Can Music Really Change Your Workout?

Being active and working out has many physical and mental benefits. It's the whole package that can help you look good and feel good. According to WebMD, even 10 minutes of aerobic activity each day can lower our risk of heart disease. So, you don't even need to spend hours at the gym to get the benefits of working out.

However, it can be challenging to get yourself to work out even when you know all the benefits, but there is one thing that can help you enjoy working out: music. It might even make you not have to bribe yourself to go to the gym. You may have noticed tons of people at the gym almost always have their headphones in. According to Frontiers in Psychology, a 2020 study titled "The Psychophysiological Effects of Different Tempo Music on Endurance Versus High-Intensity Performances" showed that listening to music stimulates people to work out more, and they noticed that it makes a difference when doing endurance exercises. (Be warned: there is such a thing as exercising too much.) 

It can be challenging to make yourself work out, but we are more likely to stick to it with good music. According to Healthline, listening to high-tempo music can distract you from everyday stressors and make the exercise seem less challenging, which means you are more likely to enjoy it. If you want to make the most of your workouts and enjoy yourself while doing it, it looks like all you need to do is make yourself a fun and upbeat playlist. Listening to classical piano might be great for work, but you might need a little bit of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" for an intense workout.

It's essential to pay attention to your music's tempo to improve your workout. You want to pick the music tempo, or BPM (beats per minute), to match your intended heart rate to pump you up (via CNET). For example, for HIIT workouts, you want to choose music with 140 to 180 BPM, and for steady cardio, pick music with 120 to 140 BPM. When you listen to high-tempo music, you are more likely to experience the highest heart rates and think that the workout isn't that hard compared to when you're listening to no music or slower songs (via Healthline). Who knew it would be so easy to trick your mind into loving exercising?

ScienceDaily also shared that when people listen to high-intensity music, they get better workout benefits because they don't think they are working out as hard, so they do it for longer. They added that the benefits of high-tempo music were more prevalent during more challenging workouts like weightlifting than walking, though walking is still great for those who really hate working out.

Moreover, according to CNN, listening to music can boost your mood, inspire you, and make you temporarily forget about being tired, so you are more inclined to work out better and for longer. Ready to add some Beyoncé to your Spotify playlist to rock your next sweat session?