The Amazing Effect of Music in Sports

Listening to music while doing sports pushes the athlete to achieve a better performance. This effect happens when participating in both aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

Listening to music is a powerful stimulant that increases the athlete’s performance in sports. But, it has a wonderful effect in other contexts as well. When we listen to music, our brains release substances that boost our moods and induce feelings of well-being.

Music has an ergogenic effect on sports performance. This means that it allows the athlete to do more physical work than they’d be able to do without it.

Listening to music while we work out also has a positive influence on other psychological variables, such as our levels of motivation. It’s important to mention that this effect doesn’t mean we’ll be able to go beyond our physical abilities; however, we can’t deny that it certainly helps.

The relationship between music and sports has been of great interest to psychologists. Researchers have studied the effect that different types of music have on sports performance. They also evaluated multiple times if these effects apply to a single type of exercise or if they show up for all kinds of physical activities.

The effects of music in aerobic sports

Aerobic exercise is especially demanding for our cardiovascular system. Some examples of aerobic exercises would be running, swimming, or bike riding.

First of all, music can act as a distraction while we’re doing aerobic exercises. This will, in turn, help us feel less tired. The reason behind this is that the mind focuses on the rhythm or lyrics of the song, and not on the unpleasant physical sensations that we may experience when exerting intense physical effort.

In a study with cyclists published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that the speed and cadence of pedaling during a time trial race were higher in cyclists who performed the test while listening to music.

These are important findings for physical trainers and coaches. Considering that music can diminish feelings of fatigue and make the athlete faster, it’d be ideal to incorporate music into training sessions as a way to optimize them.

The effects of music when performing anaerobic exercise

Strength training is the main example of anaerobic exercise. Whether you’re lifting weights or working with your own body weight, your muscles and joints are working intensely.

In a similar study by the University of Kansas, individuals who listened to music while training had a higher anaerobic capacity (measured with the Wingate Test) compared to those who listened to white noise.

Furthermore, the ergogenic effect of music isn’t only capable of increasing strength, but it also affects muscular endurance. According to a study published in the Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills, people who listened to music during a task that required muscular endurance lasted longer compared to those who didn’t listen to anything.

Listening to music increases sports performance

It’s amazing how many benefits for sports performance we can get from listening to music. But there’s no agreement on the mechanisms that cause this phenomenon. Psychologists have focused their research more on the relationship between music and sports than on the underlying causes of the effects it has.

However, it’s important to note that not all music genres work the same. An increase in cardiovascular capacity and strength happens primarily when listening to vigorous music. Calm music is unlikely to cause an increase in physical abilities.

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning other psychological benefits of music for sports. Music boosts our mood, reduces stress, and increases our motivation to make a physical effort. Play your favorite rock songs the next time you work out and compare the results!