88 - Costas Karageorghis on Music and Exercise

Endurance Innovation is now on Patreon! Have a peek at our page and show us some love.4:00 Professor Costas Karageorghis 10:00 the history of research of music and physical activity14:45 a look ‘under the bonnet’ at the brain’s role in mediating athletic performance and the influence of music on this process. Playing music appears to have the following effectsImprovement in brain oxygenation. This may account for improved performance on time to exhaustion studies with music A reduction in the frequency of firing of certain populations of neurons appears to lessen perception of fatigueImprovement in firing of both the afferent and efferent nerve impulses, facilitating muscle contractionsAn impairment in communication between areas of the brain responsible for signaling fatigue 22:00 the limitations of modern imaging techniques in studying the brain while the subject is mobile25:30 the evolutionary drive for this performance-enhancing role of music27:45 auditory-motor synchronization increases aerobic efficiency by 6-7%32:15 evidence for the effect on music on performance improvement is small but reliable. The effect on emotional state and mood regulation is medium and reliable. 33:30 the role of enhanced mood on motivation and consistency in training34:45 pre-task music 36:15 musical recommendations for improved performanceUse cases include: pre-task, in-task, post-task, and synchronously or asynchronously Music with relaxing or low-arousal properties for warm up, cool down, recovery. Music for high-arousal properties for high intensity work39:45 it is difficult for listeners to process music above ~75% of maximal aerobic output (~ anaerobic threshold)40:00 qualities of music that determine its arousal / energizing potentialTempo: ideally between 120bpm and 140bpmRhythmic accentuationLyrical affirmation Beat regularity44:00 recommendations for exercise at very high intensitySyntactic processing of lyrics severely impaired above 75% of maximal aerobic capacityRhythmic music with minimal lyrics ideal Music does not appear to reduce perception of effort at high intensity, BUT it may colour our interpretation of fatigue, making it less uncomfortable47:45 contraindications: when using music in training is not recommended:Music can capture 10-12% of our attention, making it completely unsafe when riding outdoorsMusic above 80dB carries an increased risk of hearing damage when concurrently exercising at a high intensity due to a reduction in blood flow to the cochlea in the inner earRoutinely using music in all workouts creates dependency 51:45 advice on ‘earworms’54:15 music to avoid when training57:00 classical playlist recommendation  59:45 the greater someone’s experience and appreciation for music, the more complex the music they may want for exerciseFollow Prof. Karageorghis on Twitter and check out his book: Applying Music in Exercise and Sport.