The Best Music for your Workout

Liz Myers, September 30, 2013

Your gym playlist affects your workout in more ways than you may realize. A great song will up your mood, motivate you, have positive physiological effects on your body, and will provide a tempo for your run.

That feeling of a “runner’s high” during a workout is the same as the happy feeling you get when listening to your favorite song. In both cases, your brain is releasing chemicals called endorphins, which are natural pain relievers that also boost your mood. In addition to these benefits, music also provides a distraction from fatigue and reduces your perceived exertion during exercise.

Of course, finding songs that make you feel good is not the hard part of creating a workout playlist. The difficulty lies in finding the perfect beat. In a 2012 study in the Journal of Sports and Fitness, one group of participants synchronized their cycling to the tempo of background music while another group cycled asynchronously to the music. When compared, the researchers found that the group that coordinated their movements with the music’s beat used 7% less oxygen, meaning less energy, than the group that did not. This means that finding that perfect beat for your run, or any cardio activity, can reduce your energy output and increase your endurance.

So how can you find the right songs for your cardio workout? I’ll make it easy for you.

First, match the BPM (beats per minute) to your workout with the chart below:

Minutes per mile	BPM
8	170
10	150
12	130
14	110
16	90

Second, enter your BPM and favorite music genre into the tunes finder at JogTunes.com to find songs and build your perfect gym playlist!

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