Music during exercise increases motivation and increases the effectiveness of training. Whether or not you practice a song well depends on its tempo, expressed in BPM - beats per minute. Check what music tempo to choose to practice harder, longer and more effectively.
We usually practice with music that we like and match the rhythm of our training. But how is it that with some songs effort is a pleasure, and with others, although they are pleasing to the ear, it is difficult to practice? The key to solving this puzzle is pace.
Pace of music and exercise
For practice, the best songs with the same pace as the rhythm of the steps you are taking. This is due to the fact that we have a natural tendency to move according to the rhythm of the melody we hear - this relationship can be observed when we unconsciously tap our toes or move our feet while listening to a favorite song. The same is true of exercise: a dynamic beat motivates our body to repeat a given sequence of movements over and over again. As a result, we start to act like a robot - we forget about fatigue, we focus only on the number of repetitions, which means that we can train more intensively, longer and more effectively.
Practice music - how to check the pace?
Wondering how to choose the songs that will be best suited for practice from the mass of music available today? First, determine the BPM of the music you train well on.
BPM is a measure of frequency expressed in beats per minute ( beats per minute ). The higher the BPM value, the faster the melody is. You need to recognize the pace at which BPM is best for you. For this purpose:
- Make a list of the songs you train on the most.
- Turn on any song and go to the website where you can measure its BPM value (for example www.beatsperminuteonline.com - after entering the website press the key or click according to the rhythm of the melody heard until a constant BPM value appears; save the result).
- Do the same with the rest of the songs on your list.
- The interval between the lowest and highest BPM achieved is the optimal pace of music for your training.
Another way to measureThe BPM of a song is to go to a page with a catalog of songs sorted by tempo and find your favorite artist and title (e.g. www.songbpm.com).
Once you know the BPM you're comfortable with, you can easily find and create playlists for your workouts.
Pace of music and types of training
As proven by research conducted at Brunel University in London, the best sports results can be obtained by training with music at a rate of 120-140 beats per minute. This applies to moderate cardio and strength physical activity. More detailed information on the most popular sports can be found in the box below.
This will be useful to youdynamic march:approx. 137-139 BPM
running:approx. 147-169 BPM
cycling:approx. 135-170 BPM
weightlifting:130-140 BPM
Another way to adjust the pace of music to your workout is to look for songs whose BPM is the same as your heart rate during exercise. For example, if you want to train at a heart rate of around 130 beats per minute, choose songs with a similar pace.
Music for exercise - remember about variety
If you are still playing the same set of hits in your headphones for two weeks, it is very likely that with time your enthusiasm for training will fade away and you will not exercise as much as before. Therefore, do not stop searching for new music and change songs on your playlist from time to time. Thanks to this, the catchy beat will give you energy every time and motivate you to work even more.