Do you listen to music while exercising? It’s so trendy and looks super cool. Not only that, listening to music while exercising has positive effects on the body as well as the mind.
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POST CONTENTS:
How is a workout music different?
The psychology behind listening to music while exercising
Importance of lyrics in a workout music
Change in tempo of a workout music effects the performance
Playing your favourite music during exercise is a great mood booster
When not to play workout music
How is a workout music different?
There are different types of workout music available online. Every type of music has its own vibration for the desired effect.
In yoga, the background sound of OM has a healing effect on the brain. In fact, yoga teachers are trained to use soothing voices especially when taking Meditation classes. It has a calming and comfortable effect on the nerves.
While doing cardio, running on a treadmill, or playing a sport, energetic music beats work best.
If you are practising Tai Chi, then slow oriental instrumental music is perfect.
In modern dance training, Martha Graham introduced a specific type of music to be played in her classes.
For every type of training, there is music, and that music has its own tempo that affects the cognitive and neurological senses.
The psychology behind listening to music while exercising
“In The Social and Applied Psychology of Music, authors North and Hargreaves suggest that music distracts from the pain you endure during a workout through competing stimuli, meaning both music and the pain from your exercise are competing against each other. It’s easier to forget about or ignore pain or fatigue when you’re distracted by a song.”
“The research around the positive influences of music during exercise was reviewed in a paper by Peter Terry, Costas Karageorghis, Michelle Curran, Olwenn Martin, and Renee Parsons-Smith in the February 2020 issue of Psychological Bulletin.”
These researchers did a meta-analysis of studies of music during exercise and sport performance. A meta-analysis looks across many different studies to look for consistency in results.
Their findings show the following results that listening to music during exercise can make you feel better about what you have done, reduce people’s feeling of how much they are exerting themselves, a small effect on performance overall.”
Importance of lyrics in a workout music
Music works like a guide or a coach when accompanied with motivational lyrics. There are various ways we interpret music and lyrics, and the music video has a lasting impression. The lyrics of a song like Fearless, Unstoppable, Wake Me Up, Best of Me, etc. encourage you to stay focused on your fitness goals.
Instrumental music or healing sounds
Tibetan healing sounds are used for healing and cleansing the aura. It relaxes the overthinking mind by removing the negative energy surrounding you. The healing sounds are used for deep meditation.
Likewise, the soothing music of the piano and violin has a healing effect. Not just listening, but learning to play these two instruments improves memory and attention span. While training, ballet dancers have their own interpretation of paino music. Ballet music with a fast tempo encourages to dance faster but with grace.
Change in tempo of a workout music effects the performance
The change in tempo definitely effects the performance. It’s not just logical that you will not run faster in a meditative state. And loud music will disturb your yoga session. A music tempo, however, is much more than just high and low sounds. You align your body’s rhythm with the beats of the music. It creates a synchronisation between music and you, between an outside vibration and your cognitive neurons. Your heart beats faster while listening to loud music. And the moment you listen to slow instrumentals, your breathing becomes deeper and calmer.
Playing your favourite music during exercise is a great mood booster
Listening to your favourite music awakens your senses and makes you feel motivated to dance and exercise. Great music keeps your heart happy and you feel less stressed about just completing the workout set as a routine. You can get more exercise sets completed by listening to your favourite music.
When not to play workout music
Listening to music while riding a bike looks cool. But it distracts the rider from the road. When you are listening to music during a difficult exercise, you may not take care of keeping proper posture or form. This can lead to sudden muscle strain and injury.
Conclusion
The healing and motivational effects of music are numerous. Everyone has their own interpretation of music. Everyone has their own favourite type of music. Whether fast-paced or slow, the connection with the music affects fitness performance. So make your workout routines more enjoyable with music.
References
How Does Music Affect Your Workout?, November 12, 2020.
https://fitness-nation.net/2020/11/12/how-does-music-affect-your-workout/
The Benefits of Listening to Music When You Exercise, by Art Markman Ph.D. Posted June 18, 2020, reviewed by Matt Huston.
This is interesting and it’s TRUE that music can help a lot as well. Thank you for sharing!
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I am glad you liked this post, Fransic. Thank you for your continuous support of my blog. 🙏
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Hello Ranjana. This is a very well written post. I always listen to music when I work and exercise. I enjoy dance fitness because I love the music. It’s nice to know the psychology behind it.
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Thank you so much Janera for your positive feedback. 🙂
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These are such great tips.
I always listen to music whilst exercising. It’s a must for me.
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Thank you for reading and liking this post 🙂
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