The Study
Swearing Enhances Explosive Performance and Psychological Responses during Resistance Exercise
This study found that if you shout a swear word right before lifting a weight, you might push it a little faster and feel more pumped up — but it doesn't make you lift more times before getting tired. It's like yelling before a sprint might help you run a bit quicker, but not run longer.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Saying a swear word right before lifting a heavy weight makes you feel more pumped up and helps you push the bar faster — but doesn't help you do more reps.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 557 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — for a single explosive lift like a bench press, swearing can give you a quick mental boost that translates to faster movement, useful for power athletes.
- 2Swearing made barbell speed go up by 10% (0.49 → 0.54 m/s), motivation jump 43%, and arousal rise 52%.
- 3Number of reps to failure stayed the same.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Research in Strength and Performance
Year
2026
Authors
Christopher G. Ballmann, Z. Morrison, Haley M. Nguyen, Nicholas B. Washmuth, Shelby Osburn, Ryan Webb, Christian Wilkerson
Related Content
Claims (6)
Saying a swear word right before doing a heavy bench press does not change how many times a trained person can lift the weight until they can't anymore.
In resistance-trained young men, saying a swear word right before lifting a heavy weight increases self-reported motivation and psychological arousal compared to not saying a swear word.
In resistance-trained young men, swearing during explosive lifts increases barbell speed but does not allow more repetitions to failure, and the effect lasts only briefly.
In young men trained in resistance exercise, swearing during workouts increases motivation and arousal more than it improves explosive power, meaning the mental effects are stronger than the physical ones.
Swearing while performing brief, intense physical activities leads to higher psychological arousal, lower perceived effort, and better performance.
Saying a swear word right before lifting a heavy weight increases the speed of the lift in trained young men.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.