New Music and Exercise Research Findings
Fast-tempo music aids endurance exercise more than high-intensity training.
New details have emerged on how best to use music to enhance training. Tunes with a fast tempo—between 170 and 190 beats per minute—are most beneficial for endurance exercise, according to findings published in Frontiers in Psychology (2020; doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00074).
Researchers compared the effects of no music and slow-, medium- and fast-tempo music on female participants, ages 24–31 years, during bouts of endurance exercise and high-intensity exercise. Data analysis showed that fast-tempo music reduced perceived-exertion ratings in both protocols; however, the more significant effect occurred with endurance exercise, which in this study meant treadmill walking.
Why? The researchers hypothesized that endurance exercise is more sensitive to external stimuli, due to the combination of mental fatigue and perceived effort. In contrast, high-intensity training is shorter in duration and characterized by an all-out approach requiring few decision-making processes.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
