Mounting a heavy bag in your garage or basement is a great way to stay physically fit. From punching to kickboxing, heavy bags are a great piece of training equipment for any home gym.
Since these bags can weigh between 70 and 150 pounds, they must be installed correctly to avoid injury should they fall off their mount.
In this article, I show you the best way to hang a heavy bag so you can turn your garage into a home gym.
The methods I share below will also work in your basement.
How to hang a heavy bag
There are 3 primary ways to hang your bag depending on where you are placing it.
Which method you choose will depend on whether or not you need 360-degree access to the bag or if you just need access to the bag from the side. It will also depend on if you have access to beams or joists in your ceiling or whether you need to hang the bag using a special wall mount.
Option 1: Hang a heavy bag from ceiling joists or support beams
Using ceiling joists or a steel support beam, if available, is the best way to hang a heavy bag. Of course, this requires you to have an exposed garage ceiling or unfinished basement. Hanging a bag from the ceiling joist is one of the best ways to support the bag’s weight.
One of the pros of hanging a heavy bag from the ceiling is the ease of access to all sides of the bag. A downside of hanging from a ceiling joist or support beam is that it takes up more space, especially if the bag is in the center of your garage or basement.
If your bag does not come with ceiling mounts, you can find several on Amazon. When shopping for ceiling mounts for your bag, make sure you look at how much weight it supports. Below are some of our recommendations
| Preview | Product | |
|---|---|---|
|
Meister 250lb Heavy Bag Ceiling Hanger Mount w/ 360° Swivel for MMA & Boxing Punching Bags | Check Prices on Amazon |
To hang, most use a steel plate with screws or nuts and bolts to hang the bag. Once you drill holes using the appropriate size drill bit, you will attach the mount using the included bolts.
Once the mount is installed, you can attach the chains to the mount and attach the other side of the chains to the corners of the bag.
Option 2: Hang a heavy bag using a wall mount
If garage or basement space is limited, a wall mount is another great way to hang the bag. If you do this, you will need to use a stud finder to find wall studs so you can safely attach the bag mount.
The biggest pro of using wall mounts to attach the bag is that this method is the most space-efficient mounting option. If you use a wall mount, be sure to know what kind of surface you will be attaching it to before purchasing. Some are best for masonry walls, and others are best when attaching to wooden studs in your wall. Hanging the bag is as simple as attaching the mounting hardware according to the instructions and lifting the bag onto it. Be sure to recruit a friend who can help you lift the bag safely while you attach it.
Here are the best wall mounts for hanging a heavy bag:
Option 3: Hang a heavy bag from a dedicated bag stand
If neither a ceiling nor wall mount is a great option, you can get a free-standing punching bag stand designed for heavy bags. There are dozens of great stand options to hang the bag. What is nice about using a dedicated stand is that you can pull it out to hit the bag from any angle and then move it to another area of your basement or garage for storage. Some even come with wheels that lock or unlock for this purpose.
With dedicated bag stands, you will want to buy a heavy-duty one. Cheaper stands tend to move with heavy punching or kicking. This is not an issue if you have a training partner that can help support the bag, but a heavy bag stand with some additional weight added. You can use circular sand-filled weights or even sandbags, but the more weight you use, the more secure your heavy bag will be.
Here are the heavy bag stands we recommend:
