April 11 2020… what the hell man.
So by now you all have been stuck without a gym or training partners and probably finding all of the craziest ways to turn your furniture into gym equipment (or bjj buddies).
I’m adding to your DIY quarantine list… DIY Heavy Bag!
So I got some of this idea from my fiance, who did this previously in the army.
Supplies:
A canvas duffel bag. (I used my fiance’s old army bag)
5 rolls or more of duck tape
Heavy duty rope to support the bag weight.
A screw hook to hang the bag. That is heavy duty to hold the bag weight.
Sawdust, cat litter, sand, anything to fill the bag depending on how heavy you want it. (My fiance said he used old scrap clothes in his bag).
I was lucky to have all of these supplies at my house. I didn’t need to purchase anything. I would consider your budget before making a diy one like this. Because if you end up buying all of the supplies new, you might as well just buy a heavy bag.
Step 1:
Grab your duffel bag and check to make sure all seams are properly stitched and strong. You may need to flip you bag inside out to stitch any parts. Take off any extra buckles or metal parts or straps. If your bag does not tie on the end like a military sea bag, you will need to keep some buckles and straps to use to hold your bag up.
Step 2:
Fill you bag up! I used sawdust from fresh cut trees by my house. It is light enough to not kill you when you carry and hang it, but dense enough to stay put when you punch.
If you use sand just make sure you can carry the bag and place it on your hook. It will be super heavy FYI. Cat litter can work, or even old clothes like Keegan did.
Step 3:
Once you fill your bag tie it up tight, reinforce if need be. Then attach the rope needed to hang it. If you do not have a top tying bag (like a typical military seabag/duffel bag) You will need to fasten your rope to the bag. Depending on what style bag you have, you could wrap rope through buckles, and tie it around the middle/top before hanging. You will just need to use extra duck tape to cover buckles and rope. I would also suggest sewing them in to reinforce. My bag already had a decent amount of thick rope at the top (they are drawstrings). So I did not need extra rope for this.
Step 4:
Once you have a filled bag, with rope attached to the top, and it is secure. No you can cover it in duck tape. Mine took about 5 rolls of tape. I used all of the fun patterns that I had hanging around the house that I never had the use for. Finally those weird tape rolls got used!
Make sure you really cover all of it 🙂
Step 5:
Now with your bag all set, time to put that hook in the wall. I had a hammock hook that was outside already. So make sure when you find a place, you are using a very sturdy beam in your house/ basement/ porch etc. Screw it in and make sure it is sturdy!
Step 6:
Time to hang your bag! You might need a hand with this depending on how big the bag is. Once you hang it up, it is good to go! TIP: You may need to add some extra ducktape once you hang it up.
Next up is a longer DIY kicking heavy bag from old truck tires! 😉