Music + sport=better results?      

Doing sports is probably one of my favorite things to do. I hardly remember workouts with no headphones, in fact, right now, I don’t even imagine my workouts without music. If you’ve ever been to gym, you would definitely notice that almost more than half of its visitors go there with their music. But is it actually right to assert that music has an impact on physical figures or it is just a placebo effect that we inculcate to ourselves?

In deed lots of studies were conducted on the relationship between music and emotional feelings. These studies prove that the music we listen to engages a wide range of neurobiological systems that affect our psychology.[1]

In support of theoretical research, many famous athletes have been seen using music to enhance their performance. For instance, the American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 7 gold medals and set 5 world records at the 2007 FINA World Championships, reportedly listened to hip-hop music before his races in order to get focused and psyched up.

Research has shown that music can be most effective when played at the point when workers reach a plateau in work output. When devising your own music playlist for training, it is important to take into consideration the type of mindset you want to achieve for a particular workout. For example, British rowing Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell, used the persistent rhythms of the Red Hot Chili Peppers during training and his pre-event routine. Thus, if your movements are steady and rhythmic, the music should not have fluctuations in temp; rather, it should parallel the speed of your own movements[2]

In addition to all, scientists conducted an experiment, which supports the arguments stated above: 5 boys and 5 girls were chosen randomly to run for 10 minutes; trials done with music displayed better results than those without. [3]

 

Concluding my blog entry, I want to say that music motivates individuals, by affecting their psychology, which ultimately could lead to great success not only in sports, but also in daily life; listen to music and stay healthy 🙂

 

 

 

 

[1] Bergland, Christopher. “The Neuroscience of Music, Mindset, and Motivation.” Psychology Today. N.p., 29 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201212/the-neuroscience-music-mindset-and-motivation>.

 

 

[2] Farmer, Hannah. “How to Benefit from Music in Sport.”Believeperform.com. N.p., 03 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fbelieveperform.com%2Fperformance%2Fhow-to-benefit-from-music-in-sport-and-exercise%2F>.

[3] “All Science Fair Projects.” Science Fair Projects. N.p., 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. <http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/project1130_143_3.html>.