This article is about everything we could hope for. Not only does it espouse the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training, which we frequently plug, but it also says listening to your favorite music can help you hit higher levels of intensity during interval training.
Yes, the thing we were already doing (and have dropped our phones multiple times doing) is, according to a new study, making us work harder than if we just listened to the sound of our exhausted panting. And actually, that panting is one reason researchers didn’t think music would do much. They felt that pushing yourself to your limits was already enough of a strain and there was no soundtrack that could have any effect.
But using stationary bikes, the researchers at McMasters University put it to the test. They had volunteers pedal as furiously as possible, both without music and with a playlist of their favorite songs the University downloaded. (No information on if the University paid for them.) And while bikers in both groups judged the rides as grueling (About an 8 out of 10), they clearly pushed themselves more when their tunes were blasting in their ears.
The playlists featured a rider’s favorite tunes – and not necessarily the best workout jams. So while “Raining Blood” may be a sure-fire way to get some of us to exercise furiously, you may be able to still dig deep and push yourself listening to Cat Power who we frequently feature as our cool down artist.
And this is also another study that shows our bodies can handle the intense workouts required by HIIT, even if we have to put the Rocky Theme on repeat.
The top Pandora channels at Cardio High for our HIIT sessions are; Fatboy Slim, Lady Gaga, Beastie Boys, Apollo 440, Run-D.M.C., We Got the Beat (Go-Go’s) and the old one hit wonder Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, a surprisingly diverse channel.
