Do your wrists hurt because of your heavybag training?
If so, you’re not alone. Lots of people complain of wrist pain when they first start using the heavy bag for martial arts or boxing training.
In fact, it’s probably the number one reason that novices quit this sort of high-impact training and either switch sports or substantially alter their workout routines.
What to do if you have sore wrists because of the heavy bag
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. If your wrists hurt, stop hitting the heavybag and give them time to heal.
Your wrists are sore because of a repetitive-stress injury. This sort of damage usually takes more than one or a few sessions on the heavybag to make itself felt. But once it becomes noticeable, it takes time to heal.
If you don’t let it heal fully, it will just come back worse than before.
There are plenty of guys with more balls than brains who constantly re-injure themselves in the same spot(s) because they won’t allow their injuries to heal.
Trust me, they may think they’re tough guys for gutting it out and pushing through the pain, but they’re not. What really makes you a tough guy is when you do what you know is best even though you really don’t want to. These guys want to work out and live a fantasy instead of rest and get themselves healed up and ready to go better than ever.
How to avoid sore wrists when you use the heavybag
Here is a plan of action you can use when you start out with the heavy bag. If your wrists are already sore, remember to let them heal before you start hitting the punching bag. Don’t follow this plan until your wrists are strong and pain-free.
Always wrap your hands
Wrapping your hands helps to prevent the small bones in the wrist from shifting around under the impact of a punch. If you are not using handwraps, you risk wrist injury. This is doubly true if you are a novice who uses improper technique. There are guys who think they can toughen up their hands and wrists by hitting the bag bare-handed. These guys live in a fantasy world where they imagine themselves winning bare-knuckle fights like they’re the hero of a Karate movie. But really, they’re just risking injury. And what’s more, they can’t work out as intensely as someone who is wearing handwraps and padded gloves. They’re making fools out of themselves.
Use straight punches
Start out with the straight punches like the straight right hand and the left jab. Don’t use the uppercuts or the hooks until you have been working with the straight punches for a while (or at least don’t throw them with any power). Straight punches will build up the connective tissue in your wrists. Hooks and uppercuts take time to learn and when you throw them with improper technique you put your wrist under a lot of stress which will lead to long-term repetitive stress injury.
Concentrate on technique rather than power
It is tempting to wail away at the heavybag as hard as possible. But if your technique is bad, you won’t have any true power, and you risk wrist injury. On the other hand, when your technique is good, power will naturally follow and you won’t hurt yourself.
Build up over time
Don’t try to do 5 rounds on the heavybag the very first time you work out with it. Stick to one or two rounds of heavy bag work three times a week to start. And keep the punches at less than full power to start. You will have plenty of time and opportunity to hit harder when you are sure that your body can handle it.
So there you have it, the reasons why people hurt their wrists on the heavybag, what to do if your wrists are sore, and ways to train with the heavybag so that you won’t have to deal with bad wrists ever again.
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a tendency of bending or flexing my wrist slightly when I throw a hook. This usually results in wrist strain, sometimes pretty severe. How can I get in the habit of keeping my wrist straight. Any drills that you suggest?
That’s a good question, but I’m at a loss as to the answer. I suppose it goes without saying that if you are experiencing swelling or actual damage, you have to rest the area until there is no pain.
To a beginner, I’d say stop until you are healed, then when you resume training do it carefully and concentrate on proper technique rather than power. But if you are already know the proper technique for throwing hook punches I suppose your guess is as good as mine.
Maybe you could try orienting your hand differently. In other words, if you’re accustomed to throwing the hook with the palm down, switch it up so you hit with the palm vertical (like holding a coffee mug). Or vice versa. Pain that comes from repetitive stress injuries is called lifestyle pain and it’s often cured by a simple switch in the way you normally do things.
Good Luck.
