In Effective Workout Music, Lyrics Matter

Experts say up-tempo music can make exercise more enjoyable and even increase your heart rate.  But in addition to the tempo and beat of the three chosen songs, researchers believe the motivational nature of the lyrics also may play a role in improving and sustaining workouts. “Let’s Go,” by Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo, for example, encourages listeners to “make no excuses now,” while Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” says, “I’m gonna go, go go – There’s no stopping me.”

“Lyrics are absolutely important in terms of their motivational potential,” Joe Bennett, PhD, a musicologist at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, recently told Healthline. Bennett also noted that the songs used in the study shared other characteristics such as a strong “four on the floor” beat and dynamic drops that build to a frenzy — both common in high-energy dance music.

Research on lower-intensity exercise such as jogging has found that music has a dissociative effect — it distracts you from any pain or discomfort experienced during the workout. “It feels like you’re not exercising as much,” Stork said.

“Music increases your effort, encourages you to push past limits, and dictates maintenance of speed and/or increases in speed. The body has an easier and more natural time following this than the quiet thoughts of the mind or the sounds of one’s own breath,” Sara Davis, an instructor at CycleBar in Atlanta, Georgia, told Healthline.

With HIIT, however, “it seems that music is most effective when it has a fast tempo and is highly motivational,” says Matthew Stork, a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at Canada’s University of British Columbia, Okanagan.

“I have consistently witnessed how music can push people to do more than they would do without music, especially when the music is synced to the workout moves,” agreed Arien Reeberg, a Zumba instructor and fitness coach.

So the next time you’re at the gym, don’t be afraid to follow the advice of the Black-Eyed Peas and “Pump It.”

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