Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, where we’re just as surprised as you to find out that the Super Mario Bros movie became the 5th movie since the pandemic to post a Box Office Billy.

How you ask? We have no idea.

But we do know you’re going to love today’s feature on why music enhances your workouts. We may have also taken some shots at Les Miserable and exposed our terrible taste in music.

Let’s dive in!

Pump Up The Volume:
How Music Supercharges Your Workouts

Your gym bag is packed, your playlist loaded, and you're ready to crush your workout. But when you get to the gym… that sinking feeling. Your headphones are dead.

It turns out you’re not just being dramatic. Music really does more than just entertain us; it has the power to elevate our workouts to new heights. So much so that Costas Karageorghis, owner of THE most Greek name we’ve ever heard, says you can think of music as “a type of performance enhancing drug.”

Costas is also one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of music. Should we have led with that? Did you know there was a leading expert on the psychology of music? Did you know he could be Sacha Baron Cohen’s twin?

We’ll answer all these questions and more when we dive into the science behind the beat and explore how music can be your very own performance enhancing drug. Mostly legal.

Why music helps us do more and run faster

Ever noticed how that perfect song can give you a burst of energy just when you need it most? It's not your imagination; research shows that music can help improve your workout performance through 3 main ways:

1. Distraction

2. Emotional Connection

3. Moving to the Rhythm (some of you)

Distraction

You see, as we pump iron or hit the pavement, our bodies act like that nosy ass neighbor who is way too active on the NextDoor app. After some time, depending on the individual, physical fatigue starts to set in and Karen (our bodies) sees an opportunity to crash the party.

Our Karen-body detects those telltale signs of hardcore exertion—increasing lactate levels in our muscles, a heart that's pounding like an 808 drum, and sweat production going into overdrive—and she starts banging on the door "time for a break!" (Or more likely “I’ll call the police!”)

But hold on a second! Music struts in like John Cusack with a boombox over his shoulder competing with these physiological signals for our brain's undivided attention.

It's a distraction we welcome with open arms. Plus, music has this magical power to transform our perception of effort during a workout. Running those 10 miles or cranking out a few extra bicep curls feels way easier with Beyonce or Kanye West A$AP Rocky as your personal hype squad.

Bonus: The benefits here are mostly during low to moderate exercise. It’s easier for our bodies to override discomfort and pain. When you get into high intensity exercise, the problem is mainly due to a lack of oxygen and music can’t help with that. Unless you’re listening to Faith Hill.

Emotional Connection

Music can have a powerful impact on our emotions, and it's this emotional connection that can turn your workout from a dreary drive to a joyride. When you listen to music that resonates with you, your brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which can help keep you motivated and focused on your goals.

Take for example this excerpt from Scientific American:

Listen, if you’re running a 10k listening to Le Mis… we have more questions than answers. Namely, who is your emergency contact because we have some serious concerns.

Although most of our Get Hype playlist is aggressive rap music…

It seems like music just makes us lose control want to move. As though it’s hard wired into our brains:

Harness the Power of Music

To make the most of music's impact on your fitness routine, consider these tips:

• Choose high-energy, upbeat tracks that inspire you to move (Think Les Mis and then think the opposite).

• Create a playlist tailored to the length of your workout, so you can time your intervals with your favorite pump-up songs

• Experiment with different genres to find what works best for you – sometimes a change of pace can make all the difference

There are some easy to use apps such as Rock My Run & Pace DJ that help you find the right BPM for your running pace. They sync with data from your phone and match the tempo with your cadence. Research has shown this can translate to a boost in speed and your perceived rate of exertion!

Perform is another app that works similarly but it’ll sync the music with your heart rate or movements depending on the workout you’re following.

A word of caution: Don’t be an idiot and run/bike with headphones in high traffic areas. This newsletter is too small to be responsible for a reader’s injury/death. We can’t afford to have that loss of engagement on our conscience.

As a wise man once said. Feel the rhythm, feel the ride, pop in your headphones, it’s workout time!

We hope you enjoyed this week’s Wellness Wednesday!

Even though we’re still quite confused about the Mario Bros movie, we’re just going to blast some good tunes and forget about it. Have a great Hump Day and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for a feature on what time of day is the best to workout.