Certain things make exercise easier and better – a cold drink, comfortable exercise clothing and, of course, music! Listening to the right tunes during a workout may do more than just keep you entertained – it may improve your performance. There’s growing evidence that the type of music you listen to while you exercise can impact how hard you work and how you perform.
The Benefits of Listening to Music during Exercise
The right music is not only motivating – it can improve your endurance. In a study published in the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychology, researchers found that listening to selected rock or popular music boosted exercise endurance by 15%. It also made the exercise experience more pleasant. Another study carried out at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse found that participants that listened to fast, upbeat music pedaled harder and generated more power as the tempo increased. More power, more endurance just by listening to music? That’s a win-win situation.
What Kind of Music Is Best?
The most effective exercise music is music that has a fast tempo and is pleasing to your ear. If you hate country music, that’s not a good choice. One reason music increases exercise performance is you sync your exercise pace to the tempo of the music. One study showed when you exercise in sync with music, you become more efficient and require less oxygen to do the same amount of work. Exercising in sync with fast-paced music also reduces perceived effort so you feel like your workout is easier than it actually is.
The combination of increased exercise efficiency and a reduction in perceived effort probably accounts for the 15% increase in exercise endurance linked with listening to fast-paced tunes. There’s a psychological component too. Fast music serves as a distraction so you’re less likely to think about how hard you’re working. Music also increases arousal and is a mood elevator that helps you push through a tough workout.
When Choosing the Right Tunes, Tempo Matters
Unless you’re doing a stretching routine, yoga or some other form of slow-paced exercise, music with an upbeat, fast tempo is best. Popular and rock tunes are a better choice than classical or new age music that’s slow and relaxing since you’ll adjust your exercise intensity to match the cadence. Some companies now offer music that has fixed beats-per-minute from 120 to 180 to help improve running and cycling speeds and help runners and cyclists stay motivated.
Where music has some limitations is when you exercise at a very high-intensity, beyond your lactic acid threshold. In this case, music doesn’t seem to reduce the perception of how hard you’re working or help you exercise longer or harder. Seems at very high exercise intensities, you tune out what’s happening around you and focus more on internal signals, like how hard you’re breathing and the burning you’re feeling as lactic acid accumulates.
How Does Music Impact Resistance Training?
For moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, music with a fast tempo is motivational, reduces the perception of how hard you’re working and increases endurance. What about resistance training? In one study, researchers had young adults do lower body resistance training for four weeks. One group listened to motivational music while the others didn’t. When they measured leg press strength and endurance at the end of the study, both groups showed similar improvements. In this case, listening to motivation music didn’t improve the outcome of their training.
Before assuming music won’t help your resistance workout, another study found that women could hold a 2.4-pound weight in front of their body 10% longer when they listened to music compared to when they listened to white noise. Another study showed an improvement in grip strength when subjects listened to music with a fast tempo compared to when they listened to slow music. Again, fast-paced music may block perceptions of pain and fatigue that reduces performance.
The Bottom Line?
The right music can enhance your workout by keeping you motivated and the perception of how hard you’re working. A fast tempo is best. You want tunes that’ll keep you moving to the beat – not lullabies or dirges. Use the power of music to your advantage. It makes for a fun workout and may even help you improve your fitness level by motivating you to work harder.
References:
Brunel University. “Music Increases Exercise Endurance by 15%”
Medical News Today. “Upbeat Music Boosts Exercise Intensity”
Women’s Health Magazine. “Workout Playlists: WH’s Strength Training”
Psychology Today. “Why Music Moves Us”
Welch, J. M., Kellner, K. A., Laroche, N. C., MacCormick, M. J., MacLean, K. F., & Hemeon, J. A. (2008). Motivational music during resistance training improves strength endurance. ACSM 55th Annual Meeting Indianapolis
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 83(3 Pt 2), 1347-1352.
Related Articles By Cathe:
Exercise and Music: Does Music Improve Exercise Performance?
Strength Training: Can Stimulating Music Improve Your Performance with Weights?
Can Music Make High-Intensity Interval Training More Effective?
