Have you ever sprinted out of your house to get the gym in the morning (afternoon/evening) and left your headphones at home? I have and it was the absolute worst. Having to listen to the piped in gym music, even when I know it, can be brutal. I prefer to have a choice of tunes to suit whatever it is that I’m doing and whatever it is that I’m feeling. My music selections usually go something like this:
Cardio days – Cardio is usually running on the treadmill unless I’m nursing some god-forsaken injury. I listen to just about anything within my taste range which would include R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Pop or Rock. Here are a few selections from Thursday’s cardio session:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZ65DA9pPs
Lift days – I lean toward something more uptempo/upbeat in any of the above genres in addition to some old-school House. I always pick uptempo stuff for lifting because of my love-hate relationship with pushing and pulling weight. Something uptempo or upbeat gets me through the drudgery.
One thing I do not do is wear headphones when running outside for two reasons: 1)safety – I don’t want anybody or anything creeping up on me; 2)I like to hear birds chirping, kids playing, stuff like that.
For sure there are some who can workout without a headset, I’m just not one of them. Music for me is a little something extra – motivation, distraction and sometimes the only opportunity I get to listen to new music uninterrupted.
What about you? Do you listen to music when you workout? Why or why not? If you do, I’d love to hear what type of music pushes you through those sets, reps and miles. Feel free to let me know in the comments, or in reply to this post on Twitter or Google+.
Until next time, see you at the gym, where I might be rocking Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) or John Coltrane, you never know.
Photo: MsThorns
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I can go with or without in most cases. But I do enjoy it when I have music.
If i’m doing heavy days, I find some hardcore hip hop like DMX or heavy metal (no pun intended) that I like works for getting those heavy sets racked.
Light days/cardio stuff is fine with any mix. I can listen to smooth jazz and still keep a pace.
You may enjoy this piece from ASAP Science discussing your topic.
Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofbnpVbtqTc
Thanks I’ll check that out Ant.