It doesn’t take a genius to understand why boxing enthusiasts and at-home exercisers would want to find the best free standing punching bags.
While a traditional heavy bag can provide a great workout, the problem is that they’re not very practical.
In addition to being, well, heavy, they’re also hard to install, and take up a lot of space in your home gym.
Plus, even if you manage to install it safely and securely, real heavy bags make a ton of noise when you hit them, and the impact can often be felt all over the house.
(When I hung a hanging bag from a beam in my basement, my 94-year-old house shook so much that my wife thought I was going to knock all the photos off the walls.)
Fortunately, a good free standing bag basically eliminates all of those problems.
The best ones are easy to set up, can absorb some pretty hard blows, and can be tucked away in a corner when not in use.
To help you get the most (corny pun alert!) bag for your buck (you were warned), in this post we’ve rounded up some of the best free-standing heavy bags on the market today.
Hit Hard Without a Heavy Bag:
The (Absolute) Best Free Standing Punching Bags
Overall Best Free Standing Punching Bag for Home ↓
Century Original Wavemaster
Rating:
- 4.6 Stars
- 4,198 Reviews
Advantages:
Century has been one of the top manufacturers of boxing and MMA equipment for years now, so it’s no surprise that they make the overall best freestanding heavy bag.
The Wavemaster Original easily tops our list because it’s the best option for everyone from casual fitness enthusiasts to serious martial artists.
It’s made from high-quality materials that are designed to last, including a durable vinyl cover and a sturdy piece of high-density foam that’s tough enough to absorb strong blows.
In addition to high quality, it also offers plenty of practicality.
The heavy base can be filled to 250 pounds, making it sturdier than just about any other free standing punch bag on the market.
And the seven height adjustment options mean people of all heights can practice everything from low kicks to hook punches.
But the best part might be the price:
While larger models like the Century Wavemaster XXL Training Bag cost about $400, the Original is usually priced between 200 and 300, making it not only a great bag, but great value.
Promising Review:
I used bags like this in the gym for kickboxing and this was my favorite style because of the amount of padding, the adjustability, and weight. I bought this for home use and it’s working perfect!
…I should have bought one years ago because it is so fun and is way cheaper than a gym membership!!
– gmp
Best Free Standing Punching Bag for Muay Thai ↓
Century B.O.B. Dummy
Rating:
- 4.8 Stars
- 1,853 Reviews
Advantages:
For people training in Muay Thai or different styles of martial arts, the best punching bag isn’t a bag at all:
It’s a body opponent bag, which more accurately mimics what it’s like to strike a real person.
The Century BOB (and its slightly larger brother, the Century BOB XL) is basically the gold standard when it comes to body opponent bags.
A realistic mannequin sits on top of a low-profile base, which can be filled to 270 pounds for stability and allows for seven different height adjustments.
The life-like dummy is a better option for martial arts and self-defense training because it allows you to differentiate between blows to the head, neck and mid section, and better hone your skills.
Promising Review:
I like this because unlike a heavy bag, you can target specific areas to practice your strikes. Also, the adjustable height is awesome.
Easy to change and improves the range of motion for your striking. I would recommend this to any one using a heavy bag or people who just want to improve the accuracy of their strikes
– AdakatH
Best Free Standing Punching Bag for Beginners ↓
Ringside Elite Punching Bag
Rating:
- 4.4 Stars
- 168 Reviews
Advantages:
Ringside’s Elite model boasts a large striking surface that allows you to do a full punching bag workout and execute everything from punches and jabs to high kicks and low kicks.
It has a small but sturdy base, and like all free standing bags it’s weight will vary depending on the fill material:
It will weigh up to 240 pounds if filled with sand ,or 140 pounds if filled with water.
Promising Review:
Excellent free standing heavy bag. Has a flexible base post, allowing you to deliver hard hits without the bag tipping over.
Century Versys Fight Simulator
Rating:
- 4.5 Stars
- 636 Reviews
Advantages:
More than just a heavy punching bag, Century’s Versys model is a great option for those who are serious about combat sports.
While most heavy bags are rigid so they’ll maintain their shape after numerous blows, the Versys sports unique designs that make it both flexible and durable.
As a result, it’s the only bag on this list that can be used not just as an upright boxing bag, but also horizontally on the ground, allowing you to practice takedowns and ground technique.
Promising Review:
Heavy bags don’t move (and opponents do!) . . .
this bag moves, returns to origin, gives realistically like a sparring partner and allows for a full range of strikes, upper, lower, mid, forearm, spinning . . . everything . . .
SO MUCH better than my old hanging Everlast.
– W. Wulff
Century Powerline Wavemaster
Rating:
- 4.7 Stars
- 384 Reviews
Advantages:
A more robust version of the Original Wavemaster listed above, which is a smaller bag, this one features twice as much high-density foam.
In addition to having a larger striking area, the Powerline is also a tall bag with a large base:
Like the Original, it boasts seven different height settings, with the top one measuring 68 inches from the top of the bag to the floor, making it the best bag for tall people who can pack a punch.
Like the other Century bags on this list, the interior is filled with sturdy and high-density foam wrapped in a durable vinyl cover that can take a beating.
Promising Review:
I couldn’t hang a bag and I didn’t want an excessively loud set up with a bag and stand. It takes full force hits well, punches and kicks, with 200 pounds of sand in the base…
I would suggest this to anyone who doesn’t want to, or cannot hang a bag. You will not be disappointed!
