Work out and other forms of physical exercise are quite important for fitness. Although some people are self-motivated to exercise, there are many others who find it difficult to do so. One of the best ways to deal with this problem is to exercise while listening to music. These killer beats aren’t just for dancing in the club but could help you have a much more satisfying workout session at the gym.
Does Music Make Exercise Easier?
Although there is no direct connection between music and physical effort, it has been seen in many studies that a jam session could be making the exercise easier, mainly because of the psychological impact that music leaves. A person feels more ferocious and strong from the mind when their particular type of music is being run in the background. In fact, you can do an experiment for this question as well.
Head out to a jog around the block on a day without any music. The next day, do a jog around the same block at the same time but listen to some music on the way with your headphones. You will feel a noticeable difference in how motivated you were for the exercise. Moreover, on the day you listen to music, there is a chance that you still feel energetic after running for the same distance as the previous day. This concludes that music does make exercise a lot easier.
Why Does Music Make Exercise Easier?
Coordination
When listening to music, there is one very important thing called coordination. Music going to up the pitch and down the pitch but maintains proper coordination between. This is seen as the rhythm of the music. According to many studies, rhythm in music enhances the electrical activity in parts of the brain which are responsible for the coordination of movements. Therefore, when you do exercise, it’s the music that keeps you hooked up to proper movements and angles.
Take the example of an Aerobic class. It is easier to follow with music because the body naturally moves in time with the music. The instructors at an Aerobics class teach to change movements at the different beats which further ensures proper coordination between the body and the music being played in the background.
Moreover, the coordination element also suggests that the entire mind is fully active. The reflexes may become stronger as the mind is engaged in a physical exercise along with some music that is ensuring you stay active. It is also directly related to the recovery of an injury. Researchers found evidence that music at a suitable tempo will increase the cadence and thereby cause lower injuries. The body stays aligned due to the small steps which is why the impact does not become quite harsh.
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Motivates for Hard Work
Studies have also shown a direct connection of music with motivation and improved energy levels. Without music, there will be a lack of willingness while with music, you will be doing exercise with keen interest. Studies including participants paddling a cycle concluded that those participants who were listening to music were paddling in a much aggressive manner compared to those who were not. However, it should be noted that the longer was the workout session, the more powerful was the music.
Some songs are composed in a manner that motivates the person listening to these songs. Multiple studies concluded that music can be a major influence on motivation levels especially in the case of endurance activities. The perceived exertion and fatigue feel less with music. In short, your favorite songs could be making you work hard at the gym without even making you feel like you are working hard. This could be an outcome of the metronome effects generated with music.
Makes a Workout Enjoyable
Working out without some music is very boring for some people. The mind isn’t engaged elsewhere making the workout a rather dull one. Listening to the top beats might make your workout more enjoyable. Those who are frequently missing the gym might be doing so because they are bored at the gym and do not have any specific entertainment along with it.
Good jams distract you from thinking about how intensely you are working and it rather becomes a great pleasure to exercise. A study based on 34 participants suggested that music could be more enjoyable than just watching a video without sound. However, if music and videos are combined together, it will become more enjoyable.
Could Calm You Down
Although one may need to have strong beats to be motivated for a workout, yet there are a few people who need to calm themselves during a workout to make it more effective. Some people undergo a lot of stress during workouts and pre-workout which and listening to slow music could help in resolving the entire problem.
Despite the fact that lyrics and beats are important, the tempo could be influential towards your emotions and help you regain better mental and physical control of yourself. A study showed that listening to music can prevent choking. In some intense physical exercises, such as races, the sportsmen tend to feel very nervous and upset. As a result, their anxiety negatively impacts their performance which is why these sportsmen are often suggested to listen to cooling and soothing music to make sure that they don’t get unnecessary pressure.
Better Recovery
Music isn’t just bringing ease for you while you are doing the exercise but even after you are done. To bring down your heart rate and get a balanced blood flow rate, slow jam music could be listened to. A study showed that slow music helped in lowering the blood pressure easily along with a quick recovery time. Slow music has more benefits than simply having silence.
Further studies have also shown that the cardiac health of a person gets better if they listen to slow music right after their workout session. All that is needed is the right mix that works well for you. As stress is a key factor in delaying recovery, the slow songs could become a countermeasure to relieve this stress and fatigue. Therefore, after a hardcore workout, do try listening to slow songs even if you usually don’t as they will bring a significant improvement to your recovery rate.
Can Music Make Exercise Difficult?
Contrary to the popular belief, yes, for some people, music could make exercise difficult. It may not be the case for the majority, but there are some people that wouldn’t find music appealing when they exercise. For example, some people just don’t listen to songs as they don’t have a strong vibe for them. People not interested in music will have discomfort if they do listen to it making it a nuisance for them.
In addition to that, music can be seen as a sign of distraction. You may have watched videos of people running on the treadmill in specific dance moves rather than jogging properly. This is mainly because they are so excited about the music in the background that they are distracted and are not working out properly. A few others may have the same case. They might not be dancing around but might be more interested in the song rather than a workout. Studies show that distractions during workouts may not lead to effective results.
While some people may be exercising more but not feeling fatigued due to music, there are others who might not be exercising enough and therefore not feeling fatigued. The problem arises when these people assume that they are pumped and active because of listening to music whereas, in reality, their body has not been involved in a lot of physical activity. Therefore, it needs to be considered that if you are listening to music, it shouldn’t be affecting your physical performance in a negative way rather it should be bringing a positive impact.
For example, if you are doing bench press at the gym with 5 sets of 15 every time, then you should make it a goal to either have it matched or do more with time especially when listening to the groove and beats. If you underperform, say 4 sets of 15, then it means that you are being more hooked to the music than it is required which is causing a deterioration in the performance. At this point, one must either try to stay more focused, and if this isn’t possible, then leaving music during workouts becomes the last choice.
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Conclusion
We can conclude that with numerous studies and practical experience, it has been seen that music has a positive impact on the exercise and performance of other physical activities. However, in some ways, music can be a source of distraction as well as causing a negative impact. If you notice any of the negative influences, we recommend you to stop listening to music right away. In case you see the positive influence, keep going as it’s going to bring a long-term benefit. Want to have a good laugh? Here’s a lyric prank you could try.