If you are planning on setting up your home gym with a boxing theme and are looking for the best equipment you have come to the right place! The amount of boxing equipment out there can be a daunting experience to figure out what is exactly best for you.
In this blog I will provide you with some of the most important pieces of boxing equipment you should consider, how they will help you, along with some of my top recommendations for you to actually check out yourself.
I’ll also include links to separate reviews on Boxing Life if you are looking for more details around some particular boxing equipment.
So let’s get started!
1. Hanging Heavy Bag
A hanging heavy bag is probably of the most prized and used pieces of training equipment by any fighter in boxing. Using the heavy bag is very much an aerobic exercise which means you can get a full body workout from using it. This can see you lose a lot of calories from one hard training session using it. (Check out my heavy bag workout for beginners article to get you started.)
This makes it one of the first pieces of equipment you should consider for your home boxing gym. Heavy bags also tend to be cheaper than free standing bags, but can be a pain to set up. You will need to make sure your have the ability to hang one in your home, garage or wherever you plan on using it.
I recommend you check out this great article here which has all the key considerations for setting up a heavy bag for your home gym. The other option could be to purchase a heavy bag stand if you cannot drill or attach to a wall.
In terms of recommendations you can check out my top 10 hanging heavy bag options here, but to save you time I’d recommend the following:
Outslayer Filled Punching Bag Boxing
RDX Kara Punch Bag Kit
2. Free Standing Punch Bag
A free standing bag is quite often a far more practical piece of equipment for home gyms. The main reasons for this is that most are fairly straight forward to set up (no drilling the ceiling or walls).
Usually all you have to do is fill the base with sand or water and then attach the punch bag top by screwing onto the base. Once you have set this up, you now have the ability to move the stand out the way after your workout.
Compared to some heavy bags, I have found free standing bags not be as firm as a heavy bag, so it might be best suited for beginners starting out in boxing.
Free standing bags are also definitely better suited for those that maybe just wanting to have more space for other boxing equipment in the home gym and need to have the ability to move your punch bag out the way.
You can check out my top 10 free standing punch bag review here or check out some recommendations below to consider.
Century Wavemaster Punch Bag
Dripex Free Standing Punch Bag
3. Human / Bob Punch Bag
Very much like the free standing bag, the human like punch bag might be something worth pursuing for your home gym. The most famous of them all being the Century Bob Punch stand which is made with a high density foam torso, to give you a very life-like punching experience.
The bases of these are also sturdy enough to withstand even your biggest punches and depending on your height you can adjust the height making it brilliant for people of all sizes.
The Century Bob punch bag will definitely give you a far more authentic punching experience for your home boxing gym.
Century BOB XL Punch Bag
4. Double-End Bag
Now, I always think it is vital to have a piece of equipment that also works on your reflexes and the double-end bag is just the thing for that! The double-end bag is a piece of equipment that is usually attached to ceiling and floor with a leather ball in the middle which will move around as you strike it.
You will see many of the the top professional boxers using it to help with their speed, timing and reflexes.
This can be a tricky one to set up, and just like the with hanging heavy bag, it’s most likely you will need to find a spot to drill in the ceiling. You can usually use a weighted base to attach to the bottom cord.
This is personally one of my favourite pieces of equipment to use in my home gym, as I feel it helps me to react to the bag moving unlike with a standard punch bag that is stationary and requires less focus.
RDX Double-end Bag ball
5. Speed bag
The speed bag is another fun piece of equipment and can take a little while to get used to before mastering. The speed bad is basically solid leather ball that is usually connected to a metal swivel that is attached to a wooded platform so you can hit the bag back and forth.
This for me is one of the most satisfying pieces of equipment to use in the gym as it really helps to get you to focus deeply on the target when using it. It also helps to develop and condition your shoulder muscles as it forces you to keep them up while rolling as you hit the speed bag over and over again. It also helps with your overall rhythm, timing and reflexes too.
