You can choose between a ceiling mount or a wall mount. For an optimal workout, most people suggest being able to move 360 degrees around the bag. This helps you work on footwork, movements, among other things. If the bag isn’t in the middle of the room, it could potentially break something or rebound off the wall and come back at you, causing injury. Most people suggest mounting a heavy bag to the ceiling in a basement or garage.
Another way to find the support beam is to use the knock test. Knock along your ceiling; if you hear a hollow sound, there’s no support beam behind it. When you hit a support beam, the sound will change and no longer be hollow since you are knocking on a piece of wood. You can also measure from the wall to find the support beam. Place a tape measure against the edge of the wall and measure 16". Continue measuring in 16" increments until your desired placement. Knock against the wall to double check the placement of the support beam. Installing a heavy bag on the ceiling can cause serious damage to your house if done incorrectly. That is why it is so important to find a beam strong enough. Hanging the heavy bag on the rafters or ceiling joints can destroy the drywall. Overhead ceiling beams that are used to hold heavy bags should be able to support more weight than the bag.
Avoid using hooks instead of eyebolts, since heavy bags can easily fall off hooks.
Joists are usually placed 16" apart. If you don’t have a stud finder, you can use a measuring tape to measure from the edge of the wall, marking every 16". In some houses, the joists may run up to 24" apart. Use the knock test to double check. If you knock on the ceiling and hear a hollow sound, there is no joist. If the sound is not hollow, you are knocking against a ceiling joist. Choose a place in the ceiling where the joist meets with a cross beam if possible. You can center the mount to the crossbeam for added support.
You will need 3-inch wood screws. The threads on the screw need to catch and thread into the ceiling joist. Choose a drill bit so that the holes in the ceiling are sized so that the drilled hole is slightly larger than the shank of the wood screw, not the threads.
If you have a crossbeam, center the wood along the crossbeam. This will be where you will hang the bag. You can use a 2x4, but a 2x6 or higher will provide more support for your heavy bag.
Make sure to never install the mount into drywall. Try sticking a heavy bag chain or spring between the mount and the chains. This reduces vibration, and can possibly save your drywall.
The bracket of a wall mount is screwed into the wall close to the ceiling.
If you’re using a free-standing rack, simply attach the chain on the heavy bag to the S-hook on the rack. No installation is required.
