hearing question

[Matt604]

Hi Rip,

Sometimes when doing a particularly hard squat, when I am in the hole pushing with everything I have and the bar has slowed to a near stop, my hearing (actually probably my perception of what I'm hearing) changes slightly. I lift at a globo with Top 40 music blaring all the time, and at the moment of maximum intensity, it seems like the music slows down. Pitches become lower and the rhythm becomes elongated. The effect lasts only for that moment -- as soon as I am out of the hole and moving again, the music goes back to normal.

Do other people experience this? I have been assuming that it is a CNS effect that is just new to me because I have never lifted heavy enough before to really tax my neuromuscular connections. Sound right? Any research on this that you're aware of?

Thanks,
Matt

[Mark Rippetoe]

I think we all have noticed it. The most logical explanation is that the pressure increases the tension across the eardrum (the tympanic membrane), which drops the frequency of the sympathetic vibrations and lowers the pitch you perceive.