PS – anyone reading this, if you have some tips or tricks to share, please feel free
I started boxing a while back, and only did it for about 1 1/2 months. I recently started up again and have been going for the last 3 weeks. Last week, i noticed a very sharp pain in my left hand everytime i hit the bag, or even when i hit the pads. I always knew i had to get raps but kept pushing it back till i was actually gona to in the ring. Now that i am going in the ring, i have this pain. Is this sharp stinging pain something common? If it is im guessing i should just let it heal like you said, give it a break for a while? And how long would something like this take to heal? Some advice would be a great help.
also, i have no swelling. Would it be a good idea to maybe put heat or ice on it? If so, which one?
It’s impossible (and it would be irresponsible) for me to give you a definite answer about your hand pain. But it’s obvious to me that you have to cease the impact training until your injury heals. Any “sharp pain” is bad and you should let it heal.
There is a truism in boxing (and other sports): if you push through an injury, you will eventually come to regret it.
I’m surprised that your gym lets you train without handwraps. You really should wrap your hands every time you hit something; it’s the only way to avoid long-term impact damage, even when your technique is perfect.
Heat will not help, but ice may. Normally, I’d say to speak with your coach about the problem, but since he lets you train on the heavybag without wraps, he might not be very experienced. So, give your left hand time to heal and just work on your right hand power.
In this exercise recovery article, there is a bit of info about heat and ice, and when each is appropriate therapy after exercise or injury.
Good luck.
Good advice on throwing hooks-better to start slow!
Is wearing gloves with an elastic wrist sufficient. The reason I ask is becasue the heavy bag that I have is filled with old cloths and is pretty soft. It weighs 118 lbs but it’s not like hitting a brick wall. Should I still wrap my wrists or are gloves enough?
Hi Ian.
I suppose you have to do what you think is best. But I’ll say this: professional boxers always wrap their hands when they work out, no matter what they’re planning to punch.
Gloves stop you from bruising your knuckles, but they don’t really do anything to stop the bones in your hand and wrist from shifting around under the impact of a punch. With handwraps, your hands are like a club, but without them, they’re like a collection of separate pieces loosely held together with connective tissue.
I’d advise wrapping your hands. All you have to lose is a few minutes time and $10 for a pair of handwraps.
Good luck!
So if I don’t wrap my wrists I could end up with problems 15 years down the road?
I bought a pair of UFC Gel Wraps today. They are easy for me to put on and I think they’ll give good support. Do you have any experience with them?
Ian
They were intriguing when they first came out, but I read lots of bad reviews on forums from guys who tried them and didn’t like them. The general concensus is that gel wraps break down too quickly. I wouldn’t recommend sparring with them, but if you’re wearing them for heavybag work, they should be OK as long as they don’t disintegrate. If you start to experience repetitive-stress pain, rest up then stick to regular hand wraps. Les us know how they work out!
They give really good support and I find I can hit alot harder. I hope they last. They are easy to put on which is the main reason I bought them. I hope they last…$40 a pair!
i punch a big guy on the arm with a lot of power now my wrist hurts …is that normal?
Sore wrists result from bending the wrists when hitting the heavy bag. Hit with the wrists straight. I found it helpful to wrap around the wrists and then use a large strip of heavy duty duct tape. This stabilizes the wrist much more. Another thing that helped is using a wrist roller to strengthen my wrists. Then the wrist pain disappeared. Avoid hitting the bag with the lead hook until the pain goes away.
My question isn’t specifically about wrists, but it’s close enough that I thought I’d include it here:
I’ve done a fair bit of martial arts over many years, and have always punched with my wrists 100% straight, and this seemed to serve me well.
But recently, I’ve been training exclusively in boxing, and find that when I throw a lot of hard punches, the middle finger of my right hand, and its knuckle attaching it to the hand, hurt.
Upon consideration, I realize that when you throw a cross with a straight wrist, the fingers will impact first, and thus hurt.
My boxing coaches tell me to bend my wrist down slightly when throwing crosses, which although at first seemed counter-intuitive to me, would cause the knuckles to impact first, thus alleviating the finger/knuckle pain. But, it also seems that bending the wrist would weaken it, and a broken wrist would be worse than a sore finger!
Scanning the internet, I’ve only found 1 or 2 references to bending the wrist down. I’m looking for professional advice about this subtle nuance of form in the quest for proper punching.
