Why Do Powerlifters Use Powerlifting Mouthguards?

Powerlifters use mouth guards to improve their performance and safety when lifting heavy. Mouth guards, in and of themselves, will not magically make you stronger. When used along with the biting down technique, though, they can improve your lifts by as much as 10 percent.

Mouth guards also protect your teeth, mouth, and jaw.

I’ve trained many strength athletes over my four decades as a certified personal trainer. Some have but most have not used mouthguards. I’ve also dug deep into the scientific research on powerlifter’s use of mouthguards.

Read on to discover the six key reasons why many powerlifters use mouthguards. We’ll also look at six studies on the subject to get the latest research findings. Finally, we offer some practical powerlifting mouthguard tips.

Mouth Guards Can Improve Strength by 10%

The idea that mouthguards can make you stronger in the gym gained credence in the early 1980s. But, it wasn’t until the 2000s that researchers took up the issue.

According to a 2008 study, wearing a mouthguard can make you 10 percent stronger. The study involved 12 experienced weightlifters doing the leg extension exercise.  The researchers were able to measure the force greatest voluntary isometric contraction.

The test subjects performed the leg extension four ways:

• Without a mouthguard and with hands on their lap
• Without a mouthguard and with hands squeezing the hand grips
• With a mouthguard, while biting down as hard as possible
• With a mouthguard, while biting down, squeezing the hand grips and doing the valsalva technique

Test subjects were able to lift 10 percent more weight when they wore a mouthguard and bit down on it. Gripping handles and using a breathing technique saw a 15 percent increase.

The valsalva technique involves breathing in on the negative part of the exercise. And breathing out on the positive part.

The researchers put the strength increase down to concurrent activation potentiation (CAP). This involves strongly contracting other muscles to make the target muscle stronger.

That is why the best results were achieved by simultaneously clenching down on the mouthguard and the handgrips.

Here’s the bottom line…

Wearing a mouthguard will not magically improve your strength by simply wearing them. What they will do is help to keep your mouth safe when you use the CAP technique. Biting down is the real key to getting that 10 percent strength improvement.

Mouth Guards Improve Breathing When Lifting Heavy

When you wear a mouthguard, a slight gap is created between your teeth. This is the case even if you clench down, as in the CAP technique. This gap allows air to travel into your body, even when you are biting down. As a result, you are able to use the clenched jaw technique without risking passing.

Passing out from holding your breath when lifting heavy isn’t common. Over 40 years of training bodybuilders and powerlifters, I’ve seen it only twice. But I have had many people feel lightheaded after a heavy set of deadlifts or squats.

These were often novice lifters. They were holding their breath for too long while trying to do the Valsalva technique.

When you wear a mouthguard, you are able to better control your breathing. This helps to prevent lightheadedness (or passing out) during max effort lifts.

Mouthguards Help Powerlifters Prevent Teeth Cracking

To benefit from a mouthguard, powerlifters need to bite down. You run the risk of damaging your teeth when you perform the CAP technique without a mouthguard.

The clenching and grinding of your teeth during a heavy workout may cause dental issues. Your teeth are made of pulp, cementum, and enamel. They are the hardest part of your body.

So, it can lead to holes in the teeth, cracking and chips splintering off a tooth.

Even small holes in a tooth will cause food to get stuck. This can lead to cavities and all the dental (not to mention financial) issues that come with them.

You will prevent tooth damage from biting down when lifting by wearing a mouthguard.

Mouthguards Help Prevent Headaches When Lifting Weights

Wearing a mouthguard will help to stop powerlifting induced headaches.

Many strength athletes I’ve worked with over the past 40 years suffer from headaches. Back in the 80s and 90s, we didn’t connect them with teeth clenching. We thought they were caused by stress on the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

We now know that clenching of the teeth is the main contributor. Although increased blood pressure and nervous system stress play their part.

So, how does teeth grinding lead to headaches?

When you clench your teeth together, you will be biting down with about 140 pounds per square inch. This puts a lot of stress on your temporomandibular (TMI) joint and the muscles that surround it. The TMI connects the jaw to the side of the head.

The pressure around the sides of the face and ears can cause headaches and migraines.

The best way to reduce bite pressure when you perform the CAP technique is to wear a mouthguard.

Mouthguards Protect Powerlfiters’ Jaw Muscles & Bone

Clenching and grinding your teeth when lifting heavy stress the jaw muscles. This places tension not only on the muscles but also on the jaw bone, or mandible.

The mandible is a large bone that covers all your lower face to the ears. So, pain to it and the muscles connected to it can cause facial pain.

‘Bruxism’ is constant teeth grinding.

It can result in a condition called TMJ disorder. You have a temporomandibular joint on each side of the jaw. It performs a sliding motion as it connects the jaw to the skull.

Excessive grinding results in pain to the sides of the mouth whenever you move your jaw.

There is also some research linking clenching of the jaw to hip pain. The body’s kinetic chain links to the jaw bone to the hip through a series of connections.

You can confirm this right now by clenching the rich side of your jaw…

Do you notice that your right hip becomes tense?

