# Smelling chocolate boosts gym reps

> Dark chocolate scent helps lift more weights without feeling harder.
- Title: Smelling chocolate boosts gym reps · Dexerto | Shortify
- Summary: Dark chocolate scent helps lift more weights without feeling harder. Smelling dark chocolate before workouts increases leg extensions by 18 reps without…
- Keywords: dark chocolate, gym reps, leg extensions, resistance training, university of malaya, frontiers in physiology, cocoa, hunger levels, gaming, sports, Smelling, chocolate
- Source: Dexerto — https://dexerto.com/food/smelling-chocolate-could-help-you-do-more-reps-at-the-gym-study-finds-3417429
- Author: Dylan Horetski
- Published: 2026-10-09T14:09:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: dark chocolate, gym reps, leg extensions, resistance training, university of malaya, frontiers in physiology, cocoa, hunger levels, gaming, sports
## Study finds chocolate scent boosts reps
A University of Malaya study shows smelling chocolate before workouts increases leg extensions by 18 reps.

> Seeing a substantial increase in repetitions without the athletes feeling like they were exerting themselves any harder is a fascinating psychobiological outcome
## Dark chocolate outperforms milk chocolate
Participants exposed to dark chocolate completed 18 more reps than water control, while milk chocolate added nine.
## No increased effort reported
Despite more reps, participants did not feel like they were working harder during exercise.
## Hunger reduced with dark chocolate
Dark chocolate reduced hunger and increased fullness before workouts, while milk chocolate was more pleasant.
## Key takeaway

Smelling dark chocolate before workouts increases leg extensions by 18 reps without increased effort.