The Power of Music for Workouts

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Because music can affect your mood, it also affects the way you workout. Just the same as slow, mellow music can put you to sleep, the fast, upbeat music can get you moving. When you think back to the last time you played music while you cleaned the house, did you listen to Jack Johnson or did you have Beyonce playing? Chances are you had something loud and bumping to keep you motivated to clean. 

So doesn't this make sense to have an upbeat tempo when running on the treadmill or hitting the streets to keep your pace up? Not only is music motivating but it also can help improve your endurance and you're less likely to get bored during your workout. 

If you want to do interval training, make a special playlist of slower beats to warm up that gradually increase to faster beats to get your heart rate up and then slower beats again to bring your heart rate back down. The important thing is to get the right beats per minute (bpm), and there are apps that can give you this info. Something like BPI by Cheebow. 

For the majority who workout at a moderate pace, it's recommended to keep your bpm to 80-90 for your warm up and cool down. The moderate to intense level of your workout should be around 120-140 bpm. 

The problem is, if you get used to working out with music all of the time, when it's not around it can negatively affect your exercise routine. So if you have a race or event coming up that might ban music from the competition, be careful. Try listening to music only 2 out of every 3 workouts you perform. 

So pay closer attention to your music selection the next time you workout. Or, create a custom playlist. Even iTunes has power songs and workout songs searches.

Here's two celebrity workout playlists and how much they vary! 

Michelle Obama - First Lady

 

Jay Cutler - 4X Mr. Olympia Winner