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Music and Exercise: How I find the Perfect Workout Tunes
Music has long been recognized as a powerful motivator, especially when it comes to exercise. The right playlist can make a grueling workout feel more manageable, it helps you maintain a steady pace, and even enhance your overall performance over the long term. But how do you find the perfect workout tunes? For most people, it’s just about choosing the music they like, but I started to dig a little deeper to explore the science behind music and exercise. This article offers tips on how to curate the ultimate workout playlist to keep you moving and motivated.
1. The Science Behind Music and Exercise
This was obviously my starting point in this investigation. As someone who has done various ultra-distance events, I have found music to be a tremendous advantage in maintaining my focus and motivation, but I never really had a plan. I think when we work out, we naturally set out long-term training plans and goals, optimize nutrition, and purchase specific equipment that gives an advantage but as I found ou,t there is a rabbit hole to go down.
This idea came to me during a conversation with elite women's ultra-distance athlete Dorancy Gonzalez Rua. She had just completed a double everesting on the bike as well as an everesting roam, being one of the first few women to complete such a gruesome task. We got into the subject of marginal gains and how they work together to form part of the bigger picture making you able to push harder for longer. With that in mind, I wanted to see what the science had to say. Music I knew wasn’t going to make me better overnight, but how could I optimize it to give my performance another boost over the long term?
Psychological Benefits
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Music has a profound impact on our emotions and can influence our mood, energy levels, and motivation. During exercise, listening to upbeat and energetic music can elevate your mood, making the workout experience more enjoyable. This is particularly important for maintaining long-term exercise habits, as a positive mindset can increase adherence to fitness routines.
Think about if you are towards the last 10% of a 5k run, fatigue is setting in, and most runners will be ready to push for that final stretch. But then throw in some music, what if I started playing the Rocky Theme music? had you were familiar with the movie’s iconic running scene, where antagonist Rocky climbs the stairs at the end of the run, the Psychological boost can be massive. You have rocky attack those steps with vigor, not quitting, pushing, and manifesting that yourself.
It makes me consider that if you are to choose the music that stirs your soul and motivates you to peak at the right time, you can build your own psychological playlist that boosts your drive at exactly the right time. I implemented this in my training in the way of specific 5k, 10k, and half-marathon distance playlists, as well as specific playlists for gym sessions of certain lengths and playlists for specific climbs on the bike. The reason being I didn’t want to stop and select music, but specifically ramp up and transition to the exact songs I needed to remain optimal. For example, I had relaxed music for my first KM flowing into rhythmic tunes in the middle portion to keep tempo (more on this later|) crescendoing with a song that would invoke an emotional response to push me over the finish.
Physical Performance
Research has shown that music can enhance physical performance in several ways. Upbeat tunes can help you maintain a steady pace, reduce perceived exertion, and improve endurance.
The rhythm and tempo of music can also synchronize with your movements, helping you to maintain a consistent workout intensity. This is where I found a lot of benefit to looking at my pace on my runs and intervals of footstrikes, as well as my cadence on a bike. In the gym, I mapped out likely periods of rest, specific days for higher reps, and others for low reps with high weight and intensity to create something that kept me on time.
This was the ah-ha transformative moment, and soon I began to feel more in the groove in my workout and found it easier to enter what neuroscientists deemed as a flow state. I felt way more locked in and less like I was forcing a workout and rather dialed and tuned to it, a few weeks later, this started to pay off as I started to see increased lifts and lower split times on a regular basis while most other training factors remained the same. My performance was increasing, not because the training changed, but the quality of that training improved.
Distraction from Fatigue
Music acts as a distraction from the discomfort and fatigue often associated with intense exercise.
I wonder what life was like before the Walkman? By focusing on the music rather than the physical strain, you can push through challenging parts of your workout more easily. This is especially beneficial during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or long-distance running. Usually, it’s just you vs the sets or the distance in front of you, and your mind can drift to feeling the pain and degrading your performance.
In my opinion, having looked at a lot of papers on this specifically, I feel this is the one area where effect can be replicated in other ways. For example, working out in the gym with a partner or running in a beautiful location can also serve as a distraction barrier in the brain. In fact, in this regard, I hold music as a great option for cardio but in the gym, I do agree with the scientist that the greatest benefit is to be had working with a partner. This provides more that the distraction but also perhaps a benefit derived from healthy competitiveness that will both distract put push you further.
2. Choosing the Right Music
Match the Tempo
The tempo of the music should match the intensity of your workout. For high-energy activities like running, cycling, or HIIT, choose songs with a fast tempo (around 140-180 beats per minute, or BPM). For lower-intensity workouts like yoga or stretching, opt for slower, more relaxing tracks.