If you plan on getting this for your home gym, keep in mind you will need a place to attach to your platform. This usually means drilling into a wall so you will need to find a spot where it doesn’t get in the way too much.
Here are some recommendations below for you to consider:
RDX Speed Bag Gear Set
Title Classic Complete Speed Bag Platform Set
6. Cobra “Reflex” Bag
Now this is a piece of equipment that has been around for a while, but really started to pick up a storm when boxing star Ryan Garcia started to show his blistering speed whilst using it. The likes of pound for pound boxing star Canelo has also been seen using this often as part of his training regime. Check out Ryan Garcia using it out below:
The cobra bag is unique in the sense that it is a reflex punch bag that mimics the movement of an actual opponent via the specifically-placed spring – arguably creating even more movement than some double-end bags! You will have to really concentrate using this and you will need to start off slow if you are beginner. Check out my cobra bag vs double end bag article for more details.
The reflex bag is a brilliant piece of equipment if you want to improve your overall reflexes and hand speed. Here are some great options:
Ringside Cobra Reflex Bag
Boxing Bar Viper Reflex Bag
7. Quiet Punch Bag
In the case of the Quiet Punch Bag, this is a fantastic option for your home gym if you are extremely limited for space. The reason for this is that you can actually set up in your doorway and once you have finished you can quickly pack it away until your next workout session.
The downside is you will only have so much space to move around, but it does give you access to a punch tracking system with their app which can monitor your punch stats to help you improve.
If you travel a lot this also might be a good option for you to do workouts from your hotel room.
Quiet Punch Bag .
8. Reaction Bar Bag
A reaction bar bag is a great defensive tool to use as it is a piece of equipment which specifically is aimed to improve your defense and counter punching.
This usually includes a bar which can spin round at 360 degrees and also includes a padded punch bag at the top for you to throw punches at (to simulate punching to the head and great for practicing counters).
Unlike with lots of other boxing equipment, if you punch the spinning bar it will come back and hit you if you do not duck, roll or move away from a distance. Therefore, you are always having to move or react to the bar depending on when and how hard you hit it. This therefore what this helps to improve are your speed, reflexes and head movement.
Check out some brilliant options below for you to consider:
Title Boxing Rapid-Reflex Boxing Bar Tri-Bag
Sparbar Pro Series 3.0 Classic
9. Punch Pad Station
There are few brands of these punch pad stations now which are all are unique in their own right. The main aim of these is to set up stationary replication of punching pads with a trainer in on a boxing punch stand
The good thing about them is that they allow the user to throw any punch, or any combination they wish without difficulty. This will without a doubt give you an opportunity to improve your overall punching output and combinations.
If you are someone who doesn’t have any interest in improving your overall boxing skills and just want a piece of equipment to help your fitness to improve striking technique in your home boxing gym then this might be perfect for you. This is also a great option for boxing beginners to get their head round punching combinations.
The only downside is they are quite expensive, but if you have a big enough budget this could be a great long term investment for you.
I recommend you check out my FightMaster vs BoxMaster article here for more details. Or see the options below.
FightMaster
10. Boxing Ring
Now this is probably best for those that have a huge budget or those looking to set up a boxing gym! If you are able to have a boxing ring in your home boxing gym, it would truly give you an authentic experience to practice and bring your training buddies along to make the most of it.
This also might be best if your a professional fighter or trainer and want to save money or train in the comfort of your own home.
Here is an affordable portable ring option below for you check out if your interested.
Title Boxing Portable Ring Ropes
Conclusion
All of the above depends on how you will be training and why, but I think for anyone looking to start off is best purchasing a heavy or free standing punch bag. After this it’s essential you also have tools that will improve your reflexes such as the double end or cobra bag to improve your defence and head movement so you are not constantly staying in the same location!
Everything else is brilliant bonus if you can afford within your budget!
Let me know in the comments below what boxing equipment you are thinking of getting for you home gym or if you have any question.
Thanks for reading!
Make sure to check out more of my boxing reviews below:
