In 2013 there was a pilot study published about the suprising effect of tongue position on strength. It is called The acute effect of the tongue position in the mouth on knee isokinetic test performance: a highly surprising pilot study. ((The acute effect of the tongue position in the mouth on knee isokinetic test performance: a highly surprising pilot study. Vico R di; Ardigo LP; Salernitano G; Chamari K; Padulo J. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2013; 3 ($); 318-323))
Eighteen healthy men, average age 26, took part in the study to test the strength of their right hamstrings on the leg curl machine in the gym.
On different training sessions, they tested the strength and speed of their right hamstrings with their tongue in three different positions: on the floor of the mouth, mid way and resting on the roof of the mouth with the tip on the hard palate just above the front teeth.
In the upper position, their hamstrings were a whopping 30% stronger and quicker than with the tongue in the other two positions.
This really surprised the scientists and led them to point out that all strength studies that did not take account of the tongue position of the testee meant the results had a huge variability.
Of course, this is a wonderfully easy experiment to conduct on oneself: do some squats with the tongue anywhere but on the roof of the mouth, then do some with the tongue on hard palate behind the front teeth and the rest of the tongue resting up on the roof of the mouth. ((By squats I mean full squats – bum close to floor, not the half way down jobbies done by the weak.)) It should have made the squats easier. To keep the tongue up there, it will help to have a great big smile on the face and swallow (I’m not messing about here). However, for some it might make the squats worse. That is the joy of Z health/athletic neurology: we really are all very different and no one thing works for everybody or we’d all be clones. ((If it did make the squats worse, this is not a Good Thing!))
And the same thing goes for any strength or core work; do some press ups with the tongue squeezed on the roof of the mouth v the tongue on the floor of the mouth.
The point about correct tongue position is that the tongue connects to everything inside us – to the airways, down to the guts and all the way out the other end. Put a hand on the low guts, have the tongue on the floor of the mouth. Squeeze the whole tongue up onto the roof of the mouth and we should feel a subtle contraction of the abs. This is A Very Good Thing and assists good core control.