Whenever a discussion gets heated about “grunting” at the gym, or when someone makes headlines for being thrown out of a gym for excessive vocalization under exertion, the media calls its go-to expert on the phenomenon, HSU’s own Professor of Physical Therapy, Dr. Dennis O’Connell. Dr. O’Connell conducted two studies on the effects of grunting while undergoing physical exertion and his work is getting international notice.

HealthDay News examined the controversy again recently, and the story was picked up by publications as diverse as Forbes magazine, U.S. News and World Report, the Atlanta Journal, and the Austin Statesman. Broadcasters took up the grunting cause and the story was featured on Fox News and the Canadian Broadcast Company; as well as innumerable affiliates around the United States. And now we see grunting going international as media in South Africa, Brunei, Pakistan, and Canada pick up the story.

So what’s the buzz about grunting, and does it enhance performance, or is it just annoying to gym members who have to listen to it? “For some people there was actually a small percentage increase when they grunted, in terms of the force produced,” says Dr. O’Connell of his study, “I wouldn’t be telling people not to grunt.”

While researching the process, Dr. O’Connell asked participants to do a dead lift with weights and either grunt or stay quiet. “Very experienced lifters that normally grunted when they lifted did have about a 1 percent improvement with grunting,” he said. “A group of college football players showed a 2 percent improvement, and the untrained group – graduate students in physical therapy – had about a 5 percent increase.”

The physical mechanism for the performance increase is still a mystery, but Dr. O’Connell suggested one theory, “Grunting quiets inhibitory nerve cells in the spinal cord. Those cells would normally impede the ability of muscles to contact and generate force.”
Dr. O’Connell is currently doing another study on grunting in the sport of tennis to see if results mimic those of the weight lifters. He’s begun gathering information at the college level - seeing a consistent 4 mph improvement over non-grunting players - and hopes to work with touring professionals later this year.

He’s amazed at the kinds of studies that interest the media, “We’re also doing a study on balance issues with roofers. Falls are the number one cause of morbidity or death among roofing professionals, and this study could have a positive effect on the safety of a significant number of construction workers. But, will the media publicize a story about roofers’ balance? Probably not.” For now, the world wants to hear about grunting, and Dr. O’Connell figures to be in the midst of the debate.