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F I T N E S S C O R N E R I S T H E R E A P E R F E C T T E M P O F O R W O R K O U T M U S I C ? M u s i c i s a n i n c r e d i b l y u s e f u l t o o l f o r f i t n e s s . T he lens of music forms the foundation for fitness classes of all kinds, from Zumba and step to cycling and yoga. Technology has made music incredibly accessible to us for our individual fitness journeys, so that we can listen to tunes while lifting weights in the gym or while going on an outdoor run. Remember trying to run with Walkmans or portable CD players, even with "anti-skip" technology? For many, music is an integral part of exercising, nearly as important as fitness clothes or equipment. Why is this? From my view, there's a couple of key reasons: 1 Music stimulates us emotionally and helps us get in the mood for exercise – Ever sat in the parking lot of your gym reminding yourself how much you don't want to go, only to feel that melt away once you stepped foot BY SHAWN MCCLENDON into the gym? Music undoubtedly had a part to play in that. Depending on the song, music will even help you "dig deep" and find more energy to put into your workout, midway through a tough section. 2 Music distracts us from the discomfort of exercise and helps you push through – If you're exercising without music, it's just you and your body, meaning that you feel every piece of every repetition, every breath, and so on. While I am an advocate of being present in this way so that you can know how your body feels during exercise, there's no doubt that jamming to your favorite song while working out gives your brain something else to focus on rather than the pain of getting your reps in. Such diversion can help you do what you thought you could not do, simply because you were distracted from focusing on negative emotions that might convince you to quit other times. Participants in a music and exercise study in the Frontiers in Psychology journal demonstrated an increase in metabolic demand during walking with music that had high beats per minute (BPM), where high BPM was 170-190, as compared to walking with no music. To put this into context, "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner is an example of a high BPM song at 171 BPM. The study also showed an increase in performance and simultaneously, a decrease in ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) – how an individual rates their own subjective exertion during exercise – when music tempo increased. In other words, the higher the BPM of the song, the better the person performed and the less tired the person felt. Additionally, the study found that exercise benefit from music was more likely to be seen with 98 maconmagazine.com | June/July 2025