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Summary
On episode 24 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan digs into the research on music and exercise, pulling from a 2015 Columbia University meta-study that pooled results across many exercise programs that used music.
The studies found real benefits: better oxygen intake, lower blood pressure, improved flexibility and coordination, better mood, and, most notably, less perceived fatigue during a workout.
Allan walks through when music helps and when it gets in the way, and makes the case that the right choice depends entirely on what you’re trying to accomplish with a given workout.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Music makes exercise feel easier, not just more enjoyable. Across the studies reviewed, people who exercised with music reported less fatigue, meaning they could work harder and longer without it feeling as hard.
- The research found broad health benefits tied to music-based exercise programs. Better oxygen intake, lower blood pressure, improved flexibility, improved coordination, and improved mood all showed up in the meta-study’s findings.
- USA Track and Field bans portable music players for competitive runners. The governing body treats music as a performance-enhancing device, which is a strong signal of how much of an edge it actually gives.
- Match the tempo to the goal. Popular music runs around 120 beats per minute, but for more vigorous cardio work Allan recommends looking for something in the 140 to 180 beats per minute range.
- Choose music based on what you’re trying to accomplish, not habit. A walk meant for stress relief calls for something softer or classical, while a walk meant to raise your heart rate calls for a faster beat.
- Allan skips music when he’s lifting heavy weights. Because the risk of injury is real, he wants full focus on form and the working muscle rather than the reduced fatigue music would give him.
- Calming music fits recovery-focused activities. Allan points to yoga and massage as places where soothing, mellow music supports the stress relief and recovery those activities are for.
- Dance counts as real exercise. It combines music and movement, and Allan encourages people who feel self-conscious dancing to remember that movement itself is the win, no one is judging.
- The bottom line is effectiveness and efficiency. If music helps you get the work done and get it done right, use it. If it distracts you from the focus a workout requires, skip it.