What are some workouts i can do to strengthen my punches?

Question

I punch the bag and speed bag but I'm looking

for something to critique it even further.

I've noticed vast improvements but I know there has to be more.

Answer 1

lift legs and do a lot of cardio to get a strong base going. you seem  to be doing fine for upper body training

Answer 2

have u ever tried doing punches while holding weights (dumbells). It builds good power.

Answer 3

Strengthen your punches by working on getting more resilient hands and more stable wrists. The weak point in most punches is the inability to stabilize the wrist (which hitting an non-stabilized  heavy bag will not help with, but rather encourage in improper form to keep the cylindrical shape from rotating). Striking against hard things will build up the resilience of the hand by making it less sensitive and any small bone and joint damage will result in calcification.

To get more power in a punch, practice giving an over-exaggerated hip rotation to the punch. By training big, you'll perform smaller, but you'll at least do the motion. Try making the punch a consequence of the rotation so that your body is what's generating power, not so it's simply trying to catch up to your fist.

Take a tree and wrap a couple beach blankets around the trunk (unless you have very calloused knuckles) and hit at that. Look at your distance, how you're striking (For that matter, are you striking or simply pushing through the target?), where does your foot position send your energy (are your toes pointed toward your target?), and where are you hitting in terms of depth (when striking a body, I find I should aim about 2 inches or so past the surface of that body).

Basically, it sounds like you've worked on speed, accuracy, and power. Now work on principles -- the "why" of the punch.

Answer 4

Well heavybags are one way.

(They also help to allow you to punch harder by making the nerves in the hand less sensitive and thus your brain will allow you to throw a punch harder...)

Resistance bands are a great way, essentially having them tied to a pole or a partner holding them, you turning away from partner or pole and punching with them. It gives you resistance and helps build fast twitch muscle for it.

Medicine ball throws are the latest thing. Doing an overhand throw of the medicine ball against a wall, repeatedly is supposed to simulate throwing an overhand right.

What you want is resistance to the motion.

Some people suggest holding weights and such, but in reality that is also detrimental. It can affect joints, and essentially helps to train your arm not to punch all the way through something. (By nature when you are holding a weight your body has to stop it's forward momentum so that you can continue holding on to it.

If you have ever lifted explosively you find you have to hold on to the bar to keep it from flying away, and as such you put a strain on your joint, and you develop a reflex for not full extensions as your body will want to counter that weight.

Hence resistance bands, and throws are best. Because it allows you to do the full range of motion without having to reverse the momentum of a weight.

Heavybags with heavy gloves are a great help as well. As it helps your technique, and the bag absorbs the heavy weight allowing you to go through it, instead of building that holding back sort of reflex.

That is why boxers don't shadowbox with heavy gloves, but with wrapped hands.

Heavy gloves are great for the heavy bag.

Weights in your hands are more of a hinderance then a help.

You want resistance bands, or to do medicine ball throws.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Bench presses and rowing with barbells or dumbells strengthen the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major muscles that are used in punching. Do some shoulder and arm exercises too. They help in punches.