Music and life · 2 min read ·
Why do gym-goers listen to so much music?
A song I love made the last few minutes on the treadmill fly by. I wanted to find out why that happens.
I was at the gym today, running on the treadmill, when a song I really like suddenly started playing (“Can’t Feel My Face”, by The Weeknd). Suddenly I felt more excited, and the five minutes I had left on the treadmill went by very quickly. Then came the question: why do gyms and gym-goers listen to so much music? Curious about a possible answer, I decided to do a little research into the relationship between heart rate, physical exercise and music.
These days, listening to music anywhere is very easy. All you need is a phone and a pair of headphones, and voilà, music. It is interesting because everyone feels motivated to do something while listening to music, and physical exercise is almost always accompanied by it. Dance classes, weight rooms, spinning: almost everything revolves around the presence of some musical stimulus. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian and swimmer, always appears with headphones before a competition. In interviews, he has said that listening to music has accompanied him throughout his career and helps him relax and enter his own world before his events.
The intensity of aerobic exercise, such as fitness classes and dance, can be regulated by musical tempo. Faster musical tempos impose faster movements and faster heart rates. In addition, music can increase motivation during exercise and provide a distraction: the person exercising shifts attention away from pain or fatigue and toward the music. I believe it is this motivational factor that leads so many people to listen to music while exercising. Those difficult minutes on the treadmill seem to go by more quickly when there is a rhythm to follow.
It is worth pointing out that very loud music can be harmful. Besides causing immediate auditory discomfort, it can cause hearing loss and damage, high blood pressure and stress. Always keep your headphones at a comfortable volume. Here is a tip: if you cannot talk without shouting or hear someone very close to you, it may be better to turn the volume down a little.
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Sources
RODRIGUES, N. S. ; COELHO FILHO, C. A. A. Influência da audição musical na prática de exercícios físicos por pessoas adultas. Revista Brasileira de Educação física e Esporte, São Paulo, v. 26, n.1, p.87-95, jan./mar. 2012.
Sylvia de Morais. Informational content, reviewed with sources.