Does grunting during exercise really aid?

I recently went rock climbing in a tranquil park in southern Wyoming called Vedauwoo. The desert was peaceful in the early morning, the wind gently moving through the trees.

But the silence did not last long.

For about an hour I growled, roared, cursed, and moaned through a wide crack that seemed determined to throw me out. At one point I heard a fresh sound somewhere between a grunt, a scream, and a cry.

Panting at the top while curious hikers watched, I wondered if my vocal outbursts were even a little helpful. We’ve all heard those guys—and it’s usually guys—in the gym who erupt in sound every time they lift a barbell. Do those sounds somehow improve performance? Is it all in our heads?

Physiological benefits

Not surprisingly, research on sports screaming is somewhat meager. Some miniature studies suggest that increases strength, impact force AND use of oxygenBut scientists aren’t entirely sure how it works. Most of the benefits have less to do with the sound itself and more to do with how we breathe just before it, said Mary J. Sandage, a professor of speech and language at Auburn University who studies extreme physical activity and speech.

Dr. Sandage said that some studies have shown that some people who have had their larynx removed and can no longer hold air in their lungs have trouble lifting ponderous objects. This suggests that some of our power may come from something called the Valsalva maneuver, in which you put pressure on your lungs but close your throat. (Think of the act of pushing during a bowel movement.)

“We do this to create force. We need to trap air in order to lift, to push,” Dr. Sandage said.

Creating internal pressure on your core in this way can strengthen your spine and allow you to produce a little more power. So grunting is like a safety valve for that pressure. Dr. Sandage said the benefits of grunting probably only apply to low bursts of effort, such as lifting a weight or hitting a tennis ball.

Psychological benefits

Of course, there is another explanation for why clearing your throat might be helpful: it may have primarily psychological roots.

“I also see it as a way to focus attention,” said Sarah Ullrich-French, a sports psychologist at Washington State University. “As an emotional release and channeling.”

Yelping isn’t the only way to do it. Some people prefer mindful breathing, she said, while others might focus their gaze on a fixed point — but it’s about finding a mental zone where the execution feels easier. She also said that focusing techniques can make you feel more in tune with your body and enhance the mental health benefits of exercise.

For example, in Japanese martial arts, athletes employ both meditation and low, shouted vowels called kiais to focus energy. Making noise can also aid establish a rhythm, since we tend to grunt at peak exertion, said Scott Sinnett, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who has studied vocalization in competitive sports.

Dr. Sandage agreed that the benefits were both psychological and physiological. And different types of sounds could serve different purposes.

In Wyoming, for example, the internal dialogue and hooting sounds I made while hanging on the rope were probably more psychological. The howling and growling while pulling on the handle may have strengthened my core and helped me get a little more power. But the string of curses after failure was probably wasted breath.

Social problems

Whether making noise improves your performance or not, it certainly affects the people around you. A good grunt can even change the way your tennis opponent evaluates your serve by masking the sound of the impact.

“If you can’t hear the sound of the ball and the spin of the ball and the weight of the ball, it’s going to affect you,” said Marjorie Blackwood, a three-time Canadian tennis champion who has spent the past 40 years coaching and playing the sport.

Dr. Sinnett added that for a novice gamer, hearing someone growl can be simply distracting.

Although the same dim sounds and wails in the gym can have a similar effect distract the neighboryou shouldn’t hold back the next time you want to squeeze out that last bit of power, Dr. Sandage said. She noted that there’s a stigma around people, especially women, making raucous noises while exercising. She encourages people to employ whatever tools are available to them.

But if you really don’t like it, Dr. Sinnett said a forceful, rapid exhale can be just as effective as a grunt. He’s a chronic grunter himself, though he’s working on cutting back on the tennis court.

“People have mentioned hearing that,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, gosh, I don’t want to be the whiner.’”

Ms Blackwood said it’s OK to make a little noise, but don’t go crazy – whether you’re on the field, in the gym or in a tranquil national forest.

“Serene sounds,” she said.