It sends shivers down your back, gives you sudden bursts of energy, sparks joy and tears…music can do this and much more for you. But did you know that music can also have a positive influence on your workout? The right beats can help you reach your goal faster while making your fitness routine more fun.
3 Ways Exercising to Music Affects Your Body
1. Improves Performance
Everyone can use a helping hand once in a while. Did you know that music with the right tempo gets you working harder during your workout? This was the conclusion of a study conducted by the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences on exercising to music.(1)The researchers found a direct correlation between the tempo of the music and the speed at which the subjects were cycling. The faster the music, the greater the power, cadence, and distance pedaled.
Whether it’s one of those days you just struggle to get moving or you want to focus on improving your performance, exercising to music can pump you up. It’s important to choose workout music that you love; another study done at Keele University shows that subjects were better able to stay “in the zone” during their workouts and reported a lower level of perceived exertion when listening to their favorite music.(2)
Just wait, there’s more: it also makes it easier to keep a steady pace while running or during bodyweight training. The recommended tempo for this is 120 to 130 bpm. When you’re ready to amp things up, choose workout songs with a higher bpm. Strategically plan your playlist to match the flow of your workout. Warm up with slower, chill music and then, when you’re ready to really sweat, plug into fast-paced jams. Wrap things up with calming workout music for the cool-down.
Good to know:
If you want to find out the tempo of the music, you have to count the beats per minute. Check out the adidas Spotify playlist to add some energy to your workouts.
2. Relieves Stress
Exercise gets you in shape, keeps you young, and reduces stress: working out has many benefits for your health. Blowing off steam with cardio is a great way to relieve stress in a healthy way. If you’re not a cardio lover, finding the right running songs might just make the hard work more enjoyable.
Relaxing music can also be integrated into a calming yoga session to regulate your breathing and help you come down after a long week. Remember to keep an eye on your stress level; stress affects the body in ways that we might not be aware of or expect. Chronic stress is a serious condition that can have long term effects.
3. Reduces Fatigue during the workout
Sometimes your workout is really fun, feels easy, and endorphins are released into your system. On other days it’s much tougher to get motivated, you feel weak and want to give up after a few minutes. This is when music can help: studies have shown that people who listen to music when they work out don’t notice physical exhaustion as much.(3)Music inspires you to throw yourself into your workout, on bad days – and even more so on good days.
In a Nutshell
The world of workout music is vast and there are so many different ways we can use it to make our lives more enjoyable. Whether you need a kick in the pants to crank up your cardio with adidas Running, some distraction from the pain of a muscle-burning adidas Training bodyweight workout, or calming tunes to find your center, find music that motivates you to get where you want to be.
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Source: Fitness - runtastic.com
