Nothing makes a workout go quicker than some good music, but what makes the perfect song for exercise? Here are a few things that I think make the difference.
Tempo
There’s no doubt that a fast, upbeat song is going to be better for exercising. If I try listening to a slow song, even one I really like, then exercise at a high pace becomes much more difficult. A fast tempo doesn’t necessarily mean you have to listen to drum and bass or techno music, but it should have a strong beat and keep you pumped up.
Upbeat
Listening to a dreary, depressing song probably isn’t going to get you in the mood for a hard workout. An exercise song doesn’t have to be over the top happy, but it shouldn’t make you depressed either!
Personal preference
I’ve tried listening to techno and similar music while exercising, but I just don’t enjoy listening to it. Even though it ticks all the boxes for a good exercise song, it’s still important to find a playlist that you enjoy listening to, otherwise an exercise session can drag on for a long time.
So the next question is, where do you find songs like this? There are a number of websites online where you can download other people’s playlist, and these are often a good place to start. Finding new music can be tough, especially if you don’t like listening to what’s usually on the radio, so getting music off other people is often the best way to go.
A great place to start is Spotify. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up for a relatively cheap deal and listen to as much music as you want without adverts. There are still invites for free accounts floating around the internet that you may be able to find too. The best thing about Spotify is that you can instantly download someone else’s playlist and start listening to it from a variety of different sites. If you have friends who like to work out then you can also swap playlists with them.
The problem with Spotify is that you’ll need to use an MP3 player that supports it when you play it, otherwise you won’t be able to listen to it while away from your computer.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 15th, 2010 at 7:28 pm and is filed under Workouts and Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
