AsapSCIENCE - Can Music Improve Athletic Performance?

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Make a pump-up playlist of your favourite upbeat songs and listen to it during training or before competition, since upbeat music with a tempo above 120 bpm gave the greatest performance gains. Music of any kind improved performance compared to no music, and synchronous music, whose beat matches your repetitive movements, can boost work output in endurance sports.

Key Points

• Synchronous music, meaning uptempo songs whose strong beat matches a sport's repetitive movements, leads to higher work output, especially in endurance sports like cross country skiing.
• Haile Gebrselassie synchronised his running stride to the pop song "Scatman" when breaking the 10,000m world record.
• Music can reduce pre-competition anxiety and raise mood, self-esteem and confidence, and during competition it can narrow attention away from fatigue.
• Athletes who listened to pop songs during training or warm-ups had higher heart rates and increased muscle power than those who trained without music.
• Music that evokes emotion can enhance mental imagery, the technique of picturing yourself mastering a sport before competing.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: Build a playlist of favourite upbeat songs with a tempo above 120 bpm. Use it during training, warm-ups, or before competition. Some coaches use the reverse approach, withholding music until athletes reach a set productivity level and then allowing it during training.
• Music with personal meaning to the individual is said to have stronger cognitive and physical stimulant effects.
• Almost all findings showed that listening to music, regardless of genre or speed, improved performance compared to no music, but upbeat tempos above 120 bpm produced the largest gains.
• The video focuses on research findings and does not give specific dosage, duration, or volume guidance.

Bottom Line

Music, especially upbeat tracks above 120 bpm that match your movement rhythm, appears to help athletic performance, so a personalised pump-up playlist is a practical choice before training or competition.