I bought my wavemaster a good 12 years ago or so. After originally setting it up indoors in a residential setting, I quickly realize a few issues that prompted me to move it outdoors.
1) The noise level is unbelievable when hitting a bag that size with that sort of power. The neighbors came running within minutes of my fort round with it indoors.
2) The Wavemaster will naturally wobble around as you hit it, and will keep moving if left on a flat, smooth surface. Great way to destroy a carpeted or wood floor, on viable option would probably be a warehouse style concrete floor.
After moving it out, I have put it to good use outdoors during all 4 seasons of the year. In boxing practice with a punching bag, you can control the intensity of your workout by altering your pace gears as required. During the dead of our Canadian winter, I've managed to go at it with enough in intensity to have me in a t-shirt, with steam rising off my body in sub zero temperature. Spring and fall are manageable, but during summer, early morning workouts still need to be less intense, especially on those hot, smoggy, dog days of summer.
The set up is fairly simple. The Wavemaster base can be filled with either sand or water. I chose water in order to be able to move if to different location as required. Once filled, it will weigh close to 275 lbs or so, giving plenty enough resistance to most of your punches. I usually leave the base in place year round, and simply remove the "bag", which is basically a strong cylinder core surrounded by foam padding and an outer leather/vinyl shell.
I've added images of my various villains that I use for motivation, and coated them with layers of clear tape, which probably reinforce the outer shell as well. As you can see, the assorted villains have taken quite a beating by my fists over the years.
First step to a Wavemaster workout, if to watch some footage of how to properly throw basic punches like jabs, crosses and hook. Proper form is important, though not necessarily essential.
Next, make sure you are properly warmed up. I typically do a 10 to 20 minute warmup routine indoors, followed by a god 25 to 30 minute intense body weight / dumbell circuit. Though it uses more energy than one would before a fight, The Wavemaster doesn't hit back, and I like to ensure that my entire body is properly warmed up, to avoid injury.
Though you can punch with your bare hands, I prefer to use hand wraps and light boxing gloves, which allow me to put a lot more power into my punches with much less chance of breaking my hand or wrists.
Keep a water bottle nearby for hydration, a towel to towel down between rounds. A stop watch to time your rounds comes in handy, and a boombox with your favorite workout music makes it more enjoyable.
I aim for 5 or 6 rounds, usually about 3 minutes each. I start off with some light jabbing and punching, then to a couple round focussing more on speed and accuracy rather than full power. I work in increasing punch combinations of jabs, crosses and hooks, thrown both a head and body level of my target. I also switch stances from orthodox (left hand/foot first) to southpaw (right hand/foot first), to work out and practise punching from both sides evenly. Elite boxers switch stances at times during fight, but for the most part they stick to their natural stance, which would be orthodox for right handed people, and southpaw for lefties.
Once I've gone though a couple rounds, my heart rate is increased, and by body has warmed up / tuned in to punching mode. This is where the fun comes in, where I'm putting close to full power into every punch. I'll aim for a least 200 punches per round, often throwing more. So over a full workout, I'll throw between 1000 and 1500 punches, depending on the length of me boxing session.
Once done with the wavemaster, I store the bag in a dry space to keep it out of the rain. Then make sure to properly do some full body stretching for a good 10 minutes or so, as proper cooldown is important to recovery.
He is a short video clip I shot of myself using the Wavemaster punching bag, should give you a rough idea of what it's like.
No comments:
Post a Comment