Listening to your favourite music while exercising can help you to run further and increase endurance, according to a sports science experiment.
A one-day study at Brunel University London in Uxbridge for streaming service Deezer, with help from England rugby player Ben Foden, sought to examine the relationship between music and sports performance.
The tests were held ahead of England’s clash with South Africa in Saturday’s Autumn International at Twickenham. They compared how much oxygen was consumed by Foden, 31, and also his body’s energy efficiency and stamina, with and without music. Exercises included hand grip tests, hurdle drills, treadmill running and leg extensions.
The tests were carried out to promote Deezer’s new algorithm-powered music selection tool called Flow.
It chooses a customised playlist for the listener based on its knowledge of their existing Deezer library to create a “unique mix of all your old favourites and new recommendations”.
Brunel scientists found that while Foden was on the treadmill listening to Forever by Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem, he inhaled less oxygen.
This made him “six per cent more energy efficient” than running in silence, enabling him able to run further.
During the hand-grip dynamometry test without music, Foden squeezed 59kg and then listening to Tinie Tempah’s Written In The Stars, he held more than 76kg. His performance cycling and doing leg extension reps also improved slightly.
Researchers said Foden appeared a “particularly strong responder to music” as his strength gain was higher than others sportspeople doing the same task with a personalised soundtrack.
Foden, who is married to The Saturdays singer Una Healy, said, “Music is an integral part of my daily training regime, but I didn’t quite realise the physical impact that is has on my performance and on my body.”
