Acquire Strength Through Music!

Melodies assist in alleviating physical pain and enhancing physical endurance. Therefore, musical compositions are excellent helpers when we feel tired after greater exertion. They improve physical performance by up to 15%, enabling the execution of a higher number of repetitions. Thanks to musical compositions, we accelerate calorie burning and reduce oxygen consumption, which is especially useful during cardio training sessions. Musical compositions synchronize the work of both brain hemispheres, allowing the athlete to perform technically challenging exercises better. According to sports psychologist, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, good musical compositions are natural performance enhancers. The doctor has proven in his research that the health benefits of musical compositions increase with the intensity of the training. It is also worth mentioning that training with headphones or speakers has a significant impact on motivation. Musical compositions improve our concentration when we feel that we have no energy for training, when we don't want to train, or when we start to feel the first signs of fatigue.

The music for strength exercises should have a slower tempo than in aerobics, as repetitions are performed slowly. In powerlifting music, tracks between 100-120 BPM are ideal. Examples include: Lily Allen "Not Fair" (115 BPM), Grubson "On Peak" (118 BPM), Michael Jackson "Bad" (114 BPM), Linkin Park "Numb" (110 BPM), Skrillex "Bangarang" (110 BPM), Green Day "I want to be on TV" (112 BPM). Subjectively, better results are achieved during training with weights with heavier-sounding music, such as rap, hard rock, and techno. However, one cannot ignore the emotional charge and associations with certain songs.

The number of beats per minute (BPM) in music for jogging should be between 120 and 150. Beyond this threshold, the tracks simply agitate the body and at least do not motivate it to work harder. Over longer distances, classical music is the perfect choice. On shorter stretches, tracks like Survivor Eye of the Tiger (128 bpm), Eminem Lose Yourself (122 bpm), Sean Kingston Fire Burning (123 bpm) Metallica Enter Sandman (124 bpm) or The Prodigy Firestarter (140 bpm) are suitable. In general, music genres such as pop, rock, hip-hop and house are the best for jogging.

During aerobics sessions, the pace is somewhat lower than during jogging. Ideally, the music tempo should be in the range of 120-140 BPM. Examples of songs to listen to during aerobics are: Maroon 5 'Moves like Jagger' (128 BPM), House of Pain 'Jump Around' (128) and Fergie 'Glamorous' (131 BPM). Latin American, pop, and R&B music are excellent choices for aerobics sessions.

Stretching muscles post-workout is a critical component of the training program. It allows for muscle relaxation and ensures full fitness for the following day. However, this function is not the only task of stretching. Stretching should also calm the body, prepare it for recovery, and maximize the number of calories burned after physical exertion. It is recommended that the music accompanying stretching should be soothing. Therefore, all songs that are pleasantly associated with the trainer are useful. It is best if the tempo of the music during stretching remains below 100 beats per minute. In this range, the following songs can be found: Elton John "Birds" (90 BPM), Red Hot Chili Peppers "She looks to me" (88 BPM), Beats Antique "Daze" (90 BPM).