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Music in the Gym Environment

How do the worlds of music and physical activity intersect in the gym environment and what is the effect on performance? This is not a common topic, yet it may hold certain clues in wellbeing and sports performance. You may not think music and physical activity have much in common, but they are both fundamental aspects of human culture1 and in their various forms, they permeate every society on the planet. Music is part of our everyday lives and accompanies a broad range of activities1, including physical activity, and many moments are heightened by the presence of music2. This then leads to the question, does listening to music enhance performance or simply, enjoyment in physical activity?

Music in Gym-2 

In developed countries, one barrier to participation in physical activity, is fundamentally, a lack of enjoyment3. Music in the realm of physical activity and sport has the capacity to promote a feeling of enjoyment4. Simply, music may be a way of promoting a more enjoyable experience for those who do not enjoy sport and physical activity to the same extent as others. This has led many to suggest that music may have a role to play in enhancing physical activity compliance in healthy people5.

 When used during physical activity, music may exert positive emotional and mental states, which can distract exercisers from the unpleasant sensations associated with physical effort and fatigue1,6,7. This is perhaps where the psychological and physiological benefits of music may intersect. A number of studies suggest positive emotional and mental states may contribute to improved strength and power8, endurance9, and work rate10. Another effect of music that may lead to performance enhancements includes lowering the rate of perceived exertion during exercise11, which may then contribute to both a more enjoyable experience and an ability to increase intensity, workload and overall performance. Interestingly, music may also improve the physiological efficiency of exercise by synchronizing movement with the rhythmic beat of the music, lowering the metabolic cost of the activity by promoting greater neuromuscular and kinetic efficiency12. Taken together, music has the capacity to affect performance and overall enjoyment in the gym environment through the intersect of physiological and psychological factors.

It is all good and well that music may contribute to these benefits during physical activity, but one consideration is that people don’t all listen to or enjoy the same music. So how can music be incorporated into the gym environment in a way that better suits each individual person? One solution is that each section and each class in the gym has its own specific music, which can then be tailored for the general population of each section or class. Another, and perhaps simpler solution, is to promote the use of one’s own music in the gym environment so that everyone can choose their own music if the gym’s music does not suit them. Most importantly, it should be noted that music is highly personal, and to fully reap the benefits of music in the gym environment one needs to pick their own music.

 

To bring you the most evidence-based and cutting information in the fields of sports and exercise science and health, SSISA works alongside the UCT Research Centre for Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS) to disseminate the latest research.  HPALS research focuses on optimizing human performance and promoting health and well-being through physical activity, sports participation, healthy eating and good sleep hygiene.  Their work begins at the DNA, to the human performance laboratory and ultimately to the community. To read more about the Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Research Centre, Division of Physiological Sciences at the University of Cape Town, please see the HPALS website or email Ayesha Hendricks for more information about applications for MSc/PhD research programmes.

To get in touch with the Sports Science Institute of South Africa Group for Research Implementation and Translation (GRIT) Research Consultants, get in touch with Warren Lucas at research@ssisa.com or call 021 650 5728 for enquiries. Read more about the SSISA GRIT Team here.

 

References:

  1. Terry, P. C., Karageorghis, C. I., Curran, M. L., Martin, O. V., & Parsons-Smith, R. L. (2020). Effects of music in exercise and sport: A meta-analytic review.Psychological bulletin, 146(2), 91–117. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000216
  2. Levitin, D. J. (2006). This is your brain on music: The science of a human obsession. New York, NY: Dutton Penguin.
  3. Burgess, E., Hassmén, P., & Pumpa, K. L. (2017). Determinants of adher- ence to lifestyle intervention in adults with obesity: A systematic review. Clinical Obesity, 7, 123–135. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cob.12183
  4. Hallett, R., & Lamont, A. (2017). Music use in exercise: A questionnaire study. Media Psychology, 20, 658–684. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/ 15213269.2016.1247716
  5. Clark, I. N., Baker, F. A., Peiris, C. L., Shoebridge, G., & Taylor, N. F. (2017). Participant-selected music and physical activity in older adults following cardiac rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 31, 329 –339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026921551 6640864
  6. Hutchinson, J. C., Jones, L., Vitti, S. N., Moore, A., Dalton, P. C., & O’Neill, B. J. (2018). The influence of self-selected music on affect- regulated exercise intensity and remembered pleasure during treadmill running. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 7, 80 –92. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1037/spy0000115
  7. Hutchinson, J. C., & Karageorghis, C. I. (2013). Moderating influence of dominant attentional style and exercise intensity on responses to asyn- chronous music. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 35, 625–643. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jsep.35.6.625
  8. Hutchinson, J., Sherman, T., Davis, L., Cawthon, D., Reeder, N., & Tenenbaum, G. (2011). The influence of asynchronous motivational music on a supramaximal exercise bout. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 42,135–148. Retrieved from http://www.ijsp-online.com/
  9. Terry, P. C., Karageorghis, C. I., Saha, A. M., & D’Auria, S. (2012). Effects of synchronous music on treadmill running among elite triath- letes. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 15, 52–57. http://dx.doi .org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.06.003
  10. Lee, S., & Kimmerly, D. S. (2016). Influence of music on maximal self-paced running performance and passive post-exercise recovery rate. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 56, 39–48.
  11. Rejeski, W. J. (1985). Perceived exertion. An active or passive process? Journal of Sport Psychology, 7, 371–378. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jsp .7.4.371
  12. Bacon, C. J., Myers, T. R., & Karageorghis, C. I. (2012). Effect of music-movement synchrony on exercise oxygen consumption. The Jour- nal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 52, 359–365. http://www .minervamedica.it/en/journals/sports-med-physical-fitness/archive.php

 

 
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