This article looks at the effects of listening to synchronous music on running performance in hot conditions
What’s the deal?
Listening to music usually has positive effects on mood and can improve exercise performance. In particular, synchronous music matched to cadence (step frequency) improves running performance, but does this still work in uncomfortable, hot and humid conditions?
What did they do?
12 participants completed two running trials on a treadmill inside a heated chamber (31°C/88°F, 70% humidity). Each trial consisted of running for 60 minutes at 60% effort, followed by running to exhaustion at 80% effort. On one trial, they listened to synchronous music and on the other, no music.
What happened?
Participants were able to run for 6 minutes 17 seconds before exhaustion when listening to synchronous music, compared to just 3 minutes 46 seconds with no music. This is an improvement of 67%!
What can you tell me about the people?
All participants were male and were about 22 years old on average. They were regular runners with healthy BMIs and impressive average VO2 Max values.
What else should I know?
Synchronous music tracks were chosen so that they would match the participants’ running step frequency (cadence). For example, the music track “Pump It” by “The Black Eyed Peas” has a tempo of 77 bpm and would be perfectly suited to someone running with a cadence of 154 steps per minute. Music tracks could also be sped up or slowed down slightly to better match participants’ running cadence.
What will I do differently?
It is thought that this happened due to enhanced “psychophysiology” (an improvement in the mind, leading to an improvement in body). I love listening to music when I do group exercise classes, but I almost exclusively run in silence. A whopping 67% improvement in running time (in the heat!) is an impressive difference though, so perhaps it’s time for me to put a playlist together!
Acknowledgements
This research was published in July 2018 by L Nikol and colleagues from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kota Bharu, Malaysia.
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Abstract Athlete 