Gym Music
That of music during (or before) a workout - of whatever type, intensity and duration it may be - is a much discussed and controversial topic for some time now.
There are different opinions of athletes (and non-athletes) and hundreds of studies have been carried out in this regard, for this article I will "limit" myself to examining only the most recent and interesting ones, also giving space to some curiosities on the subject.
Famous Studies, Effects and Curiosities
Let's get to the heart of our article starting from a very famous study conducted by researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, who three participants tested on three different fitness machines, monitoring some physical parameters such as "absorbed" oxygen and changes in muscle tension in different training sessions, respectively with "static" background music (such as the classic radio in the gym) and background music played at the beginning of the exercise (therefore in an "interactive" way). The result highlighted a lower perception of effort in the sessions accompanied by music as well as less muscle "fatigue" to perform the exercise.
Another study conducted in 2003 by researchers from the American University of Wisconsin - La Crosse showed how listening to music during a cardio-type workout contributes to an increase in heart rate, leading the subjects involved (in this case some cyclists) to pedal more intensely thus producing more energy.
According to other studies, listening to music before or during a workout does not directly contribute to an increase in strength and a reduction in fatigue but it still manages to increase motivation by distracting the mind as the heart rate increases.
6 Tips for Your Workout Playlist
Each of us has different musical tastes and I therefore take it for granted that there is no playlist suitable and appreciated by everyone, in order to independently create the soundtrack suitable for your workouts I invite you to take note of these brief tips.
1. No nostalgia-songs!
Avoid like the plague the passages that could in your mind unpleasant memories (for example relationships or friendships ended), besides not motivating you, could distract you from your current task or goal.
2. Keep an eye on time and genre!
I appreciate the fact that you appreciate classical music but it is not the best to train with Beethoven's "Per Elisa" or Chopin's "Notturne", the studies described above all refer to pieces with a trend that goes between moderate march (80- 85 bpm) and prestissimo (More than 170 bpm), if you really can't do without classical music, try to move it to the post-workout as a source of physical and mental relaxation.
3. Less music language than your country!
Better to listen to foreign artists during training (the same advice is valid during work), with the songs in your country language you would only risk distracting yourself and losing concentration due to the total understanding of the text and its meaning.
4. Never isolate yourself!
Socialization comes first (taking nothing away from the music) and is currently the only way to find advice, a spotter to help you with weights or your soul mate.
5. Fewer words, more deeds!
For the same reason described in the advice regarding the music language of your country, avoid songs (including foreign ones) with complex lyrics or with endless refrains, better to prefer something more instrumental!
6. No to addiction!
I have often seen people not train or train poorly for the simple reason of having forgotten the mp3 player or headphones at home, to understand what is wrong with this behavior just read the advice on socialization.
The Top 10 of My Training
Personally I appreciate various musical genres, from classical music to dubstep, from rock to pop and from rap to the great language songwriters of your country, this is my Top 10!
1. Beast (Southpaw Remix), from the boxing movie "Southpaw".
2. Where is my Mind – Pixies, colonna sonora di “Fight Club”.
3. Toxicity – System Of A Down.
4. A light that never comes - Linkin Park & ​​Steve Aoki, very suitable for the shoulder training session.
5. Castle of glass – Linkin Park & M.Shinoda.
6. Jungle – X Ambassadors.
7. This is the best – USS.
8. Diamonds aren’t forever – Bring Me The Horizon.
9. Ipnosi - En? Gma.
10. Death USB – Salmo.
Good workout!
