What To Listen To While Working Out: Music Vs. Podcasts

Many people consider music an important aspect of their workout sessions as listening to songs can make exercising a lot more exciting. It also has a way of boosting your mood, which in turn, improves your energy and your overall effort while exercising.

And for those who would rather listen to podcasts in the place of music, the advantage is that podcasts serve as a good distraction to take your mind off the exhaustion and exertions of working out, according to Daily Collegian. When listening to a podcast, you're likely to extend your routine just so you can finish listening to an entire episode. So, whether all you want to do is a 30-minute workout routine or an hour walk around the neighborhood, you can spice things up by listening to music or podcasts.

But note that your workout will be effective only if you listen to the right kind of music or podcast for the different routines you may have for different days, according to Fit&Well. That brings us to the question, music or podcasts, which is best for your workout session?

A publication in The Irish Times suggests that music and podcasts have different effects on our workouts. While music helps us better for high-performance exercises, commonly known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), podcasts don't (via Fit&Well). Because HIIT exercises are quite challenging and require a lot of hard work to do, listening to music while at it can help you enjoy it and get through to the end of your routine, per Shape. Opt for uplifting music or music with fast tempos. That way, you can maintain the pace of your high-intensity workout.

For a long run or jog in the neighborhood that basically requires a consistent pace or endurance, listening to a podcast is a better idea, according to The Warm Up. Running alongside other long-enduring forms of workout requires patience and a long time to complete them, so listening to something informative and educative like a podcast can help take your mind off the task and you also get to learn during the process. According to Chris Friesen, clinical psychologist and director of Friesen Sport & Performance Psychology in Ontario, when you run "your brain is going to have lots of cognitive space available. You can use the cognitive space to learn something new or to plan out your days or just wait for that great idea or solution to a problem to pop into your head," per The Washington Post.