Chewing Gum While Lifting
The majority of dedicated gym-goers have a few 'gym bag essentials' be it chalk, Fat Gripz, branch chain amino acids, a weight belt or chewing gum.
Chances are you've seen guys chewing gum in the gym during their workout and didn't think much of it.
Early in the morning and they didn't have time to brush their teeth before hitting a 5am leg day?
Not quite.
Chewing gum while lifting weights or hitting cardio conditioning has a number of big benefits.
Hell, Arnold used to chew gum while he lifted back in the golden era of bodybuilding.
We're not talking about those new ridiculously stimulant loaded energy gums that you'll find on Amazon today. We're talking about plain old gum.
Below you'll find 4 big benefits I've experienced over the last year.
4 Big Benefits Of Chewing Gum While Lifting
1 - It Increases Your Focus
I consider getting my gum out of my gym bag to be the anchor for the interruption free workout that ensues.
Upon arriving at the gym I'll do some dynamic stretching and foam rolling along with a couple of warm-up sets for the muscle group I'm about to train.
Then the gum goes in.
Heavy lifting ensues.
No messing around on the phone between sets, no talking.
If you're training early in the morning and don't want to have a black coffee or pre-workout before you train I recommend opting for peppermint flavored gum for a bit of an extra energy boost.
2 - It Relaxes Your Neck & Jaw While Lifting
When performing heavy compound movements such as the barbell bench press we often tense our neck and jaw while lifting, chewing gum while lifting forces you to relax both your jaw and your neck.
Once again, this helps you focus on the targeted muscle and prevents neck cramps during your sets.
3 - It Prevents You From Grinding Your Teeth
This is the #1 reason why I decided to give chewing gum while lifting a try... after every other workout my jaw and teeth would be killing me, I'd smash out that extra rep or two on my key lift for the day in order to continue pushing for progressive overload but in order to do so I was clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth hard.
It sucks.
Some guys opt to lift with mouth guard which is another extreme.
Chewing gym has prevented both of these issues while I continue to progress in the gym.
4 - It Prevents Dry Mouth
Performing conditioning circuits with exercises such as double-unders, ball slams and deadmills will leave you gasping for air which more often than not reuslts in a dry mouth. Chewing gum while hitting your conditioning not only prevents dry mouth but also assists in getting a good 'rhythm' going with your reps and breathing.