Music for training and skill development

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Music can enhance repetitive activities such as weight training in the gym. Image credit: Public domain.

If you use a gym, you will be familiar with music playing in the background or during a class. Such music is often chosen without consideration of the musical preferences of gym users, and many exercisers prefer to wear headphones and listen to their own choice of music.

Choosing the right music for the activity and the individuals involved is important if potential benefits are to be gained.

Things to consider, include:

• Is the activity warm-up, stretching, weight-training, cardio, or skill development?
• Do the athletes share similar music preferences?
• Would it be suitable playing music to the group or would personal devices be better?
• Will music be helpful? Some athletes find music a distraction, especially during skill development activities.

Synchronising music with the activity

Some activities lend themselves well to musical accompaniment, particularly those that are repetitive and laborious such as warm-ups, stretching and weight training. Music should be selected where rhythm and tempo matches the activity. For example, if the target heart rate is 120 beats per minute (bpm), then the music should roughly be between 115 t0 125 bpm. For higher intensity activities, the tempo can be raised accordingly. Customised playlists can be developed and stored on MP3 players or mobile phones.Optional Activity

Selecting music

Imagine you’re choosing music to suit a fitness workout for an Australian volleyball team. What music would you recommend?

• General stretch (approximately 90 beats per minute).
• Warm up (approximately 120 beats per minute).
• Cardio fitness (approximately 160 beats per minute).
• Warm down (approximately 80 beats per minute).

To help you choose the music, visit jog.fm to hear a song preview and identify its tempo (beats per minute). Please share your music choices on the discussion forum. Here are some suggestions:

• General stretch: Royals by Lorde
• Warm up:  Thriller by Michael Jackson
• Cardio fitness: Hey Ya! by Outkast
• Warm down: Melt by Leftfield
• Share your musical choices for each activity

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Background music

Background music that is not synchronised with the activity can be used to enhance mood or distract attention from a monotonous activity.  If the intention is to distract an athlete from feelings of fatigue, then the music should be played quite loud (but not loud enough to be uncomfortable).

When not to use music in training

Music offers a number of performance benefits, but once again context is everything. Music is not normally appropriate when an athlete is trying to learn a new skill. The human brain has a limited processing capacity, and when attempting to execute a highly technical skill music will likely inhibit learning rather than enhance it.

In an earlier module we looked at concentration, and how optimal performance requires an athlete to focus on specific aspects of the skill to be executed. In such situations, music can be a distraction particularly if a coach is giving instructions to an athlete.

Individual needs are always an important consideration. Some athletes prefer not to have music during training and would rather focus internally on their own bodies. One example is former Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson, who found music a turn off in training situations.