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The dangers of heavy bags?
Posted: September 27, 2003, 7:04 pm
by Abelard
So i've started working out on a heavy punching bag about 3 times a week. I use hand wraps for protection. I've noticed that its peeling skin on a couple of my knuckles away and i'd like to know if there are any long term dangers of this i should be aware of? I'm figuring my skin will adapt and get thicker but i just want to make absolutely sure.
Posted: September 27, 2003, 7:29 pm
by noel
You'll be fine. Just use lotion 3 times a week ideally with vitamin E and Aloe Vera. Insert stupid lotion joke below:
Posted: September 27, 2003, 7:30 pm
by kyoukan
you'll develop calluses on your knuckles.
I don't recommend working out on a heavy bag though unless you plan on boxing or kickboxing at a certain point. It's not very a aerobic or muscle building excercise and its not very good for your shoulders, elbows or wrists. Its mostly to train your body on how to balance itself while punching hard and how to put your weight into your blows. almost any workout is better than a heavybag which is ideally more of a training tool.
Posted: September 27, 2003, 7:37 pm
by kyoukan
lol listen to aranuil he is an expert hand lotions rofl
Posted: September 27, 2003, 7:42 pm
by noel
You can tip me for the set up later.
I definitely agree with Kyoukan. Heavy bags are for very specific purposes, not just to work out and look cool like Colin Farrel in The Recruit.
Posted: September 27, 2003, 8:05 pm
by Abelard
i'm involved with jeet kune do and i'm mainly doing it for sparring purposes.
can you recomend any certain brand of oil aranuil?
Posted: September 27, 2003, 8:13 pm
by noel
I like Nivea products for SKIN CARE.
Insert skin care joke below:
Posted: September 27, 2003, 8:16 pm
by Abelard
awesome.
and does the skin on my knuckles get thicker after? sorta like the effect of a guitar on finger tips?
Posted: September 27, 2003, 9:05 pm
by Xouqoa
aranuil said 'tip'
*insert beavis and butthead laughter*
Posted: September 27, 2003, 11:41 pm
by Asheran Mojomaster
MISLEADING TITLE!!! Anyway, if I were you I would wear wraps at least. When I'm on the heavy bags, I usually go full on and put on the bag gloves too haha. Of course, I box, so its better to just do it with gloves on for me since I am gonna have em on in a ring.
Posted: September 28, 2003, 2:00 am
by kyoukan
you would be better off practicing with a wooden pegboard for JKD. you use a lot of open hand and knife-hand strikes right?
Posted: September 28, 2003, 2:13 am
by Kwonryu DragonFist
Abe!
Good thing to hear that you've started training JKD!
For how long?
Sparring is the best training though!
Posted: September 28, 2003, 8:25 am
by Tegellan
You willd evelop calluses on your knuckles yeah, doing push ups (is that what they are called in english?) on your knuckles helps those calluses along nicely too. It will make your hands look slightly strange if you really go all out though.
Like Kyo said though, if it's jkd, I would imagine a wooden board might be better, unless of course I remember the style wrong.
Posted: September 28, 2003, 11:34 am
by Abelard
about 6 months grakk, yeah we do a lot of open hand / knife moves but we use some western boxing techniques as well.
i don't think i have access to a peg board unfortunately. :/
Posted: September 29, 2003, 2:25 am
by Pilsburry
I used to get bloody knuckles even wth the sparring gloves on...then again I was in college back then and had really cheap sparring gloves.
Posted: September 29, 2003, 6:02 am
by kyoukan
you're also a sissy.
Posted: September 29, 2003, 8:43 am
by Kilmoll the Sexy
I don't think it would be medically possible for me to back this up, but i swear that my knucles (the bone mass) actually increased when I was younger and in Tae Kwon Do. A lot of push-ups with bare knucles on concrete floors and heavy bags etc. The bare knucle push-ups were actually the least stressfull pushup when compared to the fingertips pushups. Strong hands made me a vary powerful masturbator.
The real question........
Posted: September 29, 2003, 11:04 am
by Elbryan Wyndon
The real question is how many of you suffer from hairy palms...my guess is at least 80%.
Posted: September 29, 2003, 11:14 am
by Canelek
I would imagine that the stress on joints and bones could certainly have long term effects(metacarpal stress fractures, etc.)....that is just a guess though.
And listen to Aranuil when it comes to lotions and oils, he bathes in AstroGlide(TM) rumor has it!

Posted: September 29, 2003, 11:24 am
by Pilsburry
Kilmoll, that sounds entirely possible. If you made small chips ont he bone it would happen for sure, the splinter would stay close to the bone (there is like a sac around bones for this purpose) and then the bone would repair itself, much like if someone breaks a bone that's close to the surface like a tibia or clavicle, they can sometimes feel a lump where the break occured.
As for Kyoukan, I'm not a sissy. I didn't say bloody knuckles prevented me from hitting the bag, I just said they bled.
Posted: September 29, 2003, 6:24 pm
by Asheran Mojomaster
The only time I've ever gotten bloody knuckles from punching any bag was when I was barefist on an old headache bag and the leather it was made of was worn and ripped. I really dont see how you made your knuckles bleed on a heavy bag with gloves on.