My work out today was a light 20 minute jog. I almost always listen to music when I run mostly because a light jog is more or less a mindless activity, and I cannot stand listening to myself breathe (I do not enjoy running). When I had my headphones in today, I thought of the numerous times my friends have asked me, "what music do you listen to when you work out? Which songs get you pumped up?" My answer: None. Josh Everett once said, "If you need music to motivate you, go find something else to do." He could not have said it any better. Half the time my work outs are done when the gym is full with classes, and yes even though there is music on in the background, I would never be able to tell you which songs had played, nor do I really care what is or is not playing. There are times I have worked out in total silence and I never even notice until someone points it out. The bottom line is, I try to push myself as hard as possible during work outs, so there are really only two things that concern me: the time on the running clock, and my performance. Most of my training is done at high intensity; I don't have the time or energy to spend worrying about music or "getting pumped up". If I am not pumped up during a work out then I am not doing my training correctly.
Here is Josh Everett in "Isabel"
I think the key word here is NEED. Yes if you NEED music to motivate you, do something else. If you missed that last rep "only because the wrong song was playing in the background"... yes, you should be doing something else. But I don't believe there is anything inherently "wrong" about listening to music before or during working out. I think a remarkable fact about music is that even in children, it inspires movement, regardless of experiences or culture or anything. There is definitely a connection between our brains and our environment. Since the brain tells the body what to do, the environment can definitely have an effect on motivation levels and PERFORMANCE especially. You think all those people cheering this guy on had any effect on his performance? You think if the cleaning lady walked by and started mopping right in front of your deadlift station it might have an effect on you at all? You think competitive eating would even exist if there weren't tons of people to cheer the competitors on? Environment affects performance, you can't question that.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, I've had some of my best workouts with nothing but a pullup bar, a barbell, and a buzzing fluorescent light, but this was because I told myself that I was in the perfect environment to do my best.. I think this here is the key- finding the motivation INSIDE yourself to adapt to any situation and believe that you couldn't be in a more positive environment. Especially for those of us who work out in more commercial-type gyms with no control over the playlist, I can understand when someone wants to crank up the iPod and tune out music they don't like. They are blocking out what they percieve to be a negative environment and immersing themselves in a more positive one. Wearing an iPod presents a problem for myself though, seeing as I tend to do a lot of exercises that cause headphones to be more of a distraction than a benefit- box jumps, cleans, agilities, etc.. But my environment is also a little less than what I consider ideal- Unmotivated people talking too much, people staring cuz they don't know why I'm jumping so high on one leg, or they've never seen someone do a handstand pushup, cleaning ladies, people talking too much... etc...
So this is my way to "psych up" a little bit, using music, especially if the environment is less than perfect, which it typically is at the gym I attend:
I block out as much as possible, focus on what I'm after- my goals, my inspiration, my drive; then listen to WHATEVER is on the speakers and tell myself that it is my favorite song and I couldn't be more happy to hear it right now. I don't care if it's "build me up buttercup," eminem, katy perry, death metal, oldies, sad songs- whatever- I start feeling the beat and "trick my brain" into thinking I'm in a better environment than if I just said "oh god this song sucks." Since better environment= better performance, I believe this helps me. Point is, you got to do what works for you, and if you can't control the environment, you have to adapt. Just because mr "fittest man alive" (who has a rather unremarkable physique if i might add) doesn't like music in his gym, doesn't mean everyone has to conform to that, even if I agree that quiet is best. Food for thought.
-Triggas
Good comment! I agree with the right environment setting. There are different settings that are preferred over others, but yeah my point was sure music is great but it never even crosses my mind. Im sure music would be better than listening to people converse but that's only in the beginning of my work out. Once I start I become somewhat lost in the movements that I can't even focus on outside noises. Some people may think they become lost in" the music" but for me personally, I feel that I become lost in the intensity of my training, so music is irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, there is definitely like a threshold, where your mind goes from its normal randomness to absolute focus on where you are and what you are doing. I guess you could call it getting "lost in the moment" but really for me I think it's more like "finding yourself in the moment." You become completely aware of what you NEED to do at that second and everything else fades- the gym, the thoughts, the people, everything. It's one of the best feelings in the world and a deep part of my love for working out... I don't understand the people having conversations while on the bench or during squats. You can't have anything less than total focus to perform at a true high intensity and get maximum results. I love being able to access this state of mind at any time I want to, but it doesn't hurt to set yourself up in an environment where this is easier to access, i.e.- by yourself, or in the mornings at a gym when there is a better ratio of workers to talkers, or in a crossfit gym where I know there has got to be more people busting their balls than in a regular gym haha
ReplyDeleteI'm all for music on low intensity exercise though like biking, hiking, jogging, etc... I'll humbly admit that I've been known to break into random sprints for the right song lol
Triggas