Friday, October 25, 2013

The Apps That Make Your Workout Easier

The Apps That Make Your Workout Easier

Act like a DJ at the gym: Creating music while moving can make your workout feel easier, says new German research.

Researchers hooked exercisers up to machines that changed the beat, bass, or melody according to how hard they were working out. For example, if participants ran fast, the music played faster. During the workout, the people who exercised to music that mimicked their effort felt less exhausted than those who simply listened.

When you synchronize your movements to music you create, it could give you more energy, distracting you from workout-related pain, the study authors say.

While the technology used in the study isn’t available yet, the researchers told Men’s Health that changing the tempo of songs to match your workout might have similar effects. Give it a try with apps like Cruise Control (iOS, $4.99) or TempoRun (iOS, $2.99).

But you can also boost your performance listening to tunes the old fashioned way. In a 2011 study at California State University, Fullerton, men did squat jumps with greater force and speed when they cranked their favorite songs than when the gym was silent.  (Music offers similar benefits during cardio workouts, too.)

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