Determining what kind of music you should listen to when running, jogging or engaging in any kind of exercise activity depends on a few factors. These factors will help you determine which music works best for your running or jogging routines.
Intensity:
The intensity of one’s workout plays a big role in determining which kind of music is perfect for that particular workout.
Intense workouts that consist of weight lifting or result in high heart rate (cardio workouts) go well with music that pumps you up and gets you moving.
Fast paced music or high energy music that gets you moving and keeps you motivated is perfect for intense workouts. Genres such as rock, metal, and hardcore are often used along with high intensity workouts.
For running and jogging in particular, techno or electronic music that has a fixed BPM (beats per minute) on the higher end such as 160 BPM and higher are great for intense workouts involving sprints and consistently fast running.
Lower intensity jogs and walks can be complimented by fixed BPM tracks that are slower paced but consistent in their rhythm. BPMS below 140 can be good for these less intense workouts.
Duration:
For long distance jogs and runs, you need audio tracks that keep you motivated especially towards the end. Podcasts such as Podrunner, available on iTunes are free compilations of techno and electronic mixes that work for a variety of workouts.
There are long mixes that start off easy and then move into highly motivational audio tracks, capping off with a peak in the intensity of the music to help you finish strong.
There are also interval mixes that increase and decrease in beats per minute based on workout routines involving interval track training or switching rapidly between exercises.
Most music that works well with jogging or running is music that will get you moving and keep you moving. For most people, mellow music or relaxing music may not be the most ideal music for jogging or running, but there are always exceptions to this.
For long easy jogs, some people may benefit from mellow music that keeps them calm and focused rather than loud intense music that keeps pushing them to run harder and faster. Of course, a fixed BPM track that has a very low BPM can help people get into a steady but easy going running groove.
The reason fixed BPM tracks are