Staley makes fun of lifters using ammonia “smelling salts” to “show everyone how hardcore they are”, but I have rarely seen anyone use them at the many Canadian gyms I’ve used. I get a strong shot Iof ammonia might make you feel more alert.
I’m curious if you think smelling salts have helped you to achieve big lifts, or any other stories or opinions on the subject. Obviously, you can still easily buy them from weightlifting sites. Do you think they are any good? Harmful? Hype? A psychological benefit is still real, even if caffeine might do the same thing…
To start the replies: I never used smelling salts for either training or competition. I always wanted to be visualizing PRs and competition lifts without distractions.
I thought they might initiate an adrenaline spike, but never knew, one way or the other. In my first powerlifting meet, I saw something that I have never forgot, as it was the most radical attempt to get a lifter amped up for a lift. I don’t know if he used smelling salts or not. But his training partner was getting him ready for a squat:
He was sitting in a folding chair with his legs extended that his training partner had just tightly wrapped. They platform called that he was “up.” His training partner slapped him in the face with one hand and yelled as loud as I have heard some one yell “Get up!” Then slapped him with the other hand and yelled “Get up!” This happened twice and then the partner helped pull him to his feet. He pulled his lifting belt as tight as he could. Yelling at him all the way up to the platform “Get up!” Slapping his shoulders as he approached the bar as hard as he could, yelling “You - Got - This!”
With all that yelling and slapping I lost track of any smelling salts being used, but I would suspect that they were.
I used them a couple of times in training, didn’t like the effect so never used them in competition. My training partner at the time used them before every heavy lift, even in training. I felt they ruined my concentration and I’ve always wondered if long term use might have an impact on the ability to smell and taste things.
I have tried once, about a year ago when I had to pull 260kg. Failed the lift.