Effect of Music and Rhythm on Physical Performance

Effects of synchronous music on treadmill running among elite triathletes

“…This scale of improvement is undoubtedly meaningful in absolute terms and also replicates recent findings 9 . Results were generally consistent with those reported among other athletic populations engaged in similar exercise modalities, although for some indices beneficial effects were larger than those reported previously 2,10 . Synchronous music may potentially provide benefits in other submaximal and performance-to-exhaustion activities, including swimming, cycling and rowing.…”

“…Previous studies have tested effects of synchronous music, with ergogenic effects reported in treadmill walking 9 , cycle ergometry 10 , and 400 m running 11 . Synchronous use of music represents a form of auditory-motor synchronisation in which a runner and the music serve as oscillators; each generating its own rhythm yet sharing a common frequency 12 .…”

Psychological, psychophysical, and ergogenic effects of music in swimming

“…There are multiple considerations that researchers need to take into account when selecting music and these include socio-cultural, task-related, and personal factors (see e.g., Karageorghis & Terry, 1997;North & Hargreaves, 2008). Much of the preliminary work in this field was characterized by a lack of sensitivity to such factors; music was viewed in a manner akin to any other auditory stimulus wherein little consideration was given to its aesthetic qualities (e.g., Anshel & Marisi, 1978;Boutcher & Trenske, 1990). …”

“…This is an intriguing finding that requires further empirical investigation before evidence-based recommendations can be given to practitioners. The interaction of the motivational qualities of music with gender is also worthy of investigation given the condition by gender interactions reported in previous work (e.g., Anshel & Marisi, 1978;Karageorghis et al, 2010). The sport of swimming provides a novel research environment in which to explore these questions and advances in MP3 player technology have made such research possible (e.g., Tate et al, 2012).…”

“…A lineage of work has assessed the psychological, psychophysical, and ergogenic effects of music in a range of dry land activities that include 400-m running (Simpson & Karageorghis, 2006), cycle ergometry (Anshel & Marisi, 1978), indoor rowing (Rendi, Szabo, & Szabó, 2008), treadmill walking (Karageorghis et al, 2009), and longdistance running (Terry, Karageorghis, Mecozzi Saha, & D'Auria, 2012). Psychological effects relate to how music influences mood, affect, emotion, attitudes, cognition, and behavior.…”