Workout Music Tips

by Molly Rausch, MS ATC, CPT

Hello everyone! This week’s “Fitness Tip of the Week” is about picking the right music for your workouts.

Music

It makes up such a powerful part of us. All you have to do is watch a movie to realize the important effect music has on your mood. The suspense in a horror movie, the love in romance, and the happiness in a comedy are all enhanced because of music. There has been a lot of research on the connection between music and mood. It has studied the connection in both general circumstance and specific environments. Physical performance and music is one of those specific environments studied often.

The research between exercise and music has covered different tempos, performance, mood, etc. Through this research, we have found that high-tempo music does, in fact, enhance exercise performance and endurance. It is no wonder it’s hard to spot a person at the gym or running outside who doesn’t have headphones in while they are workout out. Most gyms play music nonstop over a sound system for those who don’t use headphones. Group classes, like Zumba, specifically design the workout to music to keep you going strong. Music helps you enjoy your workout more, feel better while you exercise, and help you push harder and recovery more effectively.

Really, the biggest problem with music and exercise is picking the right mix for your workout.

How to Decide

The best way to decide what music to put on your workout playlist is by matching the music tempo (or speed) to the intensity of your workout. This is especially important for women, because research has found that we exercise to the beat of our music. On the more technical side, cnet put out a great article breaking down ideal beats per minute (BPM) for different types of exercise. Low intensity exercise, like yoga or Pilates, should have music with 60 to 90 BPM. Steady-state exercise should have music between 120 and 140 BPM. Music for your high-intensity workouts should have 140 to 180 or more BPM. If you are like myself and less musically technical, here are some good tips to help you pair your music and workout:

• Bookend your workout. Figure out a couple great songs that aren’t too intense and makes you happy to start off your playlist to get you pumped for the workout while you are warming up. Then, find feel-good, slower songs to put at the end of your playlist for your cool down. Figuring out your starting and ending points will make the flow in between much easier.
• Spice it up. Add a good mix of genres you like to keep your playlist from feeling stale. You don’t want an hour of the same old sound in your ear. Throw in a mix of fast paced, throwbacks, pop hits, and motivational songs to keep you focused.
• Use other resources. Work smarter, not harder. If you don’t have a preference on music, use already made playlists. Spotify, Fit Radio, and Apple Music are just a few of the places you can find workout playlists for different workouts.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions of this week’s tip, feel free to email me at mrausch@healthworksfitness.com or leave a comment below!