FuBarbell

On Wednesday, we posted a pop quiz and asked the question, “Why do some weightlifters lift with their mouth open?” My favorite answer came from Coach StevO who replied, “because it sounds weird when you scream with your mouth closed”. #Truth

Funnies aside, the reason behind this quirk is actually an underutilized technique of keeping tension out of the face allowing all the nerves that start in the face to have an open channel down through the body. Another theory that follows this line of thinking is that this also sets the jaw which helps to better align the head and therefore the rest of the spine — again allowing for optimal nerve function.

For those of you who feel this may be an “open circuit fault”, Dr. @roopsihota taught me a way to keep the circuit closed while still achieving the same jaw alignment. By keeping your mouth closed, press your tongue to the back of the top row of your teeth. You’ll find that with this strategy it’s pretty difficult clench down, your jaw is in alignment and the circuit is now closed.

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