More than once I've met articles titled: "Top 20 hits for a great workout" or "Favorite hits by ..." Many athletes listen to music during workout routines. What are the advantages of music? Are some music types preferable than others? These topics will be elaborated in this article.
Different researches showed that music can have positive effect on trainees. The positive effect is ascribed to:
- Music increases motivation. People train longer and have more enthusiasm. In one of the researches, though people trained at the same level, they could sustain this level for a longer period of time.
- Distraction. Music distracts people from negative feelings, like: exhaustion. Personally, I like listening to music not only during aerobic workout but also during strength training. This is because it enables me to reach better concentration by blocking conversations of others.
Now we know that music can have positive effect on workouts. Are some kinds of music preferable than others?
Dr. Costes Kargeopees*, sport psychology lecturer from Brunel university, researched music's effect on training for twenty years. He created the "Brunel music grading questioner". The purpose of this questioner is to determine how stimulating some music. After listening for some music for ninety seconds you are grading it in the questioner. For more than ten years this questioner was passed among different people.
Dr. Kargeopees found that there is high correlation between the beats of the song and training heart rate. If you're interested in moderate walking than music at 115-118 beats a minute will be suitable. While for intense walking, suitable rhythm will be 137-139 beats per minute. And for sprinters fitting beats are: 147-160 beats per minute.
One more remark, you don't have to listen to music physically, you can also imagine it (play it in your head).
Suggested reading:
* The name was translated, there is high probability I've misspelled it.
Related resources:
Beats Per Minute Calculator