The best training song … the debate goes on

April 19, 2012

Music can be fun at a party, make a dramatic scene in a movie even more dramatic and make a long drive seem to fly by, but what can it do to help train for the 36th annual Bellin Run?

According to a recent study by Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist with London’s Brunel University School of Sport and Education, “Music reduces the perception of effort by up to 10 percent and can increase a runner’s endurance by up to 9 percent.”

What makes a great training song? Karageorghis suggests it’s the song’s tempo or its beats per minute. Training songs ideally should be between 120-140 beats per minute. A range that coincides with both the average person’s heart rate during a workout and the average stride of most runners.

Scores of songs land in the ideal beats per minute range. Some recent selections highlighted by Karageorghis include “Moves Like Jagger,” by Maroon 5, “Jai Ho,” the theme song to the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” and basically everything from the hip-hop group LMFAO.

When asked to pick one ideal training song he said “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme song from the film “Rocky,” “Evokes a state of optimism and excitement in the listener.”

Bellin Run participants might recognize this tune as they turn down Greene Avenue at the 2-mile mark in the race.

The perfect training song? We want to know what you think. Connect with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages and tell us your favorite training songs.