The finer points of a good workout usually involves barely being able to push past a wall of fatigue in the final moments of a set, then repeating that feeling several more times before the end of the exercise session. This is where the workout becomes a joy – pushing past the point you believed you’d fail at only to succeed. Endurance is regularly challenged in any workout, and believe it or not, wearable technology can help you to better your workout in many different ways. Music, for instance, has been shown to have a huge positive effect on your endurance levels, for a variety of reasons. We will be exploring these reasons today, in the hopes that it not only inspires you to get back to the gym, but to get moving to the music, too.
Inspiration
The beat of a drum, the swell of an instrumental, the drop at the crescendo of a song. These are all things that inspire something inside of us, whether it’s the will to push a little harder to finish that set, to run a little further, or to take on an extra hill climb. Music is inspiring, that much is an undisputed fact, and people have been listening to music to hype themselves up for a long time now, but through the invention of wearable, small speakers known as headphones, and waterproofing to deal with the sweating issues presented by exercise, music is available as a directly inspirational, personalised experience. Your favourite tracks can convince you to climb out of a warm bed to go for a hard run on a cold morning, and more than that, they can help you to love it more than you ever thought you could.
Spontaneous Goal Setting
Spontaneous goal setting is important in the world of exercise, because planning an extra set before starting the first one is a surefire way to tire out early and give in quickly. Music can help you to push yourself that little bit further just as you think you’re running out of energy, and it does this by getting you pumped up for more movement. Imagine this – you’re two reps away from the end of your last set of deadlifts, and you’ve got a little bit of energy to spare. You might have used this energy up after you’d showered and left the gym, but then your favourite song comes on, and as it’s approaching the best part, you realise you have enough time for an extra set. Making the spontaneous decision to set a once-off goal to finish this extra set will benefit you by showing that you’re stronger than you thought you were, and that the limitations of exhaustion are all in your head.
Distraction
Finally, when it comes to endurance in cardio, music is king. Running hard and feeling the lactic acid buildup in your legs as you try to struggle on, to beat your best time, is really tough. One of the reasons this is hard to get past is because you don’t have anything to focus on other than putting one leg in front of the other and the burning sensation in your legs. Focussing on it doesn’t make it go away, but there’s nothing else to focus on – unless you have music. Align your steps with the beat and focus on the words, you’ll have a less pressingly urgent idea of the pain in your legs, and you’ll be able to push yourself further as a result.
With these points, you can clearly see what kind of a positive impact music can have on your workout, and why it is essential to make use of it in your day to day exercise regime. Don’t delay any longer – load up that music device, get on your running shoes and get out there.