So why do athletes use music? Is it purely for the aesthetic aspect, or does music affect how well they perform?
The answer is both.
There are many ways in which music can produce effects on athletes psychologically and physiologically, thereby affecting their sports performance.
This article will detail the various impacts that music has in athletics.
1. Motivation
First, music has an impact on motivation—the reason to push oneself and to exceed one’s perceived limitations.
More specifically, by listening to music, you activate different areas of your brain—mainly, the motor area and the emotional centre of the brain. These are the parts of your brain that “get you moving.”
Researchers (Karageorghis & Terry, 1999) have studied how music impacts motivation levels and developed the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI), a questionnaire used to determine how motivationally charged specific pieces of music are.
Therefore, to increase motivation prior to or during training, competition, or even during exams, choose pieces of music that create desired feelings and emotions within you and inspire you to act and move towards your goal.
Zack Hemsey’s “The Way” is my personal motivational song. Do you have one too?
2. The Influence of Music on Fatigue
Studies have shown that music can:
- diminish your perception of exertional fatigue when you’re working out
- diminish your perception of exertional fatigue after your workout
- distract from your pain & physiological sensations during sustained work
That is why, in late 2015, the French Athletics Federation (FFA) prohibited the use of music in road races (i.e., marathons).
3. Music and Heart Rate
Through the years, a number of studies have examined the relationship between heart rate (HR) and the influence of music while working out.
Research has shown (Yamamoto et al., 2003; Waterhouse et al., 2009) that musical tempo influences your HR. In particular, slow music will reduce HR, while fast music increases it.
In addition, loud music will increase your HR.
4. Music and Lactate Levels
The energy required to perform exercise (ATP = adenosine triphosphate) is derived from the glucose stored in the liver, blood, and muscles.
When we metabolize glucose to ATP we also produce lactic acid, some of which can be reused to produce glucose (via gluconeogenesis) and some of it is excreted by the kidneys or through sweat.
Lactate will begin to appear near the beginning of exercise, and as you increase the intensity of your effort the levels of lactate will increase, making it a good indicator of your effort level.
Very intense exercise produces very large amounts of lactic acid, which contributes to the development of acidosis.
Various studies have shown that listening to music while performing aerobic exercise (endurance) as well as during active recovery can minimize the production of lactate, allowing the athlete to sustain effort for a longer period of time (Eliakim et al., 2012; Szmedra et al., 1997).
5. Music, adrenaline and noradrenaline
Adrenaline and noradrenaline are neurotransmitters released during the fight-or-flight response to stress or during physical exertion. They help facilitate muscle contraction and promote:
- Excitability (increased heart rate and muscle contraction)
- Awareness (dilated pupils)
- Learning and sleep regulation
A lack of these neurotransmitters is associated with mood disorders and depression, which highlights the importance of regular physical activity.
Studies indicate that fast-tempo music increases levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline, while slower-tempo music decreases their levels.
Thus, if you would like to increase your level of activation (or heart rate), listen to fast-tempo music while warming up. On the other hand, if you want to relax, choose slow-tempo music during stretching or recovery.
6. Music and performance
According to numerous studies (Crust et al., 2004; 2007; Hutchinson, 2011), the rhythm of the music (i.e., beats per minute or BPM) affects athletic performance.
Fast, upbeat music (tempo 140 BPM and above) enhances strength (higher jumps, longer isometric contractions, heavier loads), as well as speed, power, and movement rate. However, perceived fatigue after exercise may be higher compared to performing the same effort without music. This type of music is ideal for intense effort after warm-up.
Moderate tempo music (120–140 BPM) improves endurance and supports cardiovascular activation (cardio warm-up).
Slow tempo music (110 BPM and below) is optimal for recovery and gentle muscle and joint activation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I encourage you to integrate music into your training and your pre-competition preparation. As mentioned earlier, music is often prohibited during competition.
That said, it is just as important to train without music to develop your own internal motivation, resources, and energy.
I would like to thank Kiné Formations for their online course “The Effect of Music on Performance Sports”, which helped me create this summary.
Until next time, see you in the next article!
Photo by stock.snyper.de / Pixabay
References
Karageorghis C., Terry P., Lane A. (1999). Development and initial validation of an instrument to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport: The Brunel Music Rating Inventory. Journal of Sports Sciences, 17, 713-724.
Yamamoto T., Ohkuwa T., Itoh H., & al. (2003). Effects of pre-exercice listening to slow and fast rhythm music on supramaximal cycle performance and selected metabolic variables. Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 111, 211-214.
Waterhouse J., Hudson P., Edwards C. (2009). Effects of music tempo upon submaximal cycling performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, 20, 662-669.
Eliakim M., Bodner E., Eliakim A., & al. (2012). Effect of motivational music on lactate levels during recovery from intense exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Szmedra L., Bacharach D. (1997). Effect of music on perceived exertion, plasma lactate, norepinephrine and cardiovascular hemodynamics during treadmill running. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 19, 32-37.
Crust L. (2004). Carry-over effects of music in an isometric muscular endurance task. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98, 985-991.
Crust L., Clough P. (2007). The influence of rhythm and personality in the endurance response to motivational asynchronous music. Journal of Sport Sciences, 24, 187-195.
Hutchinson J., Sherman T., Davis L., & al. (2011). The influence of asynchronous motivational music on a supramaximal exercise bout. Journal of Sport Psychology, 42, 135-148.
Kiné Formation : Influence de la musique sur la performance sportive.
