"Red Neckerson" wrote in message news:kw98d.4122$eq1.934@trnddc08...
"Airkings" wrote

Is it advisable to attach a heavy bag to a basement floor joist and use it
for training? Will the vibrations cause damage? What has people's
experience
been? Thanks!


Based on feedback from people at my martial art's club and from a
martial arts store owner's personal opinion:

1) Over time you can damage the floor joist and/or the flooring above
the heavy bag. The 100 lbs heavy bag will swing from side to side,
creating a swinging torsion on the floor joist from which it hangs,
lifting/loosening the subfloor which over time can damage the flooring
above it. For example if the heavy bag is hanging in the basement
underneath the kitchen, and the kitchen has ceramic tiles, these may
crack. If its hardwood, the hardwood may become squeaky over time.
This is what a (very honest) martial arts store owner warned me when I
was shopping in his store for a heavy bag.

2) I've also had some people at my martial arts club tell me that
they've damaged their floor joist with their heavy bag, twisting its
shape (i.e. its now curved).

3) And everybody tells me that its loud. People in your house (most
notably those in the room directly above) will hear it unless you
punch and kick like a sissy

That being said, any punching bag is loud, including the free standing
ones like the Wave Masters. You can try hanging it from the metal
I-beam (if its exposed in the basement) which I've heard eliminates
most of the problems listed above when you hang it against a floor
joist. However hanging it from there will be louder than from a
wooden floor joist.

Hanging it in a garage is a good alternative, as is getting a hanging
cage for a heavy bag (literally a metal frame from which you hang the
bag). The main problem with the cage is that they are tall and you
need a basement with at least a 8' ceiling clearance. Some versions
also require you weighting the cage down with dumbbell plates so that
it doesn't tip over or move around. There is a version by Century
called the CornerMan that sits in a corner and doesn't require weights
to hold it down however the legs extend 9' in both directions from the
corner. Its also designed for a 70 lbs bag.

The hanging cages are usually around $200 - $300, but I've seen some
professional models sell for $1,500. The professional models are
usually designed to provide you with a less restrictive access to the
heavy bag VS the cheaper ones (i.e. you have more freedom around the
bag). You'll know what I mean if you see/try both models.

Its possible to get brackets that mount directly against the studs in
a wall, and hang the heavy bag from this, but I've heard that these
are worse than hanging the bag from the ceiling. Especially since the
bag will always be swinging and hitting the wall possibly creating
large indentations in the drywall (again, unless you punch like a
sissy