Since the rise in popularity of MP3 players, working out has been done together with your personal music library. Whether it be running on the street on the treadmill or lifting weights in the gym, it seems every person is wearing a set of headphones when getting up.
We all feel that certain songs help us push that little bit harder but is there any science behind that? And if so, is there a particular type of music that helps you go that extra mile? It turns out, yes. While tiredness is physical during workout, a large part is also about how the brain sees this physical tiredness.
Listening to music while training takes the brain’s concentration away from the tired body. In a sense, it fights for the attention on the fact that the body is “working out”. This leads exercise to be viewed as less tough and makes working out more enjoyable.
The kind of music you listen to can depend on the type of workout you are doing. When running on a treadmill, most people choose a faster pace of 160 beats per minute (bpm).
It also depends on the intensity of the workout and your heartbeat. For example when training starts to get to average intense levels the sweet spot is around the 120-145 bpm mark. For reference, an analysis showed that out of 74000 popular songs produced between the1960s-1990s,120 bpm was the most common. So most songs will do the trick.
What is also worth mentioning is the psychological benefits of music on the individual. You should choose songs that have particular meanings and emotional connections with individuals because they can create encouragement and get people mentally prepared for the challenges This is very important when doing strong workouts or going for personal bests on the big lifts.
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