Regardless of the form of
exercise, many people enjoy listening to music while working out. While
enjoyable in its own right, avid
gym goers swear by the power of music. Many
self-report that it helps improve their stamina, endurance, and overall power.
Although these statements tend to be subjective by nature, there is evidence
that music during exercise can have a positive effect on an individual during workouts.
اضافة اعلان
How does music
improve workouts?
Many TV shows and cartoons
like Tom and Jerry have musical scores that are synchronized with what is
occurring on screen — a technique called Mickey Mousing, named for early
animated
Walt Disney films. This technique seems to transcend upbringing,
language, or culture, and tends to be universally understood.
The connection between music and our body has been
the subject of many studies but, in 2006, Istvan Molnar-Szakacs and Katie Overy
proposed the “shared affective motion experience” model.
In this model, it is suggested that we not only
perceive musical sounds as auditory signals, but also as an intentional
message. Through sounds, the composer is able to intentionally elicit certain
responses, which can in turn be synchronized to actions. This entire process is
possible by a concept known as neural mirroring.
Neural mirroring is when our body performs an action
we witness someone else performing. Although not strictly applicable to music,
many studies have shown that this same process can link perceptual and
behavioral representations of sounds to
physical manifestations.
In the case of working out, music can be used to
help elicit an emotional response that then manifests physically; something
that can potentially benefit exercise.
Which music is best?
Although certain benefits
are generally associated with certain types of music, there is no clear answer
for what music to listen to when exercising. The choice will ultimately be
determined by personal preference.
Generally speaking, it is best to match the tempo of
your music with the intensity of your workout. There is a phenomenon known as
auditory-motor synchronization which best describes this. Auditory-motor
synchronization occurs when rhythmic actions of the body are coupled with
external acoustic stimuli such as metronomes or music.
A 2013 study assessed the effects of auditory-motor
synchronization by using a musical intervention group and compared it to a
control group that had no musical stimuli. The musical intervention group
consisted of one group that listened to
music and another group that only
listened to a metronomic beat. In total, there were three groups studied
(control, metronome, and music). When the metronome group was compared to the
music group, there were no statistically significant differences in relation to
time to exhaustion, cadence consistency, perceived exertion, and heart rate.
However, other studies have noted that there may be
specific differences between certain music types. Generally, evidence has shown
that slow-tempo music during moderate-to-vigorous intensity
exercise can
slightly reduce heart rate, whereas fast-tempo music during low-intensity
exercise can slightly increase heart rate. Additionally, auditory-motor
synchronization works with music because we are able to subconsciously extract
the beat from the song and set our rhythm to it.
With certain genres of music such as
hip-hop, beat
extraction may be difficult since it is common to interweave multiple rhythmic
patterns into the music. Subjectively, the type of music can also positively or
negatively affect certain aspects of your workout. For example, when listening
to music while working out that is perceived to be enjoyable, blood flow
overall is increased. However, listening to music that is perceived to induce
anxiety can actually reduce blood flow.
When it comes to determining the ideal music to
exercise to, it is important to consider your personal preference and weigh it
against your desired goals. First and foremost, choose music that you enjoy and
personally find beneficial. If your goal is to maximize lower-intensity
workouts by increasing your heart rate, fast-tempo music is generally
preferred. Likewise, if your goal is to lower your heart rate in order to improve
recovery, slower tempo music may be best. Additionally, you can time your music
with your workout. Many people experience a decline in in the last half or
third of an exercise. Timing slow paced music in the first half of your
exercise may increase your endurance. Then, when you start to get tired, switch
to fast paced music in order to capitalize on certain benefits.
Benefits of music
while exercising
Listening to music during
exercise has many benefits, which can make it highly versatile. One of the greatest
benefits, subjectively, is the joy and pleasure felt from simply listening to
music.
There is a form of cognitive bias known as the
peak-end rule, in which changes occur to the way we recall past events and
memories. In short, we remember past experiences based on emotional peaks felt
throughout the experience and at the end of the experience.
During exercise, especially for those just starting
out, the experience can be grueling and has the potential of being remembered
as a negative experience. By listening to music, you can help reduce those
negative peaks regardless of the intensity of workout, which will likely
motivate you to workout again.
Additionally, music can potentially reduce the
amount of perceived exertion. Multiple studies have assessed this effect, but
results are varied. In the aforementioned 2013 study, they found small to
moderate reductions in perceived exertion for those in the musical intervention
group compared to the control group in the early part of exercise, but at the end
of exercise no significant differences were found between the groups.
Nevertheless, personal experiences may vary, and some may still benefit.
In addition to the subjective benefits of music,
there are also physical benefits that could potentially maximize your workouts.
A 2019 meta-analysis on the effects of music in exercise reviewed 139 studies
relating to the subject. As mentioned previously, listening to music while
working out can increase heart rate and blood flow. In total, the improved
blood flow can be as high as 26 percent, which in turn can improve oxygen
utilization and reduce fatigue. These physiological effects were even found to
be separate from participants’ personal preference and instead were primarily
due to the inherent characteristics of the music such as tempo.
Due to the principle of auditory-motor
synchronization, music can also help improve overall movement, rhythm, and
cadence. For example, running along with the tempo of music can help regulate
stride patterns and improve fluidity. As a result, you need less adjustments
and can maintain a steady pace which can slightly reduce overall energy cost.
In conjunction with the aforementioned benefits, listening to music while
exercising can also improve brain chemistry. Exercise and listening to music,
individually, releases natural chemicals in the brain such as dopamine,
serotonin, and endorphins. These chemicals help regulate mood, reduce
sensations of pain, and provide an overall feeling of pleasure. When combining
exercise with music, there is a potential for these effects to be potentiated.
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