Effect of Music on Athletic Performance

Music and Sports.  Nothing could be more unrelated. Right? Maybe at first glance the connection between music and athletics could seem farfetched because the typical stereotypes of the band nerd and varsity jock couldn’t be farther from the opposite side of the spectrum from each other.  However, while taking a longer glance at the situation one can increasingly recognize their connection and interrelatedness.  It is normal to see people at the gym or running with headphones jammed in their ears. Besides the pleasure derived from enjoying and listening to music, many athletes can see an enhancement to their performance. 

To many people who regularly exercise or are part of a sports team, music is an integral part of their workout. Many people love to run with music on and before sporting events many athletes and teams will have a warm-up playlist that they will listen to in preparation for the event. For them music is a distraction method for the physical activity they are currently or about to endure in order to “lessen their consciousness of fatigue” (Bryn Marr). It has been a relatively recent trend, past 20 years, to use music as a way to increase athletic performance.  This is mainly due to the fact that “advancements in technology have allowed music to grow into being an effective intervention to achieve a range of desirable psychological and performance effects among athletes”(believe perform). Even though most people think of music as “just a distraction”, music can provide even greater physiological and physiological effects.

Synchronous music refers to up-tempo songs with a strong beat that coincide with the repetitive movements of a sport.  It has been proven that this type of music increases performance in athletes, especially in athletics that involve endurance with repetitive movements, such as rowing or running.  A study conducted by Burnel University, in West London, tested the effects of synchronous music on 400-Metre sprint performance.  The study concluded that synchronous music can be used to increase performance in an anaerobic endurance performance. Some of the results and conclusions from the study are summarized below.

“A RM ANOVA on the 400-metre times showed a significant effect (F1.24, 42.19 = 10.54, P < 0.001, (n^2) = .24) and follow-up pairwise comparisons revealed differences between the synchronous music conditions and the control condition. This finding supported the first research hypothesis, that synchronous music would yield superior performance to a no-music control…”

Haile Gebrselassie

In fact, Haile Gebrselassie is a perfect example of athletes at the highest levels using music to enhance their performance.  Gebrselassie is famous for having the song Scatman playing when he ran and beat the 10,000m record at the Sydney Olympics.  However, now there have been changes to the sport of track with regards to portable music devices.  In 2007, the United States of America Track and Field Association, USATF, banned the use of portable music devices in its events.  This was in order to reduce communication between athletes and coaches throughout the event and also because some consider music to be a “performance enhancing drug” of sorts because of the positive effects of music on the individual’s athletic performance.

I was interested in the association and effect of music on athletics because being an athlete and musician myself I have had a lot of personal experience with the effect of music on athletic performance.  I ran cross country and track in high school for 3 years, swam for 8 years, and have been rowing for Penn State Club Crew.  Using music as a stimulus and a distraction is usually used in sports such as these because of the endurance aspect and the repetitive and rhythmic that mirrors the music. Before lacrosse games at my high school we always had a warm-up playlist that we played for an hour before each game.  Year-to-year the playlist changed but there was always one song, Remember the Name, that was always on the playlist.  To this day whenever I hear this song I get a rush of adrenaline and energy.  I have found that that I have strange music habits in regard to working out.  When I run, I do not like listening to music since I find it distracting and hard to pace myself with.  However, when I row it is almost painful to erg(indoor rowing) without listening to music. Here are three of my favorite workout songs.

2 Comments on Effect of Music on Athletic Performance

  1. lsd5123
    March 21, 2016 at 9:03 pm (8 years ago)

    I love the connection between music and enhanced performance in something else. Its almost like there is a sort of ‘mozart-effect’ for exercising with stimulating music. I’m excited to see that people are studying the effects of music and hope to see some groundbreaking discoveries made in the future. Also I find it really interesting that music during an event was considered a “performance-enhancing drug.” I think that, of the three, “Centuries” would have to be my favorite ‘pump-up’ song.

  2. Daniela
    March 20, 2016 at 7:47 pm (8 years ago)

    This is so interesting. I thought listening to music while you work out was a preference thing and about comfort or enjoyability, not that it actually enhanced your performance. But after reading your article I can definitely see how it can affect your brain in bigger ways. When I listen to a specific kind of music when I run, I am more motivated to run faster or push more when I am already tired. It does not even have to just be sports, listening to music while completing a task makes me focus more and endure whatever I am doing.

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