This Playlist Will Improve Your Workout

As painful as it is to hear for all you yogis (and couch potatoes) out there, interval training is among the most effective workouts in existence. And no wonder — It’s also kind of a harrowing experience. Luckily, exercise scientists are here to save the day (and improve your workout). A recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Medicine shows that music can make interval training more fun and motivate you to work harder at the same time. In the study, 20 adults performed four 30-second sprints on a stationary bike with four minutes of rest in between, with and without a playlist of their own choosing. When listening to their playlist, participants had a higher peak and reported enjoying their workout more.

This study joins many others in the literature pointing to the same conclusion: music helps take your mind off the pain of endurance exercise. In fact, music close to your pace will make your workout more efficient overall. Similarly, motivational songs boost your mood and overall performance as well. If you need some ideas, we have our own playlist of workout songs to get you started, and here's a personal favorite of mine:

So next time your muscles are screaming at you and your hair is sticking to your face from all the sweat and you’re questioning the life choices that led you to doing the 7-Minute Workout in the first place (am I the only one that feels that way?), remember to focus on Enrique Iglesias’s voice and imagine how irresistible your newly toned body will be when you meet him one day. This too shall pass.

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