch. Very heavyand verytop quality bag.”
Best Speed Punch Bag
A Go To For Mastering Technique And Testing Reflexes
Dimensions:7 x 10inches |Material:Faux leather |Weight:30 pounds
Pros:
- Heightis adjustable
- Free one-year replacement on the bag
- Includes a wide-diameter board
Cons:
- Wallmounthardware not included
Keep your reflexes sharp and hand-eye coordinationtop-notchwith the MaxxMMA Heavy Duty Speed Bag. A lightweight small, round bag designed for fastrebounding,this type of punching bag can complement your boxing routine if your technique and skills have room for improvement.
This specific speed bag is adjustable up to 8 inches and features a 24-inch diameter board for stability. The bagitself is made from faux leather that should be durable longterm.If not, the brand offers a one-yearfree replacement.
The wallmount and hardware are notpart ofthe package. You'll need to buy the necessary bolts or anchors andfix them toyour wall.
What the reviews say:“You can spend nearly $1000 on some platforms, and they are terrific. But here's a 5 star option for your home gym. It's terrific quality, andwithnearly 6 months of use, it's as good as the day I bought it. I haven't tighteneda thingsince the install.”
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted team has extensive knowledge of many categories of gym equipment. Writer Leoni Jesner, an ACE-certified personal trainer, has attended many boxing classes during her career and having punched a spectrum of punching bags, she knows what embellishments and specs give one an edge over the other. Ryan McGivern, an avid boxer for over 20 years, who's the head coach and owner of Meraki Box in South Dakota, also offered his insight into what features to keep in mind when selecting the best punching bag.
This list features a range of punching bags across multiple categories and was last updated in March 2024.
How We Chose The Best Punching Bags
I began by reviewing a wide selection of punching bags to narrow down a list across various categories. There are ample bags on the market and many boxing styles to consider. Therefore, the list included bags for heavy punching, freestanding sessions, beginners, budget finds and even a portable option. Each bag is sturdy enough to protect your hands and wrists from the heaviest punches, which is especially important if you’re starting out in the world of boxing.
My own experience with a variety of punching bags helped to inform my picks, and I also consulted Ryan McGivern, head coach and owner of Meraki Box in South Dakota, to provide further insight.
What To Look For In The Best Punching Bag
You put in the time to find the perfect fitting boxing glove and it’s no different for a punching bag. Here are some key features to consider before making a purchase.
Speed Bag Versus Heavy Bag
Speed bags are small, usually round (or tear drop shaped) bags designed to improve a fighter’s hand-eye coordination. They’re lightweight and have a quick bounce back to test your speed and power skills. And, they don’t require the use of gloves as they’re safer on the hands.
On the other hand, a heavy bag is the large hanging or freestanding bag you often see in gyms. For this, you have to glove up as they’re sturdy and hard—and complete with protective padding–for improving your boxing skills.
Hanging Versus Freestanding
Both types of punching bags have their benefits. Hanging bags have stronger resistance for a very taxing workout that quickly builds both endurance and strength. This type of bag requires affixing to a wall or ceiling mount. On the other hand, freestanding bags are exactly what the title says. They stand freely and can shift around your space. However, they typically give light feedback which is ideal for beginners throwing a round of punches, but they may not live up to the rigorous expectations of avid boxers.
Price
It’s important to factor in your boxing level and time spent on the bag when considering the price. The punching bags on our list don’t exceed the $400 price tag and are durable in the long term for beginners and amateur boxers who favor a tough workout. If you’ve reached the pro level, punching bags may exceed this price range due to premium materials and an extended guarantee.
Is It Safe To Hit A Punching Bag Daily?
If your workout of choice includes a few rounds with the punching bag, it’s generally safe to do so. Just be mindful: “Heavy bag work can be extremely hard on the body, including shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands,” cautions McGivern. The nature of throwing multiple punches daily can cause injury to the body if not performed with proper technique. If something feels “off” during a session, stop and give your body a rest. You might also want to consider staggering the workout intensity throughout the week, focusing on punches one day and technique blended with cardio another. “Understanding body kinetics will make it safer to practice self-control on any bag,” says McGivern.
