Music to Work By: The Effect of Music on Exercise

 Music to Work By: The Effect of Music on Exercise 



Why do so many people listen to music when they work out? Is it just because the silence causes them to be bored or is there something more to it?


Music and Motivation


Not feeling motivated to get up and get out the door for exercise? Even people who love to work out can find themselves struggling with motivation from time to time. The right music can get you up and going feeling like you can take on the world. Get the right playlist going and you might find yourself feeling pumped and hitting the exercise regimen hard before you know it. 


Music and Mood


Feeling a little low? Having a hard time focusing? Music can get your spirits lifted and boost focus a lot. There is a playlist for every mood and music is known to inspire and get the brain to release endorphins which loft mood and promote focus. This means that when working out you get a double mood boost because exercise has been used to combat poor mood since ancient Egypt at least. 


Music and Coordination/ Movement


The rhythms in music can get you working at a steady pace, keep your heart rate regulated and even help you be more coordinated. Listening to music with an upbeat tempo will encourage your body to move at a faster pace which helps especially with cardio routines or rhythmic workouts. Listening to music with slower tempo helps the body warm up or cool down by encouraging it to move at a slower pace. Using music to help regulate your speed and rhythm will help your workout to be more productive and easier to recover from. Warm ups and cool downs are some of the most overlooked parts of exercise regimens but if you build a playlist with songs at slower pace starting out and ending then it will remind you to slow down and let your body ease in and out of your workout. 


Music and Endurance


Listening to music can make you feel better, faster, stronger and more pumped. You will want to keep going while listening to your jams and will feel fatigued less. This helps build endurance and keep you going when just working out without music you would have stopped sooner. The reason is that having music puts you in a zone and helps the brain to focus on something other than how hard the workout is and how fatigued you feel. If you have nothing but the workout to focus on, it can become easy to give in and get bored with the repetitive motions but if you add music to the mix you just might find you can push through a bit longer to reach your exercise goals. 


How to Make a Playlist


There is actually science behind making the perfect playlist. It is calculated based on target BPM (beats per minute) and can vary depending on the activity you are planning to do. 

According to this LiveStrong article if you are trying to calculate for running you should take the number of feet in a mile (5280) and divide it by your stride length in feet. Once you get that number you then divide it by your minute per mile goal to get the BPM you should look for your songs to be. That is of course only a guideline and you should play around with different songs and tempos to find what works for you. 


Don’t feel like calculating your pace yourself? The general guidelines for BPM are as follows:


Warmup: 100-140

Low intensity workouts like yoga: 60-90 

Consistent Cardio (jogging): 120-140

Weightlifting: 130-150

Zumba/Dance: 130-170

CrossFit/HIIT workouts: 140-180+

Cooldown: 60-90


You should structure your workout playlist with slower songs at the beginning and the end with the more intense beats in the middle where you are doing the more intense movements. The most important part is finding the kind of music that motivates you. Hip Hop and Rock music are common favorites because of their strong rhythmic beats but there is no wrong answer when it comes to the right music. Your playlist should be full of rather short songs that get you moving. 


There are lots of options out there. 


Many music streaming services have custom workout channels or lists for you to choose from. One of the best ones I have found is through Amazon Music. It connects to Alexa and can customize your playlist for the kind for workout your are looking for (high performance, cardio, hip hop etc) included with the monthly subscription is suggestions based on your preferences and a wide array of different genres of music. Click the link below for three month free trial.

 


Stay strong. Stay healthy. Keep fighting for yourself, you’re worth it.

From: Ame Hinman at Hinman Healing


Further Reading and References

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