one problem could be you aren't eating the right food, or maybe you have been skipping out on meals eat food with high protein and stuff like tht

I have to ask what type of exercises and how heavy you are lifting? You may also be overtraining. I'm a firm believer to "shred" your muscles you lift a weight so that you do a min of 4 reps and a max of 6 reps and then let that muscle group rest 3-4 days. Only focus on certain muscle groups on certain days. This has helped me bulk a bit.

Alright guys, I'm an ex-college catcher and I just hung my first heavy-bag need your input on how to train properly on a bag. I have nothing in one knee, no ACL or PCL, so I don't like to run much. I do jump rope and lift but I have always wanted to go to town on a heavy bag.

Hey, Herg!

There's LOTS of different work-outs you can do with a heavy-bag!

The first thing to remember, regardless of what type of excercise you're doing on the bag, is to maintain a proper stance. Try not to square up with the bag. Keep your feet the correct distance apart and you'll find that you can throw better/stronger punches and will develope better balance.

 Typically I would say the best way to hit the bag is to work combinations. Some are listed on this site, and tomorrow I think I'm going to post the combinations that make up my shadow-boxing routine (which can also be used on the heavy-bag). But, in my opinion, working combos is much better than just unleashing on the bag. So long as you aren't hurting your hands, it's good to hit the bag at 75%-100% power. And its better to coast (i.e. circle and jab) than it is to take a break in the middle of a round, you'll get a better work-out this way and build your punching stamina. Rounds like this on the bag can range between 3-10 minutes. I recomend 3 minute rounds, as that mimicks the real deal. Rest in between rounds for either 30 seconds or a full minute.

One other excercise is called punch-out drills. You can do them for either 1, 2, or 3 minute intervals (I recomend 1 or 2, three is kind of ridiculous and painful). The focus of this excercise is speed/activity as opposed to power. You just keep your arms moving, tapping the bag, the goal being to just punch non-stop for the full round (however long that might be). You can even add this in to a regular round on the bag, do 2 and half minutes of a regular round on the bag, and for the last 30 seconds do a punch-out drill.

Just remember that a lot of your power comes from your hip-flexors, your legs, and especially your core. If you really want to hit hard, remember to put your whole body behind the punch. Twist at the hips with a hook, push up through your legs with an uppercut, shift forward through your hips on straight punches.

I hope that helps!

thx all this info helps a bunch!