The screaming when lifting weight They are one of the most annoying sounds of the gyms. In fact, we have all screamed at some point when making an effort, it is not unusual, but there are people who seem to have just been run over. In fact, it doesn’t just happen with weights. Screaming is very common in other sports, such as tennis or martial arts. But why? Is there really any benefit to shouting or is it simply a habit of some athletes?
This question is asked by those of us who have to suffer the excessive shouting of a gym mate, but it has also been asked by many scientists. There are quite a few studies that verify whether shouting when lifting weights provides benefits at the level of effort, resistance and recovery.
Curiously, or perhaps not so curiously for some people, the answer is yes. Screaming when lifting weights is beneficial. Although you don’t have to go overboard either, just a strong exhalation and a slight growl, it need not be heard several blocks away.
What is the purpose of screaming when lifting weight?
When we exercise, we can’t breathe anyway. It is always recommended to exhale when making the greatest effort and inhale during relaxation. That exhalation, if the effort is great, will be in line, so it can end up becoming a kind of snarl.
That is the basis on which he worked in 2014 a team of scientists from Drexel University. They wanted to know if exhaling and shouting when lifting really had benefits. Therefore, they carried out a very simple experiment.
For its realization, they had the participation of 30 volunteerswho were asked to squeeze a handle as strong as they could. This handle was associated with a device that allowed measuring the force with which they squeezed.
To make the effort, they could do it in three ways: either by simply squeezing, or by exhaling during the effort, or by making a sound. The sound could be whatever they wanted. Most chose to growl, although some did other types of screams.
As expected, when exhaling the force exerted on the grip was even greater. But there was something else. And the fact is that, when shouting or growling, the force was 10% higher than just exhaling. Therefore, it seems that it is not enough to just exhale, as was already intuited. Shouting can make that exhale even deeper and improve the effort.
There are even more benefits
Screaming when lifting weights is not the only thing that is beneficial. It has also been found that other athletes perform them, although their work is much more aerobic.
That’s why, In 2016, a team of Chinese scientists conducted another studyaimed at analyzing the aerobic resistance of the cyclists who screamed during the effort.
To carry out the study, there were 23 volunteers. All of them performed a cycling test, in which resistance was gradually increased. During the time they were pedaling, they were asked to shout at least 3 times when they felt tired. Meanwhile, measures were being taken oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, heart rate, oxygen pressure, ventilation and respiratory rate. In this way, it was seen that shouting improved measures of volume and pulse of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide. Ventilation and respiratory rate were also more efficient. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in oxygen pressure and heart rate with and without screaming.
In any case, there were enough benefits to prove that shouting was beneficial for athletes.
So are yelling necessary when lifting weights?
There can be many reasons for yelling when practicing an effort. In martial arts, for example, it is traditionally done to distract or intimidate the opponent. In cycling and other sports that require resistance, many respiratory parameters have been seen to improve. And yes, it seems that yelling to lift weights is useful too.
Now, a couple of factors must be taken into account. The first is that the studies that have been carried out have included few participants, so the methodology is not appropriate to consider them as definitive. And the second is that, even though it is true that shouting when lifting weights is necessary, you should not go overboard either. A big exhale, accompanied by a grunt, may be enough.
Let’s face it, we have all heard someone in a gym at some point who was taking the shout much further than necessary. If the person you have at three machines can hear you, even with headphones on, maybe you should try lowering the volume.