Why a great playlist can also make your workout great...

Have you ever had that moment in a workout when an epic tune drops, your spine tingles and your effort levels up? There’s nothing quite like it: the feeling of being driven to new endorphin highs as you crush your workout.

The list of benefits of listening to music whilst exercising is lengthy, and goes way beyond just relieving boredom.  Listening to music while exercising doesn't just relieve boredom — it can help improve the quality of your workout by increasing your stamina and putting you in a better mood.

In the book Inside Sport Psychology Dr Costas Karageorghis claims that listening to music while running can improve performance by up to 15%. Music can also help sports teams mentally prepare and establish a high performing routine ahead of big matches.

 

Here’s 5 reasons why our music makes our workouts at Digme give you that little bit EXTRA:

 

1. Distraction

A good playlist will distract you in a good way by making you less aware of your exertion.

 

2. It ups your effort

Various studies have found that cyclists actually worked harder when listening to faster music that as compared to music at a slower tempo. Songs between 120 and 140 beats per minute (bpm) have the maximum effect on moderate exercisers.

 

3. Music puts you "in the zone"

Everyone has that go-to song that gets you "in the zone," and there's science to why it works. We associate certain songs with memories, often relating to the context in which we originally heard them, such as the first time you watched Rocky.

Carlos Silva Pereira’s 2011 study summarises: “familiarity seems to be a crucial factor in making the listeners emotionally engaged with music”.

Similarly, this article on Music Psychology concludes ”In more familiar music there was an increase in SCL in line with familiarity, which was matched to significant increases in reported pleasure and arousal.”

Channelling that personal memory -- or even just the emotion of the singer -- boosts the motivational power of the song, and has been shown to improve physical performance.

 

4. Music can elevate your mood

An August 2013 study by Chemnitz Universityfound that people often listen to music as a way to change their mood and find self-awareness and even have benefits on long-term mental health and happiness. Listening to music can give you an escape from the present. No matter what happened an hour ago, you can use your tunes to help you escape negativity and power you through your workout -- and you know that, combined with the benefits of good exercise, you'll feel great when it's over.

 

5. It makes you want to move

An article by researchers at Concordia University concludes that certain types of music induce the brain to make you want to move. You really can't stop the beat! Researchers found that music can get your brain excited and induces movement in the listener. A good playlist has the ability to make you move -- no matter how much you're dreading that workout.

 

Does music improve your workouts? What are your favourite workout tunes? Let us know in the comments below!