Abstract
BackgroundSince accumulating evidence suggests that step rate is strongly associated with running-related injuries, it is important for runners to exercise at an appropriate running cadence. As music tempo has been shown to be capable of impacting exercise performance of repetitive endurance activities, it might also serve as a means to (re)shape running cadence. The aim of this study was to validate the impact of music tempo on running cadence.MethodsSixteen recreational runners ran four laps of 200 m (i.e. 800 m in total); this task was repeated 11 times with a short break in between each four-lap sequence. During the first lap of a sequence, participants ran at a self-paced tempo without musical accompaniment. Running cadence of the first lap was registered, and during the second lap, music with a tempo matching the assessed cadence was played. In the final two laps, the music tempo was either increased/decreased by 3.00, 2.50, 2.00, 1.50, or 1.00 % or was kept stable. This range was chosen since the aim of this study was to test spontaneous entrainment (an average person can distinguish tempo variations of about 4 %). Each participant performed all conditions.ResultsImperceptible shifts in musical tempi in proportion to the runner’s self-paced running tempo significantly influenced running cadence (p < .001). Contrasts revealed a linear relation between the tempo conditions and adaptation in running cadence (p < .001). In addition, a significant effect of condition on the level of entrainment was revealed (p < .05), which suggests that maximal effects of music tempo on running cadence can only be obtained up to a certain level of tempo modification. Finally, significantly higher levels of tempo entrainment were found for female participants compared to their male counterparts (p < .05).ConclusionsThe applicable contribution of these novel findings is that music tempo could serve as an unprompted means to impact running cadence. As increases in step rate may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of common running-related injuries, this finding could be especially relevant for treatment purposes, such as exercise prescription and gait retraining.Key PointsMusic tempo can spontaneously impact running cadence.A basin for unsolicited entrainment of running cadence to music tempo was discovered.The effect of music tempo on running cadence proves to be stronger for women than for men.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40798-015-0025-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Since accumulating evidence suggests that step rate is strongly associated with running-related injuries, it is important for runners to exercise at an appropriate running cadence
Running Cadence This study tested whether the changes in music tempo would affect running cadence
Novel insights were presented in this study, as it was shown that recreational runners are able to adapt their running cadence to tempo changes in music without being aware of this attunement and without being instructed to do so
Summary
Since accumulating evidence suggests that step rate is strongly associated with running-related injuries, it is important for runners to exercise at an appropriate running cadence. As music tempo has been shown to be capable of impacting exercise performance of repetitive endurance activities, it might serve as a means to (re)shape running cadence. About 50 % of all running-related injuries occurs at the knee and is most often due to the inability of the lower extremity joints to adequately control the loads applied during initial stance [2,3,4]. A number of strategies designed to reduce loads to these joints have been suggested, with one of the most common ones applying an increased step rate. Subtle increases in step rate have for instance been shown to substantially reduce the loading to the hip and knee joints during running and may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of common runningrelated injuries [5]. The means by which music might serve as an adequate tool for manipulating running cadence is discussed below
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