Abstract
Listening to music has been repeatedly shown to have ergogenic benefits during various modes of exercise, including endurance, sprint, and resistance-based activities. Music is commonly incorporated into training regimens by recreational exercisers and competitive athletes alike. While specific modalities of exercise elicit varying physiological responses, listening to music has been shown to modulate many of these responses (i.e., heart rate, catecholamines, muscle activation) often leading to improved performance. Furthermore, listening to music during exercise may positively impact psychological (i.e., mood, motivation) and psychophysiological (i.e., rate of perceived exertion, arousal) changes, which may allow for favorable responses during an exercise challenge. However, there is mixed evidence regarding music’s efficacy, which may be mediated through differences in music selection and preference. Emerging evidence has shown that, whether an individual prefers or does not prefer the music they are listening to during exercise greatly influences their ergogenic potential in addition to physiological, psychological, and psychophysiological responses to exercise. From a practical standpoint, music may be controlled by the individual through headphones but is often played communally over speakers in locker rooms, gyms, and health clubs, which may have consequences on performance and training. The following review will describe the physiological, psychological, and psychophysiological responses to exercise while listening to music and how music preference may particularly alter them. Current knowledge and new evidence on how music preference factors into enhancing performance in various modes of exercise will be further discussed, incorporating practical considerations for individuals and practitioners in real-world applications to optimize performance.
Highlights
Descriptions of listening to different types of rhythms and melodies during competition or battle have been noted to go back thousands of years [1]
It is important to the current review to note that music can be personalized and individualized. This allows for athletes and coaches to fine tune music interventions on situational or characteristic bases
While much evidence supports the use of listening to preferred music during exercise as an ergogenic intervention, this may not be feasible for many sports and athletes
Summary
Descriptions of listening to different types of rhythms and melodies during competition or battle have been noted to go back thousands of years [1]. The individual and cultural effects of music preference have been widely described, but the distinct role it has in optimizing modern-day sport and exercise performance has only recently become a prominent topic of investigation. Listening to music prior to and during exercise has been shown to increase motivation and effort, leading to improved performance outcomes [9,12,14]. Music and performance have been systematically explored, amounting to a wealth of evidence describing effects and/or benefits during exercise and training. The following review will primarily focus on the role that music preference plays in relation to exercise responses and performance. The remainder of the review will describe evidence for how music preference may mediate exercise responses and performance benefits while identifying which factors may be beneficial to optimizing performance. Practical implications for exercisers and practitioners will be highlighted with considerations for strategies to elicit peak performance through music preference
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