Whether you're taking a group exercise class or going for a run outside by yourself, music can enhance the exercise experience. However, the advantages of using music with exercise go far beyond just enjoyment, with many other positive benefits associated with mixing music with your aerobic activity.
Results
Listening to certain music can help improve the results of your aerobic exercise, more specifically your distance, unit time and overall power of your routine. Every piece of music has a specific rhythm that you can feel with the beat of the music. A study by the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences in Liverpool found that by increasing the speed of music, results such as the number of miles biked within a specific time period were increased. The faster the music, the more likely that you will exercise at a faster rate to the rhythm of the music, resulting in more intense aerobic exercise. An example of this is indoor cycling classes, which often choose specific music mixes based on beats per minute. This provides varying levels of intensity of exercise throughout the class as the music and beat speed switches between songs.
Distraction
When pushing yourself to new intensity levels in your exercise routine, music can be beneficial in helping distract your mind away from fatigue, the muscles that are wanting to give out or your increased heart and breathing rate. For example, with training to run a marathon, music may help keep your brain on the music instead of the aches, allowing you to make it through the last mile. However, music can only distract so well, and does not typically help once aching turns into pain, or your exercise reaches too high of an intensity level, suggests Dr. Len Kravitz from the University of New Mexico.
Psych up
Music is often used to help psych up teams or individual athletes before an important game or event. The same effect works for aerobic exercise by listening to upbeat songs before starting an intense exercise session. In a way, the music acts as a stimulant, suggests Costas Karageorghis and David-Lee Priest from Brunel University. The lyrics of songs may also help increase arousal and readiness before starting your exercise routine for the day. On the opposite side, slower music or depressing or non-motivational lyrics may have the opposite impact, calming the body or changing your mental attitude to a less positive one.
Selecting Music
When searching for music to exercise to, it's important to keep three main factors in mind -- the beats per minute, the lyrics and your personal musical preference for styles. Trying running with several different songs to see how the speed of the song and the rhythm of the song match your running pace. You want songs that are easy to keep a pace to. Look for lyrics that are motivating, or if you can't find songs with lyrics that motivate you, consider fast-paced instrumentals, such as techno music. Finally, choose music you will enjoy. There's no point in choosing music that fits your stride if you can't stand listening to it.
References
- "The New York Times"; Phys Ed: Does Music Make You Exercise Harder?; Gretchen Reynolds; 2010
- "The Sport Journal"; Music in Sport and Exercise : An Update on Research and Application; Costas Karageorghis, et al.; Brunel University
- "Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports"; Effects of Music Tempo Upon Submaximal Cycling Performance; J. Waterhouse; August 2010
- Popular Science; Race to the Beat; Brett Zarda; October 2008
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