Punching bag is a great workout. You hit, you flex, and you relax. Punching ensures that your body remain ready for workout. It can take a beating or two. It can help you improve your fitness. And, it helps you remain healthy at large.

But, working out excessively can lead to certain problems such as bruises, scratches, pain in the body, and even boredom. So, in this article, we will discuss some of the ways in which you can get pain after hitting a punching bag and how to fix that.

However, the forces involved in this kind of training put a lot of impact on some of the smallest bones in your body. 

You should remember that if you experience pain after a session, it might just be sore muscles growing stronger, or it could be a sign of an injury that means you should stop training long enough to heal. So, let’s learn what cause pain after hitting punching bag.

• Wrist Pain from Punching

Hands are the most important part of the body, especially when it comes to heavy bag training as it entirely depends upon the effort of your hands. An injury to your wrist is possible when you hit the heavy bag straight with your knuckles. It is common for beginners who are not used to heavy bag training and end up the exercise with fractures and broken bones.

Cure:

You must properly wrap your wrists with the wrist wraps or use gloves while working out. There are various qualities available in the market. Buy the one which suits your workout intensity because different types serve different functions. Moreover, throwing a punch with the correct technique is a must to avoid pain after hitting punching bag.

• Strained Muscles

It is the most common injury which might hurt your muscles when you try to hit the bag too hard. When the body gets over-exhausted, the muscles get strained therefore you must follow a few techniques to avoid this muscle injury.

Cure:

The most effective way to avoid injury is to strengthen your hands by following various strengthening techniques. Shadowboxing helps a lot in it. Moreover, you should also take a break and stretch your muscles on and off.

Here is a video of how you can strengthen your hand muscles with iron-bone hand conditioning exercises.

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• Carpal Bossing

Carpal bossing is a bony lump or the overgrowth of the bones where your middle and index finger joins the carpal bones i.e, the back of the wrist. The bump often swells and becomes very painful when you touch something or move the wrist. This condition usually occurs due to the wrong hitting technique.

Cure:

Again, prevention is better than cure so it is always important to hit the punching bag wearing gloves and wrist wraps. Taking session breaks and practicing shadow boxing also works.  Constant icing, rest, medication or surgery may also ease the pain if it happens, however, it is better to consult the doctor. That’s the best way to avoid pain after hitting punching bag for the long term.

You can buy boxing gloves from 8ox to 14oz depending on the type of cushioning you need. It is better to stay between 10oz and 12oz while hitting a regular punching bag to keep your knuckles from getting all the impact.

Everlast, Hayabusa, and Title are some of the best boxing glove companies.

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• Headache from Boxing

Headache occurs often after boxing or heavy bag workout. It happens because you put too much pressure on your jaw and clench it. Holding your breath while working out also causes a headache.

Cure:

Leave your mouth loose or use a mouthpiece to avoid pressure to the jaw. Breath in and out constantly. Never hold the breath. Exhale when you hit the bag and exhale when it comes back. The journal for health and sciences says that headache during boxing training happens due to a severe trauma. However, that is rarely the case in practice boxing. Still, you need to be sure that you avoid any such impact.

• Bruises from Punching

If you do not wrap your hands properly while boxing, it may develop bruises, scars, and sprain which when remain untreated may cause serious consequences and disability.

Cure:

It can be avoided by wearing suitable gloves and wrapping the hands properly however a good punching technique is the best prevention. If this happens, it is suggested to give yourself a break and take it lightly to avoid any serious injury.

Medical students suggest that trauma will lead to bleeding in bruises but you will eventually become resistant to it. So, make sure to avoid any serious bleeding. In such a case, visit the doctor immediately if the pain after hitting punching bag persists.

• Sore Forearms from Punching

Sore Forearms are caused as a result of the resistance training where your muscles bear a lot of pressure  and tear apart. However, they get healed by the time and the soreness goes away.

Cure:

Giving your exercise an adequate break and taking up the appropriate position while punching is the only way to avoid it. In case they get sore because of working out, apply olive oil on the swallon space and then massage it for five minutes. Now give it a rest. The muscles will take some time to relax but will eventually come out stronger.

Here is a quick tip to relieve forearm pain faster.