If you don’t want your hands to get all torn up, heavy bag gloves are the answer. When I first trained on a sand bag, I ended up with bloody knuckles.
One thing to be stressed is that bag gloves are meant for training and not for use with an opponent. They are made with little padding and will not protect your partner.
It is up to you whether to use hand wraps. Just be sure to size your gloves accordingly. Heavier gloves will help condition you for the rigors of boxing.
Hand wraps offer wrist protection which can be good but you will also want to work up to not using them so you can condition for ground fighting which requires mobility in the wrists.
Traditional Boxing Gloves
Should I use boxing gloves for the heavy bag workout or do I need bag gloves? It is up to you. There are some pluses and minuses to both.
There is no problem in using your 16 ounce boxing gloves on the bag. But you can save the wear and tear on your more expensive boxing gloves, by using the bag gloves.
Heavy bag gloves are leather or vinyl style ‘mittens’ that contain a decent amount of padding on the knuckles while also providing enough wrist support that errant injuries may not occur.
Construction
Of course it is not to say that you have complete protection, but they do certainly cut down to risk of injury.
The heavy bag is designed to optimize power and endurance so that is why it has little give. Therefore, you will need to be able to hit the bag with force and not worry about getting injured.
Since the heavy bag is hard and heavy, you obviously need to hit it hard as well. It will not give so in order to punch it hard without getting hurt, you need protection.
Other Workouts
Bag gloves can also be employed in other workouts in the gym. They can be used to hit the double end bag or focus mitts. What they cannot be used for is sparring since they are far too light to be used safely.
Do not use MMA gloves on the heavy bag unless you want to replace them soon. You’ll end up wearing out the gloves quickly and risking hurting your fingers. MMA gloves are not a good choice.
What To Purchase
When you buy heavy bag gloves, you want to purchase ones with enough protection, not the ultra-thin ones that do not provide enough support.
They simply do not provide the protection that you need. Heavier and more durable bag gloves produced by name brands are most definitely what you should look for instead as these are the top items to wear.
I recommend UFC bag gloves, along with the Century heavy bag gloves. Bad Boy, a UFC sponsor, also has a nice set up gloves. I have had experience with all of these, and they will all work great for bag work.