Grunting in the gym

2

Replies

  • Alia_R
    Alia_R Posts: 410 Member
    I just bring headphones to tune out the noise in the gym. Although I forgot them today.

    And low and behold...

    There was a guy, grunting, on the verge of screaming. He was also dropping the heavy weights he was using so that it was making very loud clanging sounds as it hit the floor. He did the same on the machines, letting the weight go.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    I really don't worry or care much about what other people are doing: Unless they literally touch my body inappropriately, I can pretty much tune them out.

    I usually lift at home, but some of my fellow rowers grunt (or something similar) on every race-pace stroke. If that's what they need to do to be strong/fast, it's fine with me. I stay in my own mental/physical space, and tune them out.
  • turnitaroundat40
    turnitaroundat40 Posts: 193 Member
    I think more men grunt lifting than women...heck we women likely make less grunting noises when we’re birthing babies than some of the guys at my gym!

    (Personally I think grunting like a pig or other attention seeking behaviour is disrespectful towards others who are trying hard to focus on their own lifting.)

    Also, I always wonder if grunters...does this person also grunt during sex? Do they grunt when constipated? When dropping a poop in a public toilet stall? And are they also the kind of person who is a loud chewer, or eats with their mouth open?! :D
  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
    does swearing at the weights i just lifted count? 'suck it, bish', often escapes my lips after shoulder presses.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I don’t mind what other people do at the gym. There’s one dude who curses every lift when he bench presses. “Oh Jesus, oh kitten, oh Jesus...” and he cracks me up. If I feel the need to grunt when lifting heavy you can just turn up your music.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    I really don't mind gym grunters given it's genuine. Once in a blue moon will witness some @-hole teen/young-in usually troll grunt thinking people will think it's funny or for attention?
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,324 Member
    turnitaroundat40 wrote: »
    I think more men grunt lifting than women...heck we women likely make less grunting noises when we’re birthing babies than some of the guys at my gym!

    (Personally I think grunting like a pig or other attention seeking behaviour is disrespectful towards others who are trying hard to focus on their own lifting.)

    Also, I always wonder if grunters...does this person also grunt during sex? Do they grunt when constipated? When dropping a poop in a public toilet stall? And are they also the kind of person who is a loud chewer, or eats with their mouth open?! :D

    No I don’t grunt when doing that stuff, but I defo make noise when lifting heavy. Sorry, but a squeaky growl often escapes when I’m lifting near my max - did it this am with high reps on dls when I was fatiguing near the end of the set. And yes sometimes I make too much noise when snatching - it’s blooming hard and heavy and I can’t always help it!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    turnitaroundat40 wrote: »
    I think more men grunt lifting than women...heck we women likely make less grunting noises when we’re birthing babies than some of the guys at my gym!

    (Personally I think grunting like a pig or other attention seeking behaviour is disrespectful towards others who are trying hard to focus on their own lifting.)

    Also, I always wonder if grunters...does this person also grunt during sex? Do they grunt when constipated? When dropping a poop in a public toilet stall? And are they also the kind of person who is a loud chewer, or eats with their mouth open?! :D

    Lol, I occasionally grunt on the last few reps but not loud enough that anyone farther than 6 feet or so from me would hear. I agree that loud grunters are about attention seeking but some grunting with effort is acceptable to me as long as it's not for show. I don't mind others doing it moderately.

    To answer your questions: Yes at a certain "peak moment", no, no no and no. :D
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
    edited August 2019
    turnitaroundat40 wrote: »

    Also, I always wonder if grunters...does this person also grunt during sex? Do they grunt when constipated? When dropping a poop in a public toilet stall? And are they also the kind of person who is a loud chewer, or eats with their mouth open?! :D

    I was deadlifting the other day and I could hear some guy behind me grunting every rep of whatever he was doing, and I swear it sounded like he was having sex :s

    I’ll admit to some soft grunts while squatting and benching near max (but it’s more like forcefully letting air out as opposed to vocalization) not sure if anyone past the next rack over can hear me.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Dropping plates is worse, we used to have a guy who dropped the bar on the floor every. single.rep. But they weren't bounce plates so the noise they made echoed around the gym and even with headphones on it still hurt my ears.

    I do find it interesting that men grunt way more than women.
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    I don't think it's ever "necessary" to make any noise while lifting. Not necessary while playing tennis (where it's just annoying) either.

    Science says otherwise.

    What science?

    Please provide citations to any professional scientific or medical journals reporting the results of any peer reviewed studies on the topic.
    Thankfully the link was to an article in the Guardian which was apparently originally published in The Conversation. If you click some of the links in that article, you'll find at least two peer reviewed studies related to grunting and ball velocity (and a third that isn't really related to what we're discussing here). How valid you think those studies are is up to you, but they are both peer reviewed.

    Thanks for digging that information up. Yes, the scientific evidence is well documented.