In a similar way, if the jaw bone (mandible) protrudes forward, the hips will also tilt forward. This will result in an unnatural gait. A 2009 study showed that over-clenching of the mandible can result in hip pain.

Wearing a mouthguard will reduce the pressure on the mandible and the muscles that connect to it.

Mouthguards Offset the Stress Reaction When Weightlifting

Working out is stressful. Powerlifting training is more stressful than most types of training. It places a lot of physical and psychological stress on your body. Clenching of the teeth is a natural reaction to stress.

Wearing a mouthguard will not relieve the stress of lifting heavy weight. But it will help to counter the ill effects of teeth clenching, which is a natural stress reaction.

Mouthguards for Powerlifters: The Research

I have found 6 studies that are relevant to the use of mouthguards by powerlifters.  We’ve already covered one of them in the strength improvement section.

Let’s now drill down on the other six:

Study #1: Does Jaw Clenching Increase Grip Strength?

This 2016 study looked at whether biting down improves grip strength when holding a barbell. The study did not involve mouthguards. But the researchers found that biting down does improve strength. They concluded …

These findings suggest that it is advisable to use a customized bite-aligning mouthpiece. This can improve strength and power performance.

Study #2: Does a Mouthguard Increase Leg and Chest Strength?

This 2018 study compared the 45-degree leg press and flat barbell bench press of three groups:

• Group 1 did not wear a mouthguard
• Group 2 wore a generic mouthguard
• Group 3 wore a custom fit mouthguard

There was a significant improvement in leg press strength when using a mouthguard. Subjects could lift more wearing the custom fit mouthguard than the generic mouthguard. Similar research also suggests that the right powerlifting shoes can help improve performance.

There was no significant difference between the three groups when on the bench press. This could be because when you bite down, your hip gets activated. This increases strength on the squat, and deadlift.

If you are looking to improve your squat then a good quality rack is crucial. Strong Home Gym has done some extensive research into these squat racks.

Study #3: Does a Mouthguard Improve Power Clean Performance?

This 2015 study compared 3 types of mouthguards ( 2 self-fitting and one custom fit) against a control group. The trainees performed a 75 percent max power clean lift.

Twenty-four experienced weightlifters performed the lift under each of the test conditions. They also completed a preference survey. The custom-fit mouthguard had the greatest muscle activation. The participants felt stronger and more comfortable with the self-fitting models.

Study #4: Does a Mouthguard Improve Strength & Power?

Another 2015 study looked at the effect of wearing over-the-counter mouthguards. In this study, there were no significant improvements when the athletes used a mouthguard compared to when they did not.

Study #5: Does Clenching the Teeth Improve Isometric Head & Neck Strength?

This 1999 study looked at the level of muscle activation in various bite positions. Results show that clenching the jaw leads to greater isometric contraction in the neck muscles.

What Can Happen If You Don’t Wear a Mouthguard?

Not wearing a mouthguard while you are lifting heavy in the gym will not negate the effect of your workout. Over 40 years of working as a personal trainer, I’ve known less than a dozen who wore them. These guys were serious strength athletes, being strongman or powerlifting competitors.

Are you a competitive powerlifter who uses the bite down technique to improve your lifts?

Not wearing a mouthguard may lead to …

• Excessive teeth grinding resulting in holes, cracks, or tip
• Headaches
• Jaw muscle pain
• TMJ disorder
• Hip displacement

Mouthguard Tips

• Buying a custom fit mouthguard will give better performance than an off the shelf guard
• A Boil and Bite mouthguard is the most economical form of custom fit guard
• Brush your teeth after your workout
• Brush your mouthguard with soap and water after each gym session
• Store your mouthguard in its protective case when not in use
• Do not continue using a mouthguard that gets a hole or tear in it; replace it with a new one

FAQ

Do I need a mouthguard for powerlifting?

No, you do not need a mouthguard for powerlifting. Evidence suggests, though, that it may improve your lifts. Especially if you use the bite down technique. We recommend using a mouthguard for a six-week training cycle. Then compare your results and comfort level.

Do mouthguards increase strength for powerlifters?

Yes, research suggests that using a mouthguard can improve your powerlifting strength. But it will only do so when you also bite down. One study showed an average 10 percent strength increase with a mouthguard. That went up to 15 percent when the use of a mouthguard was combined with the valsalva breathing technique.

Why do bodybuilders wear a mouthguard?

Bodybuilders wear mouthguards to lift more weight. Combining the wearing of a mouthguard with clenching of the jaw will improve compound bodybuilding lifts.

Use of mouthguards among bodybuilders peaked in the 80s and 90s, It is quite rare nowadays. You can find out the difference between bodybuilders and powerlifters here.

Bottom Line

Powerlifters use mouthguards to protect their teeth, jaws, and facial muscles. Studies have shown that an increase in strength is possible by biting down during lifts.

A mouthguard also improves breathing and help prevent headaches when lifting heavy weight.

What do you think about wearing mouthguards in the gym? Please share your experiences and thoughts in the comments section below.