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  • Music can really set a mood - a little classical or jazz might relax your whole body, while

  • pop or rock music can get your blood pumping for a night out on the town. But if music

  • can seemingly enhance a mindset, or help you resist mental fatigue, can it also affect

  • athletic performance?

  • The term 'synchronous music' refers to uptempo songs with a strong beat that coincide with

  • the repetitive movements of a sport. And it's this type of music that leads to a higher

  • work output in athletes, particularly in sports that involve endurance with rhythmic or repetitive

  • movements, such as cross country skiing. This was put into practice as Haile Gebrselassie

  • famously synchronised his running stride to the rhythmical pop song "Scatman" when breaking

  • the 10,000m world record.

  • Studies show that music can act as both a cognitive and physical stimulant, especially

  • when the music has a personal meaning to the individual. For athletes who suffer from pre-competition

  • anxiety, music can be used to enhance mood, self-esteem and confidence. Even during competition,

  • music can narrow an athlete's attention, diverting focus away from sensations of fatigue.

  • In studies of athletes using music, those who listened to pop songs during training

  • or warm ups had higher heart rates, and increased muscle power compared to those who trained

  • without music. Furthermore, because music can trigger emotion, it was documented to

  • enhance mental imagery - a technique in which athletes picture themselves mastering a sport

  • before competition. This state of mind is crucial for all athletes, particularly before

  • major events. Funny enough, coaches even withhold music from athletes sometimes, as a motivational

  • tool. Athletes are told they can use music during training sessions, only once they have

  • reached a specific productivity level.

  • So which music works best? Almost all findings found that listening to music - period - regardless

  • of composition or speed, enhanced performance compared to no music. However, music with

  • an upbeat tempo of greater than 120 bpm, yielded the greatest improvements.

  • Science says, make a pump up playlist full of your favourite upbeat songs of the time,

  • and blast the competition away.

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  • Just head to cbc.ca/Olympics/ScienceSays to watch them before anyone else. Link in the description.

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Music can really set a mood - a little classical or jazz might relax your whole body, while

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