Performance Enhancing Music

Have you ever been working out when the music just cuts out? Maybe the playlist ended or your internet connection dropped causing the song to stop midway through. Then all of a sudden, the workout becomes harder. You can hear yourself breathing heavy, the weights feel heavier, your muscles burn a little bit more. Could it be that music is doing more than you think? Maybe it is helping you in ways you didn’t know.

Asides from being a known mood-enhancer, music has some other positive effects that can be of use while physically exerting yourself. Music can help distract you from pain and fatigue. When we are training, this can be a huge benefit! Especially if the workout is extra tough, having any sort of help in reducing the discomfort will allow you to push a little bit harder. The harder you can push in your workouts, the faster you will see results and reach your goals. When one of your favourite songs comes on, it can actually help reduce perceived effort. It can feel like you get a second wind of sorts that picks you up mentally. The music will help make the movements you are doing feel like less work. 

There are MANY playlists on Spotify that have certain beats per minute (BPM) specified in the description. This is very helpful for activities that you want to maintain a certain cadence. Quite often, you will match the pace of the song with your effort. So if you want to run your next 5km a little bit faster, finding a playlist that has a BPM that is quicker might be the key!

Spotify is an amazing resource for audiophiles! Almost every artist you can think of has their collections uploaded to the streaming service. There is a playlist for everyone if you know what to search for! If you’ve been working out at home without music playing, I suggest trying it out for the next week and seeing if you notice any difference. Make a playlist of your favourite songs and artists then get after it!

Coach Caleb