Notes from the bench.

Note 23

What do smelling salts do?

They irritate the airway, force a deeper breath, and make the next few seconds feel sharper. They do not replace sleep, caffeine, or a real warm-up.

Note 22

What are smelling salts?

Smelling salts are ammonia inhalants. A short breath of ammonia gas triggers an inhalation reflex — then it fades.

Note 19

Smelling salts for wrestlers and fighters

Walkouts, weigh-ins, and a bottle that shuts.

Note 18

What “strongest smelling salts” actually means

Strength is not a slogan. It is whether the bottle is still alive when you open it.

Note 17

Are smelling salts bad for you?

A short inhale a few inches off the nose is the intended use. Lingering, daily stacking, or using them after a head hit is the problem.

Note 16

Ampules vs a bottle you can close

One breath in a pile of plastic, or a bottle that lives in the bag.

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

Add water once if the bottle is dry. Hold it a few inches off the nose. One short breath. Cap it. Then do the work.