MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

The Rock Shares His Gym Playlist So We Can All Workout Like Him

The Rock Shares His Gym Playlist So We Can All Workout Like Him

The 60 Best Workout Songs of All Time

The 60 Best Workout Songs of All Time

Karl Stefanovic And Cody Simpson Battle It Out In The Gym

Karl Stefanovic And Cody Simpson Battle It Out In The Gym

5 Reasons Why We’re Obsessed With Barry’s

5 Reasons Why We’re Obsessed With Barry’s

{headline}

{headline}

8 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout (Beyond the Gym)

8 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout (Beyond the Gym)

Train Your Whole Body With This Single DIY Piece Of Equipment

Train Your Whole Body With This Single DIY Piece Of Equipment

Calum Von Moger's 5 Tips For Beginner Bodybuilders

Calum Von Moger's 5 Tips For Beginner Bodybuilders

{headline}

{headline}

Yes, You Can Workout When You're Sick... In Fact, You Probably Should

Yes, You Can Workout When You're Sick... In Fact, You Probably Should

The Session Australia's Top Trainers Use To Train Themselves

The Session Australia's Top Trainers Use To Train Themselves

Arnie Is Back Pumping Iron, Only 6 Months Post-Surgery

Arnie Is Back Pumping Iron, Only 6 Months Post-Surgery

How The Heck Did Calvin Harris Get So Jacked?

How The Heck Did Calvin Harris Get So Jacked?

The Workout Behind Osher Günsberg's Transformation

The Workout Behind Osher Günsberg's Transformation

Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Lose Belly Fat And Build Muscle

Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Lose Belly Fat And Build Muscle

Swearing At The Gym Makes You F*cking Stronger, Apparently

Swearing At The Gym Makes You F*cking Stronger, Apparently

  1. Home
  2. Fitness

The Weird Reason Why Listening to 'Despacito' Can Boost Your Workout

It's probably already in your head now anyway - by Mary Brophy Marcus
  • 12 Mar 2018
The Weird Reason Why Listening to 'Despacito' Can Boost Your Workout
YouTube/Luis Fonsi

Don’t forget to queue up your latest playlist before you hit the gym. Listening to music while you exercise can make it feel easier, a new study suggests. The new study backs up a swag of recent research on the benefits of music when it comes to smashing your workout, but this time Latin music is in the spotlight.

People who listened to upbeat, mostly Latin-inspired music during a cardiac stress test were able to go almost a minute longer compared to study participants who didn't listen to music at all, according to researchers from Texas Tech University Health Sciences in El Paso.

So if you were looking for an excuse to play "Despacito" on the treadmill, now you've got one. (And if you were hoping to avoid "Despacito" for the rest of your life, we apologize. Except not really, because "Despacito" slaps.)

Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee

The randomized study assessed 127 patients who came in for a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) treadmill stress test. On average, they were 53 years old and had similar medical histories, including diabetes and hypertension. The men and women were randomly assigned to listen to either up-tempo, Latin-inspired music or no music at all during their stress tests.

During the tests, researchers increased treadmill speed and incline every three minutes, starting at 1.7 mph at a 10 percent grade and building up to 3.4 mph at a 14 percent grade, the researchers explained in a statement by The American College of Cardiology.

In the end, the group that listened to music lasted almost a full minute longer (505.8 seconds) than the control group (455.2 seconds) — an absolute difference of about 50.6 seconds, the researchers reported. The music group also worked out harder, according to the analysis.

“Our findings reinforce the idea that upbeat music has a synergistic effect in terms of making you want to exercise longer and stick with a daily exercise routine,” Shami said. What Shami didn't mention: that it can also make you bust out some pretty sweet dance moves.

Shakira - Chantaje (Official video) ft. Maluma

That music can help amp up your workout isn’t really a new finding, says Dr. Martin Matsumura, MD, chief of cardiology at Geisinger Health System in Wilkes, Barre, Pennsylvania. “A lot of studies with variable data show that listening to music increases exercise tolerance and the ability to exercise longer,” he told Men’s Health.

Researchers don’t know why this is the case. “The mechanism of that still is not clear. Some people think it’s simply a diversion that allows you to take your mind away from pain,” says Matsumura, who was not involved with the research.

He noted that the study included Hispanic participants and that the music was Latin-inspired music, which might suggest that familiar music may also lead to more positive results.

“If you’re running to a beat you like, it may allow your body to fall into a rhythm so your results are better,” he says.

Dance Discover GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Matsumura isn't sure if the study's findings can be applied to people who do long, intensive exercise — like, say, someone trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. “These were pretty low-level exercises. It’s not the high level exercise of someone who is trying to PR in a 5k,” he says.

That said, anything that can motivate a person to work out more often is a good thing — so if listening to your jams helps keep you moving, keep doing it. Matsumura offers one last safety tip: if you’re listening to music while running or biking on roads with cars and trucks, remember to keep an ear out or the volume low enough to hear traffic noises.

Oh, and also? Try not to rock out too hard.

This article originally appeared on Men's Health.

  • News
  • Fitness
  • Exercise
  • Workout Routine
  • Mental Health

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

The Rock Shares His Gym Playlist So We Can All Workout Like Him

The Rock Shares His Gym Playlist So We Can All Workout Like Him

The 60 Best Workout Songs of All Time

The 60 Best Workout Songs of All Time

Karl Stefanovic And Cody Simpson Battle It Out In The Gym

Karl Stefanovic And Cody Simpson Battle It Out In The Gym

5 Reasons Why We’re Obsessed With Barry’s

5 Reasons Why We’re Obsessed With Barry’s

{headline}

{headline}

8 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout (Beyond the Gym)

8 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout (Beyond the Gym)

Train Your Whole Body With This Single DIY Piece Of Equipment

Train Your Whole Body With This Single DIY Piece Of Equipment

Calum Von Moger's 5 Tips For Beginner Bodybuilders

Calum Von Moger's 5 Tips For Beginner Bodybuilders

{headline}

{headline}

Yes, You Can Workout When You're Sick... In Fact, You Probably Should

Yes, You Can Workout When You're Sick... In Fact, You Probably Should

The Session Australia's Top Trainers Use To Train Themselves

The Session Australia's Top Trainers Use To Train Themselves

Arnie Is Back Pumping Iron, Only 6 Months Post-Surgery

Arnie Is Back Pumping Iron, Only 6 Months Post-Surgery

How The Heck Did Calvin Harris Get So Jacked?

How The Heck Did Calvin Harris Get So Jacked?

The Workout Behind Osher Günsberg's Transformation

The Workout Behind Osher Günsberg's Transformation

Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Lose Belly Fat And Build Muscle

Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Lose Belly Fat And Build Muscle

Swearing At The Gym Makes You F*cking Stronger, Apparently

Swearing At The Gym Makes You F*cking Stronger, Apparently

MensHealth
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe to Digital
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe to Digital
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Women's Health

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Men's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now