Site navigation and social media links
Music To Our Ears: The Effects of Music on Exercise
Health | February 17, 2014
Some of us simply cannot exercise without listening to music. Many of us fine-tune our playlists on Spotify or iTunes in hopes of creating the perfect mix for our workouts. Even athletes, from MMA fighters to NBA stars, insist on listening to music to get them amped for competition or to calm their nerves. Recent scientific studies now suggest that music does, in fact, benefit us when exercising or competing.
Often when listening to music while working out, we find ourselves subconsciously moving at the approximate beat of the song we’re currently listening to. Faster songs help us train faster while slower songs can gently wind us down. According to a series of studies done at Brunel University in London, music can help establish the pace of our workouts and allow us to push past it. Dr. Karageorghis, who heads the studies, suggests the most effective song tempos for exercise are around 120-140 bpm (beats per minute), especially for high intensity training. Interestingly enough, Haile Gebrselassie, a world record-setting marathon runner from Ethiopia, effectively matched his stride rate to the tempo of the famous song ‘Scatman’ to help run at a faster and more consistent speed.
The Brunel study demonstrated that music helps create what psychologists call ‘disassociation’ when working out as well. Our focus is drawn toward the music rather than the exertion required for our workouts. This redirecting of our attention serves as a distraction from the fatigue and exhaustion allowing us to continue to exercise past our normal thresholds. Unfortunately, musical disassociation was most effective with mild to moderate exercise not with high intensity workouts. However, the studies showed that music did, in fact, make high intensity workouts more pleasurable and, therefore, easier to deal with.
The Brunel studies also effectively demonstrated that music heightens and enhances positive moods such as happiness while helping to suppress negative ones such as anxiety during exercise. This is great to know, especially when we’re feeling unmotivated and anxious and need a boost to get going and workout.
What are you currently listening to while working out? Do you prefer faster songs or slower ones? Post a comment with your favorite songs from your current playlist.
Private Member |
definitely faster songs, 130-150bpm, specially for spinning it helps a lot . Now for HIIT, my favorite music is the voice of ZUZKA “one, two, three…etc” 😉
Private Member |
Like
Private Member |
For me, I need fast songs to keep me going, or else I get bored.
I’m looking foward to see what other people listen. Perhaps I can import a few songs to my own playlist since I’m starting to get tired of mine. Here is some musics from my workout routines that comes to my mind now:
Globus – Europa (Instrumental)
Papa Roach – Crash
Blue Stahli – Anti-You
Blue Stahli – Takedown
Orgy – Blue Monday
Rev Theory – Hell Yeah
Motley Crue – Kickstart my Heart
Guano Apes – Open Your Eyes
Soil – Breaking me Down
Genitorturers – Cum Junkie
Genitorturers – Lecher Bitch
Skid Row – Youth Gone Wild
Sum41 – Open Your Eyes
Private Member |
I always have music playing when I do cardio, and recently added it we
Hen doing weights. I’ve seen a big difference! My workouts are great with something with a good beat. Recently I’ve been living M.I.A’s whole Matangi album, especially the songs “Y.A.L.A”. I also recently had a great workout to Flyleaf’s first album.
Private Member |
When I don’t do your workouts I listen to country. But when I do your workouts I find listening to your voice just as good as fast beat music listening to how hard you’re pushing helps me push harder. 😀
Private Member |
Music REALLY means a lot to me as well… I’m not sure that the exact BPM is a major factor, as long as it’s a good song (that makes me want to dance my heart away), I’m good to go! And of course, your motivational talks and workouts are frequently part of my pre-workout routine (just to get myself in the zone) 😉
Thanks for everything!
Private Member |
I love to workout with music but I don’t find it absolutely essential. I like high intense songs for high intensity workouts, songs I suppose that are a little more “aggressive” with assertive lyrics. Macklemore, Avril Lavigne, Imagine Dragons, Good Charlotte, AC DC, Rihanna, Avicii and David Lee Roth top my favorite playlist. They get my psyched up. 🙂
Private Member |
I definitely prefer exercising to music once I have a routine down, and I do prefer faster music. Some of what I enjoy many will recognize–Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, Black Sabbath, Rush, Foo Fighters, Nightwish, Opeth. And then there’s the lesser known bands–Wishbone Ash, Budgie, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment…I could really go on for quite a long time. 😛
Private Member |
I love listening to music when I run but I get tired of the same playlist. And it starts adding up financially to keep on updating my library. So far, I’ve been using this podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/motion-traxx-upbeat-workout/id300391393?mt=2. It stays between 130-170 BPM. Starts slow to get you warmed up and then speeds up. I love it. There are also a few stations on Pandora for cardio workouts. If you have a station set up, please share. I would love to spice up my music routine 🙂
P.S. Thank you, Zuzka for keeping us motivated and fit. I have converted a few new warriors and they are super excited about working out with you.
Private Member |
Hi, Im “new” here at the zgym, I love to hear music too, but at the moment I have to hear zuzkas instructions while Im doing the beginner-workouts 🙂
I would like to know zuzkas playlist 🙂
Private Member |
I use music as a way to focus more than to get me pumped. Music drowns out the other noise and distractions around me and allows me to focus. I focus more on my breathing than the actual BPM’s of the music and it is adjusted accordingly to the exercise (eg. jumping rope vs. dead lift).