Everlast PowerCore Free-Standing Bag
Rating:
- 4.4 Stars
- 2,357 Reviews
Advantages:
The Everlast Power Core Bag is an ideal choice for at-home exercisers who would rather throw on some boxing gloves than hop on a bike to get their cardio in.
(In addition to being more fun, boxing also has the added benefit of improving your hand-eye coordination.)
It’s got a sturdy, round base that can be filled with up to 370 pounds of sand or 250 pounds of water, an internal air-foam chamber that provides a realistic feel when struck and an adjustable height that ranges from 54″ to 65″.
Promising Review:
It took about 15 minutes to get everything set up and my entire family loves using it.
If you need a freestanding punching bag with little to no effort setting it up, I highly recommend this product!!
– Eric M.
PEXMOR Free-Standing Punching Bag
Rating:
- 4.4 Stars
- 566 Reviews
Advantages:
One of the few models not from Century or Everlast to make our top selections, Pexmor’s free-standing bag has a number of unique features that make it distinct from other manufacturers.
The interior of the bag contains high-density EPE foam, but it also boasts a layer of fabric buffers in between the foam and the synthetic leather cover.
Whereas the Century bags all use vinyl for the exterior, Pexmor opted for 2mm of PU leather, making it durable enough to last a long time without hurting your hands or legs on impact.
And the bag itself rests on a narrow but sturdy stainless steel tube that extends up from the base, which has strong suction cups affixed to the bottom.
(A great feature that helps keep it from moving after it’s struck.)
Promising Review:
I was very surprised by the build quality. Assembly was easy. I decided to test it out for a while before leaving a review…
Stitching is holding up. I’ve used it almost everyday for the last month and it shows no sign of stretching or ripping.
Best of the Rest
The free standing bags above represent our top picks for the absolute best free-standers on the market.
But the perfect choice for you will depend on your specific needs, space allotment and budget, and the bags above are from the only ones on the market.
Below you’ll find more free-standing bags that range in size and style – including smaller (and easier to store) reflex bags and speed bags – that might just be the best choice for you.
Century Aerobic Wavemaster
Rating:
- 4.3 Stars
- 684 Reviews
Advantages:
Another iteration of Century’s flagship bag, the Aerobic Wavemaster – also known as the Cardio Wavemaster – is purpose-built for those who care more about working up a sweat than landing a killer blow.
It has a smaller footprint than some of the heavier bags on this list, making it a great choice if you don’t have much space, and offers four height settings that range from 53.5″ to 65.5″.
Promising Review:
This bag is sturdy–we use it for boxing or kickboxing. Different heights are very easy to adjust and are comfortable.
It came fully assembled in a big box–just add water with a garden hose, which we did, or sand.
– Paul J.
Update:
Unfortunately it seems that the Aerobic Wavemaster is now out of stock just about everywhere, and has even been removed from Century’s website.
As a replacement, we recommend either the Pexmor model listed above, or the Xsport immediately below.
Xsport Pro Free Standing Punching Bag
Rating:
- 4.5 Stars
- 1,068 Reviews
Promising Review:
This is my first punching bag of any kind. So far the experience had been great…
I filled it up with water and so far the sturdiness has been decent. It definitely starts to shift after you’ve punched or kicked it around for a bit, but nothing that interrupts my workouts.
Great height for me (5’11”) and great for my much shorter 8 year old son.
Feels durable and high-end.
Ringside Cobra Reflex Boxing Punching Bag
Rating:
- 4.1 Stars
- 537 Reviews
Promising Review:
I use this bag almost every day. I’m 240lb and 6’1”. I’ve been boxing recreationally for 20 years and I needed something at home that didn’t take up a ton of space.
I’ve been slugging this thing for almost a year and it’s still holding up like it did day one and I hit fairly hard.
– James B
Ringside Tornado Free-Standing Punching Heavy Bag
Rating:
- 4.2 Stars
- 76 Reviews
Promising Review:
Read up on a few different bags and decided on this one. Was looking for something to get a great cardio workout, if nothing else — this definitely fits the bill!
…It gives a lot when you hit it hard — but I like that it bounces back at you — you can really develop a cool rhythm with it. Definitely recommend it!
– TV Dude
Everlast Omniflex Freestanding Bag
Rating:
- 4.6 Stars
- 458 Reviews
Promising Review:
I appreciate everything about the way this bag moves with me and the required force to move it since its ample for attaining skill and not just impressing myself with my power.
This bag is extremely durable and has enough resistance and movement to get you working angles and learning to move your head while still keeping you honest with your power shots.
– bwguyer
Century Torrent T1
Rating:
- 4 Stars
- 9 Reviews
Promising Review:
T1 is plenty big. Happy with it for kicking and punching. Rocks back and forth sort of like a double end bag. Looks nice.
– Paul
Dripex Freestanding Punching Bag
Rating:
- 4.5 Stars
- 4,166 Reviews
Promising Review:
I am very happy with my purchase of this training bag…Very effective for core strengthening/cardio! It was worth it!
…It seems to take some pretty hefty taekwondo kicks from me. I am pleased with it and would def recommend this for families that want to practice martial arts at home.
– Kevin
Protocol Punching Bag with Stand
Rating:
- 4.1 Stars
- 7,097 Reviews
Promising Review:
I love this workout, it’s fun! I punch this thing pretty hard with fast-paced solid jabs (I’m not trying to knock it out, just get my heart rate up) and I have had no problems.
Seems quite sturdy under these conditions.
– M D
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The Recap ↓
Summary
The Wavemaster Original easily tops our list because it’s made from high-quality materials that are designed to last, including a durable vinyl cover and a sturdy piece of high-density foam that’s tough enough to absorb strong blows.