Notes from the bench.

Note 15

Smelling salts on meet day

One inhale before the attempt you actually came for.

Note 14

Why hockey still keeps smelling salts

Forty seconds of attention. That is the whole sport, and the whole bottle.

Note 13

Smelling salts are not a pre-workout

Caffeine lasts an hour. Ammonia inhalants last a shift.

Note 12

How to use smelling salts

Crack the cap. Hold it off the nose. One short breath. Then go.

Note 11

How ammonia inhalants work

The first three seconds. Then it is gone.

Note 10

What smelling salts actually are

Ammonia inhalants, a short breath, and nothing like a pre-workout.

Note 09

Splash, shake, inhale

A short breath. Then go to work.

Note 08

Pre-activated is already tired

A bottle that was cracked months ago is not doing you a favor.

Note 07

The bottle on the bench

Hockey did not invent smelling salts. It just gave them a shift.

Note 06

George Kittle Threatens Retirement as NFL Bans Smelling Salts

August 2025: The NFL has officially banned ammonia inhalants —commonly known as smelling salts - during all game-day activities.