The right music can motivate you to perform significantly better in your daily workout routine and even in competition. That's the gist of a number of recent articles in The New York Times, the British Telegraph and other reputable publications. They all quote the work of Dr. Costas Karageorghis, reader in Sports Psychology at Brunel University. According to his studies, six factors contribute most to the motivational properties of music:
- rhythm
- genre
- melody (tune)
- tempo (BPM)
- sound of the instruments
- beat
Together, these six factors can be measured with the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI-2).
According to the NYT article, Dr. Karageorghis found that one of the most important elements is a song’s tempo, which should be between 120 and 140 beats-per-minute, or BPM.
Since beaTunes lets iTunes users measure the BPM of their songs, it is an ideal tool to help people improve their workout playlists. Furthermore, with its configurable Matchlist feature it actively supports users in considering more than just one factor when building playlist.
Labels: BMRI, BPM, Fitness, Matchlist, Workout
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In its March 2008 issue, Prevention Magazine features a story titled Workout Songs for Fitness Walking. It's all about making a good walk more fun - and what better way is there than to listen to your favorite upbeat tunes. beaTunes is recommended as a tool for measuring the tempo (BPM) of your music, in order to generate a better mix. About.com has a similar web page. While About.com recommends BPM of 115-120 for walking, Prevention lists songs with BPM from 115-160.
