Listening to music while you walk or run on the treadmill may benefit your exercise performance by positively impacting your motivation level. Listening to music, particularly up-tempo songs, on the treadmill can help distract you from unpleasant sensations such as boredom and muscle fatigue. This could encourage you to exercise harder and longer.
Benefits
Listening to music while you walk or run on the treadmill may benefit your workout in several ways. According to a paper by Len Kravitz, PhD, and Nicole M. Harmon of the University of New Mexico, listening to music during exercise may reduce perception of fatigue; increase levels of mental arousal; improve motor coordination; and increase relaxation. Music helps bring about these effects by favorably impacting your mood. Listening to music while you run on the treadmill helps "block out" any unpleasant stimuli from exercise -- i.e., pain and fatigue -- making your workout more enjoyable and thus allowing you to exercise for longer or harder than you might without music.
Tempo
The tempo of music you listen to while working out on the treadmill may also impact your workout performance. According to Dr. Costas Karageorghis, developer of the Brunel Music Rating Inventory, a system that measures the motivational qualities of music in the context of exercise, the tempo of the music you listen to while working out is among the most important qualities for determining its motivational impact. Ideally, the tempo of the music you listen to while exercising should range between 120 to 140 beats per minute, or BPM. This tempo roughly coincides with your heart rate during a routine workout.
Songs
Genres of music that typically fall into the 120 to 140 BPM range include dance, pop and rock. Some examples of songs that fall into the "cardio zone" include "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg and "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa. The website RunHundred.com also provides lists of popular workout songs that you can sort by BPM. According to RunHundred.com, as of February 2011, some of the most popular workout songs that fall into the 120 to 140 BPM range include "The Catalyst," a 136 BPM track by Linkin Park; "Hold It Against Me," a Britney Spears song with a BPM count of 134; and "Angel," a 127 BPM cut from Akon.
Safety
Listening to music while you run on the treadmill is generally safe, as there fewer hazards, such as cars and curbs, as there are with street running. However, it is still important that you don't get so distracted by your music that you trip, fall, or drop your mp3 player onto the treadmill, as these are frequent causes of gym injuries. Additionally, it's critical that you keep the volume down. According to a 2006 University of Colorado study, risk of hearing loss from listening to music using headphones increases with both volume and duration. Researchers concluded that while the typical person can safely listen to music for 4.6 hours per day at an average mp3 player's 70 percent volume setting, using stereo earphones, and listening to music at 90 percent volume for more than 18 minutes per day can cause hearing loss.
References
- DrLenKravitz.com; The Effects of Music on Exercise; Nicole M. Harmon and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.
- RunHundred.com: The Top 10 Songs For February 2011
- "The New York Times"; They're Playing My Song. Time to Work Out; Steven Kurutz; January 2008
- MSNBC.com: Gym-goers Trip, Flip and Fall in Pursuit of Fitness; Melissa Dahl; January 2010
- University of Colorado; New Study Provides First Guidelines For Safe Levels Of iPod Music Listening; October 2006
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