-Mudd
PS:
If you condone bending the wrist slightly down, should one perhaps arc the cross slightly downwards, a bit like an overhand punch (which seems like it might make the wrist stronger by compensating for the angle created by bending the wrist) or just throw it in a perfectly straight line (which is what I’ve been used to doing, but with a totally straight wrist)?
-Mudd
I would not bend the wrist when hitting the heavy bag, no matter what the coaches say. I have had the same sort of problem too at times. When you put on the hand wraps and bag gloves, it’s impossible to completely tighten the fist. There’s too much material on the inside of your fist. This can’t really be helped because you need the handwraps and 12 oz bag gloves. Plus the heavy bag hangs at a 90 degree angle, whereas you can’t completely close the fist. What you can do is raise your elbow level when you hit the heavy bag. That should help reduce finger contact and increase knuckle contact on the bag surface. But keep your wrists straight. I’ve never heard a boxing coach tell anyone to bend the wrist. There are no wrists in boxing. You are right to be concerned about finger pain. You don’t want premature arthritis. Also, are you hitting the bag too high? You can only hit the bag at about your face level at the highest. Any higher, and you start hitting with your fingers. The cross (rear straight) should be thrown as straight as possible, not in an arc. If there is a loop in it, it’s really sort of a rear hook or a roundhouse punch. This is not what you want in a cross. You want speed and precision, so it has to be straight. Some people refer to the cross only as the counter to the jab that crosses over the opponent’s jab. In that case, the cross can have a loop in it, as it’s almost impossible to land a perfectly straight cross in that situtation.
This is an interesting question. I wish I had an easy answer.
The fact is: you must hit with the knuckles. Not only is it the most healthy way to punch, it’s also the only fair way to punch — it’s in the rules.
So, you have to do whatever is necessary to hit with the knuckles.
Drop down and do some knuckle pushups. While you’re doing them, notice the orientation of your fist and wrist. This is the ‘natural’ position your hand and wrists takes when it’s under stress, and it’s the orientation you should strive for while punching.
Also, don’t feel you have to strike with the two big knuckles (they way you may have been taught in the bare-handed martial arts). Lots of boxers use the three outside knuckles as a striking surface. Whatever works is OK.
But the bottom line is, do whatever you have to do to hit with the proper striking surface. If your finger joints are hitting first, you’re going to get injured.
Happy New Year!
I was considering beginning working out by hitting a heavy bag as a more fun way to work out. I found this post and wanted to thank you, I was unaware that the wraps did so much. I did more research and it seems you’re 100% right about it all, so before I throw my first wrist bomb at the bag, I’ll be sure to have wrapped that wrist!
Thanks,
Dave
Yup, wrap it up! Hitting the punching bag is great exercise, so good luck!
hey i recently got my punching bag about a week ago
i have been going at it evry day for about 20 min and recently ive been noticing some really bad pain in both my wrists mostly my right
I think maybe its because i might be punching wrong
what shud i do to get rid of the wrist pain cause iwanna start boxing pain free again
p.s. im 12
Really wish I would have read this a few hours ago:)
I just set up the bag and had my first workout today. It consisted mostly of me doing the opposite of everything you suggest here.
Thanks for the great article – great site.
Thanks for the kind words. It’s exciting to start a new workout plan, right? Good luck and keep up the good work(out)!
Hi Tommy: Just give it time to heal. You have plenty of time ahead of you to work out hard. So let it heal and don’t hit the bag so hard until your hands get stronger. Good Luck! PS – make sure you learn good technique so your workouts are sustainable over the long term. Check out YouTube for boxing instructional vids if you can’t find someone to teach you.
Great forum! Thanks for hosting it.
I started on the heavy bag 2 months ago — very addicting stuff! I’ve been using wraps, but can defin get carried away with hitting hard. I’ve also been good about focusing on form to prevent injury.
But early on after my wrists hurt just a little, i went to the gym again anyway. The next day they were really hurting.
They hurt just a little from last nite but i’m learning to let them rest and not go back until the pain’s gone.
Hi i have really long fingers, so when i make a fist and keep my wrist 100% straight, i still impact my first finger joint when i punch, and advice?