I cannot stress this enough, and I touched on it above. If you want to benefit from thi,s you are going to need to break down and structure your music in just the same way you structure your workouts. There is now to be a purpose for these listening sessions to squeeze all the benefits. Look at your pace, rest times, intensities, cadence, heart rate, etc, and pair them up suitable to match what you are doing.
Personal Preference
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Your personal music taste plays a significant role in how effective your workout playlist will be. Choose songs that you enjoy and that make you feel energized. Whether it’s pop, rock, hip-hop, or electronic music, the key is to select tracks that resonate with you and keep you motivated.
Variety and Flow
A great workout playlist should have a good mix of songs to keep things interesting. Include a variety of genres, artists, and tempos to avoid monotony. Organize your playlist to match the flow of your workout, starting with moderate-tempo songs for your warm-up, transitioning to high-energy tracks for the peak of your workout, and ending with slower tunes for your cooldown.
3. Building Your Playlist
Warm-Up
Start your playlist with moderate-tempo songs that gradually increase in intensity. This helps prepare your body for the workout ahead. Songs in the 100-120 BPM range are ideal for warming up.
High-Intensity
For the main part of your workout, include high-energy, fast-tempo tracks that keep you pumped and moving. Aim for songs in the 140-180 BPM range. This section of your playlist should be the longest and include your favorite high-energy tracks.
Cooldown
End your playlist with slower, calming songs to help your body gradually return to a resting state. Tracks in the 80-100 BPM range are perfect for cooling down and stretching.
4. Sample Workout Playlist
Warm-Up (100-120 BPM)
"Can’t Stop the Feeling!" – Justin Timberlake (Relaxed intro to get you moving)
"Happy" – Pharrell Williams (Boosts mood and creates a positive outlook)
"Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (Starting to get into our groove)
High-Intensity (140-180 BPM)
"Eye of the Tiger" – Survivor (Despite cheesiness, it invokes images of pushing yourself and has a great beat tempo to set your early rhythm as you ramp things up)
"Lose Yourself" – Eminem (Gets you ready to grind now)
"Stronger" – Kanye West (Psychological wordplay while ramping up tempo)
"Don't Stop Me Now" – Queen (We pick up the pace)
"Party Rock Anthem" – LMFAO (Let’s go, the tempo is higher and your if full flow now, you're having a good time without noticing that lacic build up)
"Titanium" – David Guetta ft. Sia (Something epic to distract us as we cross the pain threshold in the last few minutes)
Cooldown (80-100 BPM)
"Chasing Cars" – Snow Patrol
"Someone Like You" – Adele
"Let Her Go" – Passenger
5. Utilizing Technology
Music Apps and Streaming Services
Streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music offer curated workout playlists and personalized recommendations based on your listening habits. These platforms also feature workout-specific playlists created by fitness experts and enthusiasts.
However, in my opinion, the best benefit is the synchronization with smart watches (specifically as fitness trackers). I would only choose my subscription service based on the ones supported by my smartwatch that specifically allow me to download my music onto the watc,h as I prefer to leave the phone when working out. For me, that means using Spotify with the Garmin Fenix, but Apple Watch users may like Apple Music. Just consider it as it’s sometimes great to separate from the phone but Tidal, for example, isn’t suitable for me on the Garmin as there is no support.
BPM Apps
There are various apps available that can help you find music based on BPM. Apps like "RockMyRun" and "Jog.fm" allow you to search for songs that match your desired tempo, making it easier to build a playlist that syncs with your workout pace.
Smart Devices
As mentioned above, smartwatches and fitness trackers can enhance your workout experience by integrating with your music apps and providing real-time feedback on your performance. Devices like the Apple Watch and Fitbit can sync with your playlist, allowing you to control your music without interrupting your workout.
The type of headphones you use can also play a huge part in your connection with music, and I recommend this article about the best earbuds for running if you are in the market, but it’s also wise to consider bone conduction headphones if you are in high-traffic areas due to safety concerns
Conclusion
After all the reading I have done over the past 6 months and with all the data I have from my own metrics, it’s not easy to draw a definitive conclusion. What I am going to tell you is purely anecdotal and from my perspective. Has my performance increased? Yes, at this time I have set multiple PBs and find workouts not easier, but I’m more dialed into them. The reason I don’t say easier is that I’m working at a higher level now than I was before. The goal for any of you who want to try this should be not to make the workouts easier but instead more productive.
The perfect workout playlist is a powerful tool that can transform your exercise routine, making it more effective. By understanding the science behind music and exercise, choosing the right songs, and utilizing technology, you can create a playlist that keeps you motivated and helps you reach your fitness goals.
