Exercise & Music

Music motivates us, it relaxes us, it pumps us up, and it helps set the tone for the moment. When you exercise it's good to have music playing. Music can help get your respiration's and slightly rise your heart rate preparing you for the exercise to come. You should have music on while you prepare to work out following into your warm up and stretching. Then when you get to the actual work out you are pumped up and ready for the task at hand. Just as athletes throw on some music to pump themselves up before a game you can do the same with working out.

Slower music has been found to decrease muscular fitness potential. So if you are going to listen to music while exercising it should be something upbeat that promotes energy. For example some hard rock or upbeat rap would be beneficial whereas some slow alternative, country, or R&B would promote a more relaxed atmosphere. It is very important that when you go to workout you are looking to expend energy. Fat burn and muscle gain come from expanding energy not relaxing. If that where the case we could sit at home all day doing nothing and stay in perfect shape.

It's not that music improves the workout but that it stimulates the mind so that you can stay engaged and motivated. Music can help you push through to that last rep, it can keep you excited about what your doing, and it can help maintain your stamina. Music can endure you to overcome challenges brought on through exercise. This is why music is important with exercising. But remember it should be stimulating music, not relaxing music.

Relaxing music is great for post workout therapy. You could throw on some relaxing music when you cool down and stretch to begin the relaxation phase. So the basic principal of music and exercise should be something like this. Upbeat energetic music for the warm up and exercise phase. Then as you cool down turn on some more relaxing music. This will allow you to leave the gym feeling good about yourself but at the same time refreshed and relaxed.