When you go to the gym, you may feel that your headphones are as important as shoes: you can’t train without them.
Or can you?
Is it even possible to get a good workout without music? Let’s look at why training without music may actually improve your results.
Can Music Distract You From the Task at Hand?
What's your music of choice when you work out? Is it something aggressive, or is it super upbeat?
Many people also love podcasts or audiobooks when they work out. But are you too focused on what you're hearing and not what you're doing?
Granted, music can help push and motivate you, but you may find yourself too distracted by lyrics and the beat.
Podcasts can be even worse. It's easy to get too consumed with the content you're listening to and you end up neglecting the exercise you're performing.
The distraction of music and podcasts could be taking you out of the workout. When this happens, you aren't focused on proper form and concentrating on the muscle you're training.
The Importance of Mind-Muscle Connection
You may have heard about the mind-muscle connection, and it's a very real thing.
The idea is pretty simple: when doing an exercise for a particular muscle group, focus on that specfic muscle throughout the exercise.
The easiest way to picture this is with a bicep curl.
While you’re going through the curling motion, focus on the bicep taking the load of the weight. Concentrate on it throughout the range of motion and be conscious of squeezing it when you’ve reached the top of the curl.
This is what you want to do during every exercise to create the best engagement possible.
And it turns out there may be some science behind it. A study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology looked at this mind-muscle connection issue.
They wanted to see if focusing on specific muscles during a bench press would selectively activate those muscles.
They took 18 resistance-trained men who performed different bench press intensities of their 1RM. They did various sets of 20, 40, 50, 60, and 80% of their one-rep max.
They were told to perform a regular bench press, then a bench press where they focused specifically on using their pecs and triceps.
The study found that focusing on the pecs and triceps increased muscle activity during the bench press.
It should be noticed that this happened when using loads between 20% and 60% of the 1RM.
This is just one study, and there are many variables that can have an impact. But it looks like there may be some benefit to focus on the mind-muscle connection during an exercise.
This also looks like it may be more specific for lower intensity sets of 8–12 reps and not high weight/low reps, or max sets.
When you concentrate on the muscle — and strict form — you can even use lighter weights and get more out of it.
The problem is, music may distract you from focusing on this connection. Your mind becomes fixated on the music and the mind-muscle connection can be lost
If you are someone who is able to train with music blasting but still concentrate on the muscles you are working, then keep going with it.
However, you may find that when you ditch the headphones, your workouts might feel much more effective and intense.
If your workouts have gotten stale, this could be something to look into.
What About Music and Cardio?
Music and podcasts are great for doing mindless cardio in the gym as they serve as a great distraction. But if you do cardio outdoors, it might be more beneficial to do it without music.
You may find yourself more engaged and in tune with what you’re doing.
If you can get out into nature, just the calming sounds from it might do your mental health some big favors.
There may also be some links between nature sounds and lower blood pressure and lowered cortisol.
If you’re outdoors, music may distract you from those natural calming sounds.
Here’s something interesting from research published by Scientific Reports in 2017. They found that if you can’t make it outside, just listening to nature sounds may have the same effect.
The researchers used an MRI scanner to observe the subjects' brain activity. When listening to natural sounds, the listener’s brain connectivity reflected an “outward focus of attention.”
This is a process that happens when we daydream and that makes us feel calm.
Listening to artificial noises created an “inward-directed focus.” This happens during periods of stress, anxiety, and depression.
So if you’re able to get out into nature, you might want to leave the headphones at home.
And if you are at home — and need to unwind — use those headphones to listen to those calming, natural sounds.
Final Thoughts
If you are someone who can’t get through a workout without music, at least give it a try for a few sessions.
Try to really focus on being present for the workout. Focus on each exercise and use that mind-muscle connection. Use your rest periods to prepare for the next set and mentally picture yourself doing it.
You may even want to take it one step further and not bring your phone or at least put it in airplane mode.
Notifications and responding to texts can take you out of the workout and continue to distract you.
When you focus on the mind-muscle connection, there is a bit of a meditative effect. Concentrating on the muscle, the weight, and the form can help eliminate all distracting thoughts.
The mindfulness that comes from this is one of the big reasons why people love the gym: it's great for clearing your head.
So try training with and without music--then compare which works best for you.