What up. This is what i have learned. When throwing a hook, allways have the palm facing you with the thumb on top. And allways aim with the last 3 knuckles on any punch. Do lots of grip work. Strong hands and forearms are a must for fighting. 1 last thing, progress slowly.
i just wondering im training for white collar and i feel when im fighting that i have no real power in my left hand. I’m right handed so i know this isnt common but now when i hold my left hand up for a long period when boxing i feel i barely have the strength to knock the person im fightings wall, therefore i feel they all have advantage on me. Its like my left hand feels so heavy i cant hold up for the fight i would love to know from someone how i can strengthen my left hand i only have 21 one days left. i would appreciate any help or advice on this.
sorry this is my email wrong this is it
hey i have a question is throwing a hook better with my palm facing towards me or facing downwards towards the floor?
ive been hitting the bag, but i notice my wrist hurts after an hour after the workout.
any advice?
btw whats the difference in hitting the hook palm towards yourself or palm towards the floor?
That’s one of those questions that you can ask 5 different people and get 6 different answers. Many people say close hooks are best with the palm facing towards yourself, while long hooks are better with the palm turned over a bit. But basically, you should do what feels best.
Hello
I have just started boxing now at my local boxing club and I have punching the heavy punchbags after one day at my boxing my wrists and nuckles are hurting but I ignored it and went for the second time which made them worse is it because i am punching wrong or is it because I am not using hand wraps?
Should I let them heal?
Has anyone used a free standing punch ball?
I bought a free standing punch ball a few days ago. I broke my foot a while ago so I am kinda limited as to what exercises I can do. It is a great workout that does not put much stress on my foot. I bought that and a pair of UFC Training Gloves. My hands are still getting used to hitting again so they are little sore but I will make sure to rest up before going again. Does anybody have any workout advice for me. My main goal is fitness and if I can get some better skills in the process that is a bonus. Would doing half an hour every second day make an impact on my physical condition?
this Q and A thing is brilliant, I hurt my left wrist a few months back from throwing an improper hook during training, the pain was sharp and it hurt to do basic things like lifting a chair, or just any pressure. I used wraps aswell, my wrists are typically very thin, I’d call them weak skinny wrists. After 2 weeks had passed, the pain subsided a little but not much. I decided I’d go to the hospital to check it out, all they said was that I had overstretched my ligaments and was not to train or lift weights at the gym for another 6 weeks. I did just that. the pain was still there but had perhaps healed 90 odd percent. I just continued to train as of then and was very cautious about how hard I punch. I didn’t want another wrist injury. Now that was several weeks ago. Tonight during muay thai training, I hurt my other wrist throwing an uppercut. Ironic I know. The pain was much sharper than last time but I’ve taken the consideration to keep it in a hand cast wrap that the hospital gave me. I may not have much of an option but I really do not want to not train for another 6-8 weeks. It’ll drive me crazy. Any tips on recovery or psysio excercises? My wrist is not swollen.
I’m in the same position you are now. I broke my foot 6 weeks ago and because of that had to stop running and weight lifting. That was why I bought the punch ball. I wanted to keep weight lifting but even upper body movements caused my foot to hurt when I would tense up.
In my case I had to stop training for Police and will resume it when I am fully healed. The punch ball is just a way to get my heart rate up but I have to be careful with that too because of sore knuckles and my foot.
Bottom line though it is better to take the time to heal and do what you can in that time than to force yourself to do more than your injury will allow. Being stubborn could easily cause the injury to worsen and cause more or possibly permanent down time.
It is hard to do but remember, the shape your in now can be revived when you are 100%. Do what you can to maintain the level you’re at and look forward to being able to get back to full throttle workouts and routines.
Thanks Ian, its such an annoying period of time sitting out. Its amazing how I don’t realise how much and often my wrist(s) are put to use in everyday movements and activities. Definitely feeling the pain when I’m doing normal stuff that I usually don’t have to think about. I think I’m just gonna do legs at the gym and go for runs to improve stamina. Not much else I can do really haha.
