Trail Mix | How music tempo helps runners push themselves further while feeling like they are doing less
- Research has linked high-tempo music to a higher heart rate and a lower perceived level of effort
Feeling like you’re working too hard on a run? Listen to some fast tunes, says researchers.
As trail runners, we all have different auditory preferences. One thing many of us is likely to have wondered is whether our musical choices while running are merely matters of preference, or whether they actually have a direct impact on physical performance.
Some people – myself included – find listening to music while running distracting. I need to be able to listen to my own breathing and footsteps to be completely in tune with how I’m feeling, how my pacing is doing, and whether I’m exerting myself adequately. Other runners like the distraction of music and put on tunes when the going gets tough.
A new study in Frontiers in Psychology, a peer-reviewed journal, shows listening to music at a higher tempo reduces the perceived effort in exercise and increases its benefits. The effects were more pronounced for endurance exercises, like walking and running, than for high-intensity exercises, like weightlifting.
Previous research published in Psychology of Sport and Science, another journal, has shown people engaged in high-intensity running may benefit from listening to music, though not necessarily sustain the effort for longer than without music.
