3 Way Music Enhances Your Workout
Tell me if you know this feeling.
You’re about to start your workout but you’re not really feeling your best. You just spent 10 minutes convincing yourself that you should exercise but you know it’s going to be a struggle. Your body feels slow, your muscles feel slow, your joints feel thick and your mind is thinking about how soft and cold your pillow must feel at the moment.
But you’re going to go through with your workout. Some way, somehow, you’re going to push yourself. You put on your headphones and press the play button on your favorite playlist. All of a sudden you’re no longer tired. You feel like Elektro. You feel electricity flowing inside your muscle fibers. Your posture changed. Your head is upright. You’re bouncing in place. Your feet feel light and your strength has found you once again. Before you know it you just had the best workout of your life.
I know this is going to sound strange but it’s such a magical experience. There’s nothing like the sound of a song you normally enjoy, coming on at the perfect time during your workout. The question is, is this more of a placebo effect or does music actually have a physical and psychological effect on you? You might surprised to know that this is something that has been studied for years and the results have indicated that yes, music is way more than just a placebo. What are some of the effects music has on you during a workout?
1. It provides a positive distraction
A recent study conducted on mildly active participants found that working out with music made them less aware of the physical exertion they were undergoing. The distraction provided by music allowed them to increase their athletic performance by up to 15%. I’m sure you’ve felt this. You’re exhausted even before you begin a workout then all of a sudden a song plays in your eye and before you know it, you’re already 3 sets into your workout.
2. It can instantly alter your mood
Think back to a time when you stood in front of a piece of exercise equipment and said to yourself, maybe even out loud “f**k this I’m not in the mood”. You plan your escape, then you hear the perfect beat in your headphones. All of a sudden your attitude and mood changes. Your mood turns positive. Even an angry positive. I know that for me, most of the time, I get angry before a certain type of workout. It’s not anger at the world or at anyone/anything. It’s just that feeling of anger that motivates me to put my body through what I know will be a tough but awesome workout. That’s ok if it happens to you. A study in 2013 found that people often listen to music as a way to change their mood and find self-awareness. The participants in the study said that for them it didn’t matter what happened yesterday or even an hour ago. Music helped them escape negativity and allowed them to power through a workout because they knew they would feel great when it was over.
3. It improves your effort and performance
Depending on the type of music you listen to, it can have a dramatic effect on how you perform during a workout. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin conducted a study to try to measure this. They found that participants in the study who listened to a faster-paced music generated a higher heart rate and power during a 40 minute workout by as much as 18%. The study found that heart rates rose from 133 to 146 beats per minute when listening to music with a medium to fast tempo. While this is very telling, I believe that the type of music you choose to listen to should be of your very own personal choice. If you like the music chances are it’s going to provide you with an energy boost anyway. That energy will propel you to train at a higher level.
I will say there is one side affect from listening to the perfect song at a gym. You may not realize it but you may end up doing a lot of strange things. I know I’ve done it. From strange dances to weird breathing to even physically abusing gym equipment. Most of the time you don’t even remember or notice yourself doing it. So, while music may help you through your workout, you may also end up getting caught doing something like this…..