For most young adults, listening to music while working out is an absolute necessity. We drown out our heavy, labored breathing with engineered beats and confidence-inducing lyrics. Britney Spears’ warnings (“You better work, b*tch”) push some to complete that extra set, but do her pop threats actually help us, scientifically-speaking? A university in Newfoundland had the same question.
In 2019, researchers at The Memorial University of Newfoundland wanted to investigate how listening to music affected one’s athletic performance. The main purpose of their study was to determine the effects on performance and physiological responses while listening to high tempo music, defined at 130bpm (beats per minute).
A quick google search of “songs in 130bpm” will reveal that many of our favorite pop earworms of the 2010s clock in at just around 130bpm. Check out the playlist below for a list of songs in this cadence, and maybe try it during your next workout!
Songs with a faster tempo are usually associated with high energy and increased movement. There is science behind what makes a “feel-good” song actually feel good. Beats automatically activate motor areas of the brain, according to magnetic resonance imaging studies, and propel our bodies to move spontaneously to the rhythm (Kim, 2015). Simply put - it becomes pretty hard to not move your body to a high-tempo BPM. But do music-inspired movements actually impact your overall athletic performance?
Turns out, they do.
The researchers at Memorial University found that listening to high-tempo music leads to small increases in total exercise duration, breathing frequency and heart rate. Blood lactate levels were also higher, indicating an increased production of energy.
Possibly the most interesting findings of their experiment was that those who listened to music had a quicker heart rate recovery post-exercise. (Maddigan, Sullivan, Halperin, Basset and Behm, 2019). Those in the no-music control group took longer to recover from the high-intensity cycling bouts they used to test their theory.
Music can be attributed to a lot of psychological effects on humans, such as the distraction from the sensation of fatigue. (Maddigan et al., 2019) This makes sense from our own experience with high-intensity, fast tempoed music. It’s the science behind “dancing the night away”, explained logically. Your brain is so busy reaping the positive effects of the thumping beats, that your body gets a little extra time to work up a sweat before it realizes it's ready to quit.
Do you pay attention to the type of music you’re listening to when you work out? If your goal is better performance, an easier recovery or just an elevated mood, consider high-tempo beats to accompany your weekly workout. Let UVM Thrive Guide help you make the most of your alone time in the gym.
As always,
We hear you, we feel you, and we’re here for you.
~UVM Thrive Guide
Popular High-Tempo Tunes
Push It - Salt n Pepa 128 BPM
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People 130 BPM
Survivor - Destiny's Child 132 BPM
Uprising - Mase 128 BPM
Mercy - Duffy 130 BPM
When I Grow Up - Pussycat Dolls 131 BPM
Jump Around - House of Pain 128 BPM
Scream & Shout - will.i.am 130 BPM
References
Maddigan, M. E., Sullivan, K. M., Halperin, I., Basset, F. A., & Behm, D. G. (2019). High tempo music prolongs high intensity exercise. PeerJ, 6, e6164. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6164
“Most Popular Running Songs at 130 Bpm.” Jog.fm, https://jog.fm/popular-workout-songs.130?bpm=130&page=3
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