Does punching the heavy bag work you forearms?

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I just started studying muay thai and have been working the heavy bag a little bit. Does punching it work the muscles in your forearms? Or am I just sore from being unconditioned or having bad form?
 
NO. forearms can only be thoroughly worked with wrist movement. wrist curls, rev wrist curls, wrist rolls, and rev grip cambered bar curls. those exerscises combined with handgrips/strength balls will suffice. heavy bag wont do anything for your forearms.
 
i dont see how it would work your forearms. hitting the heavybag and other type of punching motions work your protractor muscles such as the serratus anterior.
 
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notice those three bumps(serratus anterior) under bernard's armpit. thats what you develop from hitting the heavybag. every boxer has them(aka boxer's muscle).
 
FIGHT FAN said:
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notice those three bumps(serratus anterior) under bernard's armpit. thats what you develop from hitting the heavybag. every boxer has them(aka boxer's muscle).
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Those are obliques and you dont get them from hitting the bag. You get them from having a ripped midsection.
 
It dosen't really work the forarms as many people think. IT is working them because your hands are clinch while you are working the bag. Make a fist and and you can feel your forearm become tense, that along with the impact of the punches will will the forarms. Hitting the bag can also be considered "resistense training.
 
Chris Kimmerly said:
Those are obliques and you dont get them from hitting the bag. You get them from having a ripped midsection.
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NO. thats the serratus anterior. and yes you get em from boxing, and other scapular protraction exercises such as benchpresses and chest flys. most boxers that i have seen, have highly developed serratus muscles.
 
FIGHT FAN said:
NO. thats the serratus anterior. and yes you get em from boxing, and other scapular protraction exercises such as benchpresses and chest flys. most boxers that i have seen, have highly developed serratus muscles.
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no chris is right i have these its from having a low bodyfat percentage
 
maximus__ said:
no chris is right i have these its from having a low bodyfat percentage
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no hes not right because thats not the oblique. thats the serratus anterior, and just like any muslce you still have to develop it to get it bigger. lower body fat obviously helps because it makes it easier to see. every time you punch you are using the serratus anterior muslce(hence the name boxer's muscle)
 
In MT you have to keep your hands up (higher then boxing) so if you are new your forearms will get sore. Also, just keeping your hands up for long periods of time will do that. That is why some fighters when they are tired, they drop their hands.

Also, if you are holding pads for people, your forearms will get sore when you are new. Give it time and your forearms will get stronger.
 
FIGHT FAN said:
no hes not right because thats not the oblique. thats the serratus anterior, and just like any muslce you still have to develop it to get it bigger. lower body fat obviously helps because it makes it easier to see. every time you punch you are using the serratus anterior muslce(hence the name boxer's muscle)
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I'm NO expert but i believe both of you are correct. I have these muscles as well as put in a good amount of bag work and they do seem to be more visible when im on a heavy bag routine. They can be confused with the obliques because they get exercise from the same type of movements (ie:pronation at the waist) like hitting a bag or doing ab exercises with your waist twisted.
On the SAME note though...you will not see them no matter how well developed they are if you are not slim enough! If you have fat around your midsection you will NOT see them period.
 
Bas Rutten Gear said:
In MT you have to keep your hands up (higher then boxing) so if you are new your forearms will get sore. Also, just keeping your hands up for long periods of time will do that. That is why some fighters when they are tired, they drop their hands.

Also, if you are holding pads for people, your forearms will get sore when you are new. Give it time and your forearms will get stronger.
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You must be thinking shoulders because your forearms do little to nothing to keep your hands high. The forearm is utilized when making a fist.

Om a second note, I do think that working the bag for long periods of time works the foreams, unless of course you hit like a bitch. If your foreams are too weak, you can not hit the target with out your fist collapsing and even hurting your wrist.
 
eljabo said:
NO. forearms can only be thoroughly worked with wrist movement. wrist curls, rev wrist curls, wrist rolls, and rev grip cambered bar curls. those exerscises combined with handgrips/strength balls will suffice. heavy bag wont do anything for your forearms.
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You have to stabilize every time you hit slightly less then perfect it will build your forearms.
 
Rudy Richter said:
You must be thinking shoulders because your forearms do little to nothing to keep your hands high. The forearm is utilized when making a fist.

Om a second note, I do think that working the bag for long periods of time works the foreams, unless of course you hit like a bitch. If your foreams are too weak, you can not hit the target with out your fist collapsing and even hurting your wrist.
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It works both. It is like holding 6 or 8lb weights in the air for 3-15 minutes (depending on how long you are holding them for). I am talking about Thai pads not boxing mitts.

Working the bag gets your forearms in shape too.
 
the shoulders work to keep your arms up but the direct mover and muslce that gets worked the most( say it with me know kiddies) is the SERRATUS ANTERIOR. this is the muscle that is responsible for producing most of the punching force and thats why boxers have nicely developed serratus muscles(because they work them almost everyday during there career). nothing develops the serratus better than punching. it makes sense that the forearms would be sore, as they are in a constant state of contraction, even though your not directly working them.
 
wanderleibytko said:
You have to stabilize every time you hit slightly less then perfect it will build your forearms.
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Yes.

Although it isn'te nearly as effective as exercises specifically for the lower arm, especially if your form is good. The amount of stabilization you have to do decreases greatly as your form improves. If you hit a bag (or anything) perfectly, you need pretty much no stabilization of the fist at all.

If you want to work your forearms, hit the search function for the S&P forum to read lots about wrist rollers and such. I do recommend it too, since you'll rarely land a punch perfectly in a real fight and you risk injury to your wrists if they're weak. The same goes for increasing hand strength to avoid broken knuckles.
 
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