Music Can Drive Routine
As I began to familiarize myself with the gym for the first time, I couldn’t help but notice the large number of people exercising while listening to their mp3 player. I was always critical of these people; constantly mumbling under my breath comments regarding their lack of fitness ambition. It seemed to me as if they were there for pleasure, and it’s my personal experience that the rewards of a good cardio workout don’t come from the feeling of pleasure, but more so pain.
When filtering through a men’s body building magazine, you’ll notice articles featuring men that look like Andre the Giant discussing how pain is their friend. This is sort of the mind state I had going into it. And from over 10 years of following different, yet strenuous daily exercise routines, I’ve learned that in order to keep this up, I was going to have to find more enjoyment in what I was doing.
So, I went to the nearest electronics store and purchased an MP3 player. Luckily, I’m a pretty tech savvy guy and was able to figure the whole music transfer thing out in no time. Not only is listening to your favorite tunes great for weight lifting, but it gave me a tremendous pump during my cardio, which mostly took place on treadmills and ellipticals. When I was feeling adventurous, I would sometimes make my way over to the treadmills.
Nevertheless, it was amazing to feel the rhythm and energy that can be naturally conveyed during an extreme workout. It’s easy to see why so many people are now taking up Zumba, and other similar dance classes/routines.
But remember, it’s important not to look exercise as routine, which is most of the reason I invested in an MP3 device. Ellipticals and treadmills will give you some of the best workouts of your life, but it certainly becomes mundane after a few days of hard practice. There are other long-term suggested approaches as switching up your workout plan, but one of the simplest involves investing in an MP3 player. I can see now what I was missing out on.
In my own opinion, having the ability to run to one of my favorite hip hop tunes was similar to drinking a 12oz cup of coffee! You’d be surprised at how much of an adrenaline rush some of today’s most listened to dance songs can provide. Nowadays, it’s impossible to envision myself NOT using an MP3 player.
Last but not least, the results are astounding! I’ve lost so much weight since I began jamming out, and everybody else can see it. So again, before you head over to the gym, stop at Best Buy or Target and pick up an MP3 player – the benefits will outweigh the costs.
Jim Rollince, representative of Gym Source, a leading distributor of Home Gyms and Training Equipment. We specialize in treadmills, ellipticals, arc trainers, and more!
Thanks Jim for your guest post!
Good workout music really makes a difference for me when I’m exercising. I never thought to listen to my ipod while I was doing weights though so I’ll definitely do that.
Kurt says
My wife is a master at picking the right songs to go with a workout. I never worked out or ran to music until she gave me an ipod with a running mix on it. I noticed the difference the first day! I run for a set amount of time and I noticed that I was much farther away from home when it was time to turn around. Now I don’t exercise at all without my ipod.
Angie says
Hi Kurt, sounds like I need to hire your wife to set up a 1/2 marathon walking play list for me for Dec. I have the music, I just don’t know the best order to put it in LOL I feel out of sorts if I don’t have my ipod.
Dan says
I prefer to listen to music when I work out. I want to put forth as much energy as I can, so I listen to music that will pump me up. Certainly not slow music. It helps pass the time and I done before I know it.
There have been times that I forgot my ipod at home, and I just feel like I didn’t work out hard enough on those days.
Angie says
Exactly, love the music that has good rhythm to pump me up and I also believe it helps pass the time too.
Satu says
An interesting post.
I don’t usually listen to music when I exercise, except when music is part of the workout itself.
I have tried listening to music during Nordic walks but I feel that I lose touch with how my body moves. There is no better way to describe it, even though it sounds funny to say that I don’t sense what my legs do if I listen to music! 🙂
Angie says
You are more like my hubby, he doesn’t need music to work out. I definitely need it though!