Does the Music Matter?

I don’t know about you, but for years, I have walked into the gym, plugged in my headphones, turned them up, and had music fueled training sessions.  I never thought much of it until I was in a gym and didn’t have my headphones.  The gym was playing smooth R&B songs.  The energy, the ability to ignore the discomfort, the ability to ignore how tired I was, shrank.  In fact, the music had the exact opposite effect on me.  Then it happened again, I forgot my music, but this gym was playing loud country music and I was still full of energy.  This made me wonder how the choice of music affects a workout.  I always thought the energy and focus I got from playing my music was because it was my music.  Is there something special about the music we select?

Studies have been done for years on heart and respiration rates based on music and many have found a correlation between the music and increased rate of breathing and heart rate.  One recent small population study (most fitness studies are) showed 93% of subjects experienced a slowing of their heart rate following a slow song and 100% experienced an increase following a fast song.1  Studies done as early as the 1940’s produced similar results2,3.  In 2012, BASES released their expert opinion on music’s effect on exercise, which correlated with previous studies that music has the ability to influence heart and respiration rate and produce positive effects during training4.

So what does this mean for us as we exercise?  The music we choose to listen to or is being played by the gym can have an impact on our training sessions.  The music can stabilize our heart rate, help us ignore the fatigue and discomfort from moderate and high intensity workouts and push us to go a little further.  Equally, a poor choice can lower our energy, allow us to acknowledge the discomfort, and hinder our attempts at progress.  Whatever your music preference, choosing the right songs can give you that extra edge you’re looking for.

Based on a study at Sheffield Hallam University, music that was upbeat (between 120 and 162 beats per minute) resulted in lower rates of perceived exertion and heart rates mimicking the BPM of the music.  So the next time you are setting up your playlist, for that long run or the heavy workout, take a moment to think about the songs you’re choosing and consider faster, more up-tempo songs for increased training results and leave the slower songs for the cool-down.

Try it and see if it doesn’t help you over the edge.

1. Agrawal, A., Makhijani, N., & Valentini,P.,The Effect of Music on Heart Rate, The Journal of Emerging Investigators, April 2013
2. Schullian D M., & Schoen M., Music and Medicine (1948). P. 1-499
3. Soibelman D., Thereputic and Industrial Use of Music. (1940). P. 103-108
4. Terry, PC., Lane, AM., Bishop, DT., & Priest, DL., The BASES Expert Statement on Use of Music in Exercises, Journal of Sport Sciences, 30(9): 953 - 956, May 2012
5. Hutson, M., The Effects of Preffered Upbeat Music on Rate of Perceived Exertion, Heart Rate and Lactic Acid Concentration at Moderate and High Intensity Exercise