Now, first of all, I'm NOT going to be judging anyone's music taste here, or saying one genre is better than another. I know how controversial that can be!! 😉 But studies say, SOME songs in your workout music mix can make you able to push yourself harder!
It can literally increase your stamina and endurance. But in order to do that, it has to be the right music!
Researchers have actually been studying this for over 100 years!!
Yes, way way before Apple Earpods (or Walkmans 😉) were a thing, a researcher in 1911 named Leonard Ayers put some people on stationary bikes, and then had a band play music! (Isn't that a funny mental image?)
He found that the bicyclists peddled FASTER with music than without music.
But it's not just about going faster! More recently, a review of over 60 studies was published, and it concluded that music makes people push themselves longer, report less pain, and be in a better mood while exercising!
Isn't that what we've been looking for all along??
And I know you're thinking, "But Bonnie, I already have a workout music mix, and I don't feel like my performance is superhumanly better or anything…"
Well, the 60 studies showed that music helps during moderate exercise but not high intensity exercise.
That's probably because in HIIT workouts, you're already trying so hard that even a song as awesome as "Eye of the Tiger" can't give you any more of a boost. 😉
But music still helps you go LONGER during moderate exercise, and even on intense exercises it improves mood!
A study published in the Human Kinetics Journal had participants rate on an official scale whether they felt good or bad while exercising, and it was overwhelmingly BETTER (especially during tough exercises) when they had music.
Partly, this is just because music stimulates brain chemicals like dopamine that make us happy, but also because the beat of the music can go in time with your exercise movements. (I bet you've already experienced that before!)
But then, what TYPE of music should be on your workout music mix?
Well, you probably think you should be listening to some kind of fast EDM, music so you start exercising to that quick beat, and go faster and faster!!
And, one study DID show that music with a strong bass beat makes people feel powerful and motivated.
But it's also true that if you're doing a more moderate workout, then you want to match the beat of the song with your stride.
For example, I just mentioned "Eye of the Tiger"…Shanon Cook, who is a higher-up at Spotify, said that according to experts she talked to, it's the PERFECT workout song.
Also, not surprisingly, but probably something you haven't thought about…another study found that you should listen to heroic music, like the theme song to Game of Thrones or something.
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