Ever hit that moment in your workout where nothing will lift the weight or get you over the finish line other than cursing — pretty darn loudly? Well, new research suggests the odd swear word could boost your athletic performance. Three cheers for the F-word!
According to a mini-review published just this November swearing can positively impact strength, power and endurance during short-lived high-intensity efforts of exercise.
Yep, letting that F-bomb drop, whether it’s muttered under your breath or loudly for the whole world to hear, could enhance your workouts and help you squeeze out some extra reps whether you're hitting the squat rack or curling the best adjustable dumbbells.
Here’s what the study highlights.
What does the research show?
Although the original study was published by Frontiers in Psychology, I stumbled across the research via the Arnie’s Pump Club newsletter, which belongs to no other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The research was conducted as a mini-review designed to look at the effects of swearing on physical performance.
Results showed that swearing or using any sort of “taboo language” can “improve physical performance during short and intense tasks requiring strength and power development.” Meaning it can quite literally boost strength and power for a short time during exercise when used before or during a workout.
You’re probably wondering how. Scientists reviewed almost 20 studies looking at how swearing affects performance and combed through the existing research out there.
According to the research, swearing has been shown to modulate physiological (think heart rate or blood pressure), psychological and nociceptive (pain threshold, tolerance and perception) responses.
The study varied “dosages” of swearing, too — the type of words used, frequency, quantity and intensity. Using profanity induces physiological and psychological changes — referred to in the body of research as “emotional arousal” — and, likely because of its taboo nature, induces “higher emotional and humor ratings compared to neutral words.”
It seems having an expletive-ridden episode during high-intensity efforts could improve pain tolerance and threshold, helping you go harder, for longer, even for a short time.
It makes sense — the emotional response to swearing can get the adrenaline pumping and heart thumping, keeping the autonomic nervous system in its sympathetic state — and charging you up for high-intensity efforts. In these states, we are primed for focus and energy.
But it’s not the first time a similar subject has been studied. For example, one 2014 study observed that “verbal grunts” help tennis players hit the tennis ball with increased power by up to 26%. A 2012 study found hand grip strength increased in martial artists by up to 7% following a bout of shouting.
This makes sense to me as a personal trainer. In my experience, clients who can express themselves and let off steam generally do better or work harder during sets. There’s something about making noise that helps, just like us coaches teach proper breathing techniques during exercise.
According to a mini-review published just this November swearing can positively impact strength, power and endurance.
However, the research doesn’t extend to “more naturalistic real-world settings; outside of a laboratory.” And the research also limits the benefits, so far, to short bursts of intense effort — think explosive powerlifting, for example. So while muttering expletives during your Pilates Hundreds may still feel good, it seems the effects are most potent when the body is up against it.
That said, intense tasks like grip strength tests and push-ups to fatigue all saw results improve following a bout of swearing. As to whether profanity could really help me increase push-up reps by up to 15%? I’m here for it, but I won’t hold my breath. I will, however, let a few curse words slip and see where it gets me.
Bottom line
It goes without saying that you should only try it out if you feel comfortable. In the same way that many of my colleagues use pre-workout to help them get their game faces on before workouts, I steer well clear.
If you don’t feel comfortable using profanity, why not try alternatives like shouting, grunting, or exclaiming instead? Although the study focuses on swearing, it appears the emotional release triggered by making noise could still benefit exercisers. Just say it with your chest!
