Can Smelling Chocolate Help You Do More Reps?

If you often work out on an empty stomach and find yourself feeling hungry before you've even finished your first set, this study may catch your attention.

Researchers found that simply smelling chocolate before and during a strength workout may help people perform better without making the workout feel any harder. Although the research is still in its early stages, the findings surprised even the researchers.

The study, conducted at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, involved 23 healthy men in their twenties who were all in good physical condition. Each participant arrived after fasting for about 10 hours and was randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group smelled dark chocolate containing 90% cocoa, another smelled milk chocolate containing 60% cocoa, while the control group smelled an odorless water sample.

More Repetitions, Without More Effort

After being exposed to the scents, participants completed a strength-training exercise. Throughout the experiment, researchers also measured hunger, fullness, and each participant's perceived level of exertion.

The results were striking.

Those who smelled chocolate completed more repetitions than the control group. The effect was strongest among participants who smelled dark chocolate, who performed an average of 18 additional repetitions without reporting greater effort. Those who smelled milk chocolate completed about nine more repetitions on average.

Interestingly, despite doing more work, participants did not feel that the exercise was any more difficult.

According to the researchers, the explanation may lie in how the brain responds to food aromas.

"The smell of dark chocolate may lead the brain to anticipate that satisfying food is on the way, reducing feelings of hunger and allowing participants to exercise longer," the researchers explained. "The smell of milk chocolate did not significantly reduce hunger, but it appeared to make the workout feel more enjoyable and also improved performance to some extent."

Promising, but Still Early Findings

The researchers caution that the results should be interpreted carefully. The study included only a small group of participants, all of whom were healthy young men, and every workout took place after a prolonged fast.

In addition, the experiment involved only a single strength exercise rather than a full workout, so it is still unclear whether the same effect would be seen during a complete training session or among women and other populations.

The researchers emphasize that smelling chocolate is not a substitute for proper nutrition or a well-designed exercise program. However, they suggest that, with further research, it could become a simple, safe, and noninvasive way to help improve performance during fasted workouts.

For now, these findings should be viewed as preliminary and not as a broad medical or fitness recommendation.