    Additionally, I don't see why the burden of proof should be on the people who say that grunting is helpful. If sgt1372 claims that grunting serves no useful purpose whatsoever, then it's up to him to substantiate that claim. Until then, others can simply point out that it might be beneficial, and that it's commonly understood to be so.

    This is by no means a fanciful claim. There's a reason why people grunt when carrying heavy furniture up a stairwell, for example. And martial artists are well known for letting out a "Ki-yaaa!" yell when striking hard.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    spartan_d wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    I don't think it's ever "necessary" to make any noise while lifting. Not necessary while playing tennis (where it's just annoying) either.

    Science says otherwise.

    What science?

    Please provide citations to any professional scientific or medical journals reporting the results of any peer reviewed studies on the topic.
    Thankfully the link was to an article in the Guardian which was apparently originally published in The Conversation. If you click some of the links in that article, you'll find at least two peer reviewed studies related to grunting and ball velocity (and a third that isn't really related to what we're discussing here). How valid you think those studies are is up to you, but they are both peer reviewed.

    Thanks for digging that information up. Yes, the scientific evidence is well documented.

    Additionally, I don't see why the burden of proof should be on the people who say that grunting is helpful. If sgt1372 claims that grunting serves no useful purpose whatsoever, then it's up to him to substantiate that claim. Until then, others can simply point out that it might be beneficial, and that it's commonly understood to be so.

    This is by no means a fanciful claim. There's a reason why people grunt when carrying heavy furniture up a stairwell, for example. And martial artists are well known for letting out a "Ki-yaaa!" yell when striking hard.

    Not all martial arts, but it's an intentional practice in some (mostly Japanese arts). And it's not just for striking force; it's supposed to have psychological/spiritual effects on both striker and strikee, sometimes to relate to core firming, encourage proper breath control, etc. There's not really much in how it's conceptualized, as far as I know, to support it being a close analog to grunting when lifting. It's not involuntary: In some arts' competitions, you don't get points for striking without kiai.
  • bobsburgersfan
    bobsburgersfan Posts: 6,305 Member
    I'm certainly guilty of making noises. I'm not super loud, and it's more like "oof" or "ugh" than a grunt, but I'm always in classes where there is music that drowns it out. :smile: Of late, there is a new loud grunter at the gym, but it's more of an extended grunt/yell, and it is loud throughout the entire gym. It's pretty obnoxious and there are certainly times it seems like it's more of an attention thing than an involuntary reaction. The reaction of everyone else around me indicates that I'm not the only one who is unimpressed. That said, if it helps him, he's free to sound as ridiculous as he likes.
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    I don't think it's ever "necessary" to make any noise while lifting. Not necessary while playing tennis (where it's just annoying) either.

    Science says otherwise.

    What science?

    Please provide citations to any professional scientific or medical journals reporting the results of any peer reviewed studies on the topic.
    Thankfully the link was to an article in the Guardian which was apparently originally published in The Conversation. If you click some of the links in that article, you'll find at least two peer reviewed studies related to grunting and ball velocity (and a third that isn't really related to what we're discussing here). How valid you think those studies are is up to you, but they are both peer reviewed.

    Thanks for digging that information up. Yes, the scientific evidence is well documented.

    Additionally, I don't see why the burden of proof should be on the people who say that grunting is helpful. If sgt1372 claims that grunting serves no useful purpose whatsoever, then it's up to him to substantiate that claim. Until then, others can simply point out that it might be beneficial, and that it's commonly understood to be so.

    This is by no means a fanciful claim. There's a reason why people grunt when carrying heavy furniture up a stairwell, for example. And martial artists are well known for letting out a "Ki-yaaa!" yell when striking hard.

    Not all martial arts, but it's an intentional practice in some (mostly Japanese arts). And it's not just for striking force; it's supposed to have psychological/spiritual effects on both striker and strikee, sometimes to relate to core firming, encourage proper breath control, etc. There's not really much in how it's conceptualized, as far as I know, to support it being a close analog to grunting when lifting. It's not involuntary: In some arts' competitions, you don't get points for striking without kiai.
    Very interesting. Thanks for the information, and I mean that.

    Anyway, I think my point still stands. Even if the benefits of grunting weren't proven, its use in martial arts would at least make its usefulness plausible -- even if its turns out to be merely pyschological in nature.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Dropping plates is worse, we used to have a guy who dropped the bar on the floor every. single.rep. But they weren't bounce plates so the noise they made echoed around the gym and even with headphones on it still hurt my ears.

    I do find it interesting that men grunt way more than women.

    What kind of lift was it...certain lifts you are intended to drop the weight...though I wouldn't do it without bumper plates...but those still make a lot of noise.

    Olympic lifts like clean and jerks and snatches you are intended to drop the weight. If it's light enough you can ease it down, but once the weight gets heavier, you're going to wreck your shoulders trying to do that.

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