Does Music Help You Run? Can Listening to Music Help You Run Faster?
Do you love listening to music while you run? Is it true that music can actually help you run faster? Do certain beats help boost your performance? Does music help you run? Read on to find out more.
Music can help you run longer, faster, and more comfortably.
Research carried out by Professor Costas Karageorghis, a specialist on the effects of music on exercise, Brunel University, has confirmed that beats which are apparent characteristics of music help runners by increasing or boosting their performance.
When it comes to exercise, most of us find motivation through music, while others prefer to focus solely on breathing and technique without any audio. This raises the question: is it beneficial to run without music? We analyze the pros and cons of running without headphones in a separate article.
Tempo and Beats Make It Easier for Your Feet to Strike
One of the best parts of music is the tempo. If you want to be motivated to run at a fast pace, choosing tracks with fast rhythms or beats to match as well as drive your stride is essential.
Obvious beats make it easier for your feet to strike in time as you run.
For long runs or recovery runs, music tracks with slow tempos will do the same job.
Most tracks that will allow you to run at a good pace have between 160 and 180 beats in one minute.
For clarity and reference:
- Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen is 156 beats per minute
- Upgrade You by Beyonce is 169 bpm
- Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin is 181 bpm
Vibes From Pop and Dance Music
Furthermore, the vibes of music also play a significant role in creating the appropriate emotional state for running.
For instance, pop and dance tend to bounce you up as you run; soaring choral music generated in the classic genre stimulates while thrashing rock infuses positive aggression, etc.
According to Professor Karageorghis in his book “Applying Music in Exercise and Sport,” music is a legal drug for athletes, and listening to music while you run boosts performance by approximately fifteen percent.
Use Music to Relax
You can alternate music tracks to help you relax and recover.
This is why sports music establishments such as AudioFuel help to compose tracks that will manipulate or stimulate your emotions effectively.
Associate Music With Happy Moments
Your memory also plays an integral part in this mind game. This powerful tool can be put to good use to facilitate the right emotions which will affect your feelings positively. This will, in turn, improve your performance when you run.
I find that music is an ideal way to achieve my desired mood, state, and pace for running.
This is why listening to music that you associate with some of the happiest moments or periods in your life can put your mindset in the right frame for running.
Additionally, songs or music associated with sporting events and success can also be very motivating.
Many songs can resonate with you, but this depends on the kind of sport you love, watch, or support.
Lyrics Help You to Get Fired Up
Songs with encouraging and relevant lyrics can also help to push you, and keep you going, or stronger, especially during those long runs.
Music with aggressive lyrics is usually associated with sports enthusiasts that love interval training and who need to get fired up before they get going.
Browse Running Music Online
You can get access to what you may call “running music” at several sites.
For instance, you can find Nike Sports Music on iTunes and Spotify when you check the Health and Fitness section. You will come across music for running that lasts up to forty-five minutes per track.
Other big record labels like Ministry of Sound (Running Trax) and EMI (101 Running Songs 1 and 2) have also recognized the commercial viability of music for running.
They have made excellent custom-made compilations for running. The music is not beat-specific.
The Bottom Line
The benefits of music to runners cannot be overemphasized.
So what do you need to get going? A good running playlist is a great start. Then it would help if you carry your phone on the run with an armband or waist belt.
And it would be best if you had sports headphones. You have a couple of options. Bone conduction headphones are the lightest and safest alternative, earbuds are the most common, and you can look for over-ear sports headphones for the best sound.
Your exercises will be refreshing, less tedious, and stimulating as well.
