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Working out? Turn on the dance music for best results
Sat, Jan 12, 2008 The Straits Times
WASHINGTON - STUDIES have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. But are certain songs more effective than others? Generally speaking, there is a science to choosing an effective exercise soundtrack, said Dr Costas Karageorghis, an associate professor of sport psychology at Brunel University in England, who has studied the effects of music on physical performance for 20 years. Dr Karageorghis created the Brunel Music Rating Inventory, a questionnaire that is used to rate the motivational qualities of music in the context of sport and exercise.

One of the most important elements, he found, is a song's tempo, which should be between 120 and 140 beats per minute (BPM).

That pace coincides with the range of most commercial dance music, and many rock songs are near that range, which leads people to develop 'an aesthetic appreciation for that tempo', he said. It also roughly corresponds to a person's heart rate during a routine workout - say, 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer.

Dr Karageorghis said Push It by Salt-N-Pepa and Drop It Like It's Hot by Snoop Dogg are around that range, as is Umbrella by Rihanna. For a high-intensity workout like a hard run, he suggested Glenn Frey's The Heat Is On.

Music preferences are as idiosyncratic as workout routines.

Ms Allison Goldberg, 39, a life coach and amateur runner who is training for tomorrow's Houston Marathon in Texas, has been running to the Green Day CD American Idiot because, she said, 'there's no way you can run slow to Green Day'.

However, she may not be listening on race day - a rule bars runners from using portable music players and headphones.

The musical style that seems to most reliably contain a high BPM is dance music, said Mr Richard Petty, the founder of Power Music, a company that produces workout compilations for instructors and fitness enthusiasts.

The compilations, aimed largely at women doing cardio, contain no pauses between songs.

That unwavering beat allows a person to synchronise their movements to the music, something that Ms Kate Gfeller, a music professor at the University of Iowa, said is crucial.

'Music provides a timing cue,' said Professor Gfeller. 'It helps you to move more efficiently which, in turn, can help you with endurance.'

In other words, the best workout songs have both a high BPM count and a rhythm to which you can coordinate your movements.

NEW YORK TIMES