New Study Explains Exactly Why Music Improves Your Workout
Most young people today won't hit the gym without an iPod loaded with their favorite workout tunes, and a new study attempts to illustrate the correlation between a good workout and good jams. The study finds that music both releases feel good chemicals in the brain to help reduce the burn during a workout, and that high tempo music can improve your ability to push yourself in a workout regimen.
Dr. Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist studying the effects of music on the brain, stated the possible results that music has on us when we exercise.
"Either music acts as a distractor (and distractors are known to modulate pain levels — this is why combat soldiers don’t always realize they’ve been shot until after a busy maneuver is over) or music acts as a mood enhancer (because the release of endogenous mu-opioids and other mood-enhancing chemicals raises the pain threshold). "
Earlier in the year, a separate study linked listening to music during a workout to better exercise results. The study showed that the brain can sync up with a good beat and actually improve your ability to pull off repetitive tasks, such as running.
In the study, three different groups were tracked as they participated in a workout program. One group exercised without music, one group exercised with music, and the third group exercised to music with specially chosen tempos. The third group worked out an average 261.1 extra minutes compared to the other two.
So there you have it, never exercise without high energy music again.
Listen to Tiësto's Running Playlist below to get amped for your next workout...