The Power of Music : How It Enhances Your Workout Performance

Listening to music while working out not only relieves boredom but also helps in improving the quality of your workout. Music, in particular, is motivational and is shown to have physical and psychological effects. Music can increase your stamina and put you in a great mood.

As we read further, we can know how listening to music improves your workout.

Our bodies have a natural way of synchronizing with the beat of a song. The more energetic and fast-paced a song is, the more will be our pace, as well. Music stimulates the part of our brain that controls movement, thus it helps our body complete repetitive movements quickly and more efficiently.

A study conducted by Karageorghis published in the “Journal of Sports Exercise Psychology” found that motivational music helped exercisers exercise harder and push through fatigue.⁽¹⁾ In an American Council on Exercise, it has been mentioned that music can increase endurance during workouts by up to 15%.⁽²⁾ Several studies have found that listening to music can enhance your athletic performance, by increasing the pace at which you travel, the distance you run, or how many repetitions you complete.

According to a study it was found that those who listened to music while working out on the treadmill increased their pace and distance traveled without being exhausted.⁽³⁾ Another study conducted in 2011 has shown that to achieve the best performance while cycling, the ideal tempo is between 125 bpm and 140 bpm.⁽⁴⁾ Another similar study conducted in 2014 that looked for the best bpm while on the treadmill, had shown that music between 123 bpm and 131 bpm led to the best performance.⁽⁵⁾

Experts believe that 120 bpm to 140 bpm is the ideal tempo to achieve maximum results from workouts. However, for yoga and other activities that are slower and more relaxed, music with a low tempo works best.

Music often wins our attention and distracts us from the negative feelings. It motivates and elevates our mood and can also motivate us to keep going through any sort of physical discomfort that might occur while working out.

Listening to music while working out can reduce feelings of fatigue. A study conducted in 2010 has shown that music not only increases work capacity but also delays feelings of fatigue and pain.⁽⁶⁾ Music is a wonderful distractor, which keeps our mind off of the pain and fatigue that you must be feeling while exercising.

Listening to music not only distracts you from pain, but also helps you find great relief from pain. Listening to music releases our body’s natural mood-enhancing hormones and opioids, which not only improve the mood but also provide us with pain relief. These hormones increase your pain tolerance while working out.

One of the most important benefits of music is its positive psychological effect. It elevates your mood and motivates you to work harder. According to a study published in “Frontiers in Psychology,” it has been found that people listen to music to enhance their mood and be more aware.⁽⁷⁾

Music has a tremendous psychological effect that can be seen in physical changes in hormone levels. For instance, a study from 2012 found that participants who listened to music had higher levels of serotonin or the feel-good hormone.⁽⁸⁾ This suggests that the pleasurable experience of listening to a song can increase the levels of serotonin, which can put you in a better mood throughout your workout.

Since music has a positive impact on your workout and helps in exercising harder and more efficiently, choosing music that you enjoy and that fits your exercise routine can extremely benefit you in getting more out of your workout.

References:

Also Read:

• How Music Can Be A Secret Weapon To Reduce Daily Stress?
• Music Therapy for ADHD
• Melophobia or Fear of Music : Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention, Diagnosis
• Music Therapy for Diabetes
• Can Music Really Affect Your Mood?|How Can Music Therapy Help?
• 7 Remarkable Benefits Of Music
• Why You Should Listen To Music While Working Out?