The Best Free Standing Punching Bags 2021

First up on our list of the best free standing punch bags is the Ringside Elite. Unlike many other options out there, the Ringside Elite is able to take an absolute beating and remain upright. It also serves as one of the best kickboxing bags.

This is thanks to the spring-loaded design that allows the bag to swing back and forth instead of falling over. This is also a great feature for fighters looking to work on their timing and footwork.

Measuring at 6’4”, the Ringside Elite Freestanding Bag is the largest on our list. When filled with water or sand the bag can weigh up to 270lb, which provides it with a solid base that helps prevent it from falling over.

The exterior of the bag is made using dense shock-absorbing foam that is lined with high quality synthetic leather. The bag also comes with a foam pad that can be put around the base for extra protection when kicking.

There are a couple of downsides to this bag, although they’re pretty minuscule. Firstly, after repeated use the spring can start to squeak, which can easily be fixed with a bit of WD40. Also, Ringside made the hole in the base painstakingly small. If you plan on using sand in the base, it can be a messy job and take a fair amount of time.

Other than that, the Ringside Elite is one of the top free standing heavy bags currently available. If you’re fairly large and have a powerful kick, this is probably the most suitable bag for you as it is pretty tough to knock over.

If you want anymore information, head on over to our full Ringside Elite free standing bag review.

Century Wavemaster XXL Training Bag – Close Second

Take a look at this video to see the difference between the Century and Ringside free standing heavy bags.

Century BOB XL – Most Realistic

The Century BOB (Body Opponent Bag) XL is life like free standing punching dummy. The realistic design of the bag allows you to practice delivering strikes to a specific part of the body. As such, the Century Bob is an incredibly popular bag seen in many gyms across the country.

Like many other of the items on our list, the plastic base is able to hold up to 270lb of sand or water, providing a heavy and stable structure for the bag. This weight helps it stand up to even the hardest hitter looking for the most durable kickboxing bag or upright heavy bag.

The body is manufactured using high quality urethane foam, that’s both tear resistant and long lasting. Due to the firmness of the bags build, you should train with the Century Bob using gloves or wraps.

The Century BOBs low centre of gravity and wide base allow the bag to withstand a fair amount of impact without falling over. In fact, it’s one of the most stable floor standing heavy bags I’ve used and requires a fair amount of force to knock it down.

The Century BOB is available in two sizes, with the XL model featuring a full torso design with upper legs. The regular sized versions is slightly cheaper and only features the upper torso.

Overall, it’s easy to see why the Century BOB is such a popular choice amongst martial arts instructors. It allows you to familiarize yourself with striking specific parts of the body and is incredibly tough to knock down.

As always, we've taken an even more in-depth look at the body opponent bag in our full Century Bob Review.

The Century Versys Fight Simulator is a free standing punching bag designed specifically for transitioning from stand up to the ground. As such, the Century Versys is much more suited to MMA than any other martial arts.

In fact, I would say that it's only suitable for MMA, as the bag falls over extremely easily. Although a fantastic feature for MMA practitioners looking to develop their ground and pound, it isn’t really suitable for much else. 

Located at the top of the bag are handles that you can hold onto when training your knee strikes. The bag also provides a wide surface area for you to develop and array of strikes targeted at different areas of the body.

The bag itself weighs approximately 100lbs and comes ready to use, without the needing to fill the base with water or sand.

Overall, the Century Versys is incredibly versatile and one of the best MMA punching bags. We've also discussed some of the other version of the Versys in our full Century Versys review if you want to check that out.

Everlast Omniflex – Best Budget Friendly Option

Century 2XL Pro

Although having a very similar name, the Century 2XL Pro is not to be confused with the Century Wavemaster XXL we discussed earlier. The two are very similar, however the 2XL Pro features some slight improvements to the older model.

One such improvement is the locknut located at the top of the bag. This helps to secure the bag to the base and prevents it from coming lose. You will notice that cheaper bags come lose from their base due to the repetitive impact they endure. Fortunately, Century has found a way to combat this problem and it works incredibly well.

Aside from that, the other major differences are purely cosmetic. The Century 2XL pro is available in red, black and blue, all of which feature the typical Century branding.

The Century Wavemaster 2XL Pro is manufactured using high-density, impact absorbing foam and is in fact the most well padded model released by Century to date.

Similarly to some of the other punching bags on our lsit, the Century Wavemaster XXL features a tapered base that weighs approximately 270lbs when filled with water or sand.

Although incredibly high, it does cost a fair amount of money. Being the most expensive model on our list, I feel that I couldn’t place this in the top positions, as it doesn’t quite offer as much value for money as other bags.

Having said that, if budget isn’t an issue, then the Century Wavemaster 2XL Pro is easily one of the best punching bags around.

Wan't some good news?

You can get 10% off the 2XL and all other Century gear using this link: CLICK HERE FOR 10% OFF

Ringside Fitness Punching Bag

The Ringside Fitness Punching Bag is a great free standing heavy bag for those of you are looking to work on your cardio.

This isn’t a bag designed for throwing full force punches; instead it provides a way for you to work on your fitness and striking at the same time.

Although it looks similar to the Ringside Elite bag we discussed earlier, there are some major differences. For example, the fitness bag is 10 inches shorter than the other model, with a smaller, lighter base that is able to hold approximately 140lbs of sand or water. It’s worth noting that the hole in the base is pretty small and will require some form of funnel if you’re looking to fill it with sand.

The exterior of the bag is lined with shock absorbing foam, which is then encased in a layer of durable vinyl material that’s both firm and tear resistant.  

If you’re looking for a free standing punching bag designed for cardio workouts, the Century Fitness Bag is a fantastic option.

Century Aerobic Cardio Wavemaster

Moving onto the final model on our list, the Century Aerobic Wavemaster. This is another bag designed for cardio work outs as opposed to other models on our list that are designed to with stand high powered strikes.

This is very similar to the Century Wavemaster we discussed earlier, however is smaller in pretty much every way. The bag is smaller, with a smaller base able to hold up to 170lbs of water or sand. As such, the Cardio Wavemaster isn’t ideal for full striking workouts, but is perfect for working on your fitness and endurance.

When striking the Century Aerobic Wavemaster, don’t put your full force behind the strikes or you will find yourself picking having to pick up the bag every other punch.

The bag itself features shock-absorbing foam that helps to dissipate the force felt on your body. Although, it’s still a good idea to train using gloves or wraps, just to provide your hands with extra protection.

The bag has three colour options; black, blue and red with the standard Century branding.

Overall, the Century Cardio Wavemaster is a great bag for beginners, or for those of you looking to improve your fitness whilst focusing on your striking.

MAX MMA COBRA REFLEX BAG

Ringside Fitness Reflex Bag

Up next, and the final model on our list is another reflex bag, this time from Ringside. Ringside are an extremely well known and reputable name in the boxing world, offering a ton of different top quality equipment and gear. 

Their reflex bag is slightly different to the Cobra model we just discussed, as the spring is located at the bottom of the base. This means that the bag will rebound at a slower pace, which makes this model in particular more suited towards beginners. 

The bag itself is constructed using synthetic leather, which although isn’t quite as durable as genuine leather, is much easier to clean and maintain. You can also keep the bag nice and stable by filling with the base with either water or sand. 

Much like the other options on our list, the Ringside bag features an adjustable height system, allowing you to move the bag from 49” in height to 69”. This in turn is great if more than one person wants to use the bag, or you want to practice striking at different height levels.

To sum up, this is another awesome options by one of the biggest names in the game. On top of that, this is one of the more affordable options on our list, making it a great option for anyone. When looking for the best reflex bag, this is one to consider to get started.