Ive been doing Muay Thai for a while and just in the past couple days Ive felt a small pain down the pointer finger, through the thumb, and a little in the wrist. I really noticed it today at practice when we went to do pushups and it felt like there was no stability there and my wrist could give out and I would ultimately eat the mat. I went to close fisted pushups and everything was fine and even through sparring I didn’t notice any pain. I was looking at the Shock Doctor wrist brace for when I’m at work. Do you think this is a good idea?
I am 39 years old and I have low back pain . I also do weight lifting exercises for body strength . Can I practice heavy bag workout considering my age and my back condition ?
@Mike
Quote:
“I have a tendency of bending or flexing my wrist slightly when I throw a hook. This usually results in wrist strain, sometimes pretty severe. How can I get in the habit of keeping my wrist straight. Any drills that you suggest?”
I used to do martial arts for about 11 years when i was younger and have recently got back into boxing (mainly bag work at the gym) … I currently training with my mate and we both had this issue… I noticed from watching his technique from a distance that it was to do with the positioning of his hand … If he hit the bag with his right (with his fist vertical – index finger at the top and little finger at the bottom) then he almost certainly lost power and visually looked more like an uppercut. BUT once he focused on hitting the bag with his fist horizonal (index finger on the left and little finger on the right) his punches connected to the bag more efficiently and definately delivered more power! … This also puts your wrist in what i consider to be a more natural possition.
I dont know if this will help you but it has helped both of us
@Mohary
Im 23 and suffered 2 minor car accidents and 1 reasonably bad one that put my back out … I find that training on the bags gives me more benefit that running on treadmills (cardio wise) as i have a real bad back and my hip movement sufferes.
I also lift heavy weights but I have noticed the bag work allows me to bend and twist in a more natural fashion (shadow boxing / pretending to dodge a punch and ducking etc)
I would say try it!! If you enjoy it stick at it – If your back is like mine you WILL ache afterward!! but i honestly belive it is helping me stretch my back out more efficiently. (oh, and keep you head up, if you drop your chin and put your shoulders up it can sometimes make you neck stiff etc, use your forarms as your guard)
Hope that answers your question
@Chan
Not to sound rude but…
If your using wraps I would guess your wrapping your hands wrong.
All the years iv been training and iv only ever popped my wrist when i dont have wraps on, once iv wrapped my hands and wrist i can savage a heavy bag with no gloves only wraps!!
I would suggest that you research how to wrap properly… I normally start with a couple of wraps over my nuckles and then focus the wrest of the wrap on the lower part of my hand / wrist / and upto 4-5 inches up my arm.
I see A LOT of people at the gym putting ‘hand’ wraps around their hands… Even though the are called hand wraps they are not for your hands… roughly 70-80% should be focused on wrapping your wrists up nice a tight (not tight enough to make your hands go blue)
If you stop the bending of your wrist (with wraps) AND wear gloves too I can almost garuntee your power will increase AND your less likely to injure!!!
Hope that helps
By the way, I would just like to add… Im not a pro boxer or anything.
Im 23 and have done martial arts for approx 11 years followed by gym work for 3 years. The information that i have posted above is my opinion and is not a professional recommendation.
By all means try what iv said but As stated by the Admin in a previous post, hit how you feel comfortable!!!
NO fighter no matter how good, can take someone elses technique… every fighter is different – thats what makes the sport so interesting!! and its down to YOU to find your own techniques. (Other fighters can only offer advice).
hey everyone, i wanted to take it back to that question about the hook, whether it is best thrown with the palm facing you or with the palm facing downwards.
I live in Italy, and at my gym all my coaches tell me the hook needs to “turn”, thus land with the palm facing downwards rather than facing you because they say that’s an illegal hook.
however, i find that when i throw hooks, especially if I’m trying to get a little extra reach on it, say a joe frazier style left hook, by keeping my palm facing me I punch harder. Not to mention that I’ve been lately trying to avoid that hook with the palm facing me, mainly because i was being told that it was an illegal punch, but also because it looks better i think when you turn the hook and hit nicely with the knuckles and your palm facing downwards. What happens though is that when training on the heavybag, throwing the hooks like that puts a lot of extra strain on the wrist. right now, after two consecutive hard heavybag trainings my wrists are pretty sore, but I can’t tell whether that’s because of some incorrect movements or positionings or simply because of the high intensity workouts of this week. What I mean is, is it normal for your wrist to be hurting after intesive heavybag training? also, and this is my last point, my knuckles cut up and bruise pretty bad, and i do wrap my hands everytime i box… anyway to avoid that?
All,
I came across this thread and had something interesting happen today. My wrists have been sore for about a month, but nothing crazy ( Have been doing heavy bag, etc, for a year) I decided to lift, and did dumbell bench presses. I did what I would normally start my set with and I couldnt get my left arm up. Through trial and error, I found that on my left side, I could only lift a thirty pound dumbell. While doing one arm tri extensions, I could only do 15 pounds. I could do normal curls and could still pound out the pushups just fine. There was no pain associated with this, just what felt likwe instability and weakness. One of the guys there said it was prob nerve damage from hitting the bag. Has anyone experienced this? Does it require going to a doctor or will r and r suffice?
See a Chiropractor.. seriously.
After doing Mauy Thai for 3 years I had to quit when I started having kids. Recently I ended up back at the gym and immediately started pummeling the heavy bag. Of course PAIN for days. Finally I went to my Chiropractor – two adjustments later and a little rest, I was back on.. of course the urge took over and PAIN all over again. I am going by the Doc tonight, hopefully if I can just take it easy, I can get back to the endurance I once had.. man, getting old sux.
I have gotten more power since I switched up my technique and started using my legs and hips in my punches more but any other ways to help further increase power? Also I saw a video on line that the pain for these sort of things comes from micro fractures in the bone and over time when they heal your bone will become stronger and my also result in power increase.
Thanks tons for this advice!! I’ve been doing shadow kickboxing for a while and just got a heavy bag for my birthday. I’ve noticed that my wrists hurt after a few rounds on the bag, but so far I’ve been stopping as soon as I notice pain. If I take a few days off and buy some wrist wraps, is that enough rest time to try again? Assuming that it doesn’t hurt, of course.
Cool advice!!
I am a new-bie here and wanna try the punch-bag for sake of fitness alone!!
I am actually very cautious with my bag .. coz I don’t wanna injure myself at all!!
I was wondering whether it would be good to workout on the bag everyday .. or skip a day between every work-out ..
My train of thoughts say .. every workout => a little injury (or risk) .. so .. if I skip a day between each workout the injury may heal ..
or give ample rest .. so that I don’t burn out the muscles ..
Am I right??
Wished I’d found this earlier. My husband finally hung my heavy bag yesterday. Yeah, I have wraps on order, but I just couldn’t wait. I can barely type this!!! I’ll let my wrists heal before hitting again, but, is there any danger of permanent damage to 49-year old female wrists from hitting the heavy bag? I hope not ’cause I love it!!!
Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of your common sense. When you’re ready to hit it again, hit it lightly. Build up gradually. The basis of all good exercise programs is the progression principle. I’m no expert, but the only “danger” I can think of that’s specific to your age and gender is this: decreased bone density.
Check out my heavybag workout article for some ideas about how to structure a workout so you don’t exceed your recovery ability. Include some knuckle push-ups and perhaps some forearm/wrist curls in your resistance-training workouts.
Good luck!
well tomarow i am going to start on an 80 pound bag i am only twelve so any advice?
Hey, I have a question concerning the glove. I want to use the heavy bag for exercise and martial arts training, so I want to have the ability to do long sets without injury, but I don’t want to use a boxing glove because I am not training to box. I tried useing just wraps but have had some mild wrist soreness from just one set.
What kind of glove is best for wrist and hand support, yet is not a traditional boxing glove, again, I want to do everything on it besides traditional boxing.
Mefisto,
I’ve been using Hayabusa Pro MMA Hybrid Shooto Gloves for a while now and I have found that I get good wrist support from the two way straps and I have found that the knuckle protection to be very good even though the knuckle padding doesn’t look like much.
The gloves are quality leather and are strong and well made.
Here is a youtube link to the gloves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-79zFHVI2us
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