Working out at a club.

[Arthur Dent]

I've read that some places have banned grunting. Is this true? If so, why?

[UK]

I find it disruptive when you hear them grunt. I tend to try and space out and forget that I'm doing something my body doesn't want me to do. Hearing some dolt try and prove how he tough he is by grunting doesn't need to be done.

[Cronos]

My gripe with gyms isn't even the grunting(though at most places I go, that's considered in poor taste), it's the strange ways of breathing people have; I used to go to the Y three times a week(something I need to get back to now that I've settled in my move-in) and on Mondays there was always this dude on the treadmills when I did the cardio section of my workout who breathed very loudly and high-pitched every 2-3 seconds and it drove me NUTS.

And this dude did that over the sound of my own I-pod blaring in my ears, by the way. Ugh.

[Arthur Dent]

I've never actually worked out at one of these places, but it just seems sort of bizarre to me that people would go to a group gym to work out and want to maintain the illusion that they are alone by not hearing people make sounds of exertion, being sure to spread apart as much as possible, etc.

[G. Keenan]

I've never actually worked out at one of these places, but it just seems sort of bizarre to me that people would go to a group gym to work out and want to maintain the illusion that they are alone by not hearing people make sounds of exertion, being sure to spread apart as much as possible, etc.

I agree. Screw it. You're there exerting yourself. I don't care if people cry out in pain. Sometimes when I'm running on the lakefront and I feel myself fading I'll speak obscenities to myself as motivation. I don't care if other people think it's weird. It's working out. Everybody does it differently.

[vinsanity]

I've never actually worked out at one of these places, but it just seems sort of bizarre to me that people would go to a group gym to work out and want to maintain the illusion that they are alone by not hearing people make sounds of exertion, being sure to spread apart as much as possible, etc.

I agree. Screw it. You're there exerting yourself. I don't care if people cry out in pain. Sometimes when I'm running on the lakefront and I feel myself fading I'll speak obscenities to myself as motivation. I don't care if other people think it's weird. It's working out. Everybody does it differently.

Well there's a big difference between motivating yourself on a run or giving a little grunt or groan when you're really exerting yourself.
Last night I was at the gym and saw a guy dead lift 500lbs from the floor, and he didn't need to grunt. Sure sometimes on that last rep hitting that lock out is tough and a guy strains and makes a lil noise. But when you're benchin anything less than 300lbs the loud animalistic grunting is annoying and pointless.

[Socnorb11]

I've never actually worked out at one of these places, but it just seems sort of bizarre to me that people would go to a group gym to work out and want to maintain the illusion that they are alone by not hearing people make sounds of exertion, being sure to spread apart as much as possible, etc.

I agree. Screw it. You're there exerting yourself. I don't care if people cry out in pain. Sometimes when I'm running on the lakefront and I feel myself fading I'll speak obscenities to myself as motivation. I don't care if other people think it's weird. It's working out. Everybody does it differently.

I think if you're exerting yourself so hard that you can't contain control the noises coming from your body, you need to back off a bit. Especially in public.

[Secret Weapon]

In highschool our weight lifting coach said you can generate like 5-10% more power when you grunt, thus you should always grunt when you lift. I don't know if that's really true or not, but maybe that's why some people do it, not just to "show off."

edit - ok i found this

It also turns out that grunting may have a physiological purpose:

Dennis G. O’Connell, a professor of physical therapy at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Tex., has conducted studies on the effects of grunting. He found that weight lifters produce between 2 and 5 percent more force when they grunt, in part because the deep breathing grunting entails can help stabilize the spine.

“I’m not so sure it’s wise to tell people not to grunt,” Professor O’Connell said.

[docellis]

An exbf and I used to go to the gym together all the time. I'd get on the treadmill, he'd go to the free weights. It used to drive me nuts to be able to hear him grunting and making weird noises all the way across the gym.

But now that stuff doesn't bother me at all. I always have headphones on and generally I can't hear anyone unless they are very close to me or VERY loud.

[cardinalkarp]

It may be good for getting up an extra few pounds but that still doesn't mean I can't laugh at them for grunting.