How Music Can Help Boost Your Training Session
We all need a bit of a push every now and again… and even the most motivated and disciplined individuals are sure to find that their resolve wavers every now and again. As such, having a few strategies in place to help give you that kick start you need can really prove effective if you are finding it hard to get into the gym at the moment.
Listening to music, for example, could really help prove to be the great motivator that you’re looking for, especially if you’re trying to get into cardio and are finding it a little tricky to stay on the treadmill or pound the pavement for long enough.
Interestingly, there are even websites and apps out there that can help you match the tempo of your music to your running pace, which may well help keep you on track - or even push you that little bit harder if that’s what you’re looking for. Check out the likes of jog.fm if this is something you’re keen to explore further!
Even more interestingly, perhaps, a recent study carried out by Brunel University and published in the Psychology of Sport and Exercise journal found that music can not only enhance your training performance but also help you actually enjoy your workout… so if you’re new to exercise and want to keep it up, music could well be what helps you stick with it.
For example, it was found that runners who jogged along to Happy by Pharrell Williams reported enjoying their session 28 per cent more than those who listened to nothing whatsoever.
Lead author of the study Marcelo Bigliassi said at the time: “We showed music has the potential to increase beta waves and elicit a more positive emotional state. This can be capitalised upon during other forms of exercise and render a given activity more pleasurable.”
As for creating your own perfect workout playlist, that will of course come down to personal taste, but focusing on the tempo and the kind of training session you have in mind may help you compile an effective soundtrack that you not only enjoy but which helps boost your performance at the same time.
As a good rule of thumb, a more upbeat tempo will likely result in a more intense workout… so give it a go and see what happens!
You could even tailor it to include a warm up and cool down, helping you to recalibrate after your workout. If you’re warming up, pick songs that have 100 to 140 beats per minute (BPM) and for your cool down, aim for 60-90 BPM. You might well be surprised at how effective you find music as a training tool.
Looking for large backpacks for all your gym gear? Check out what we’ve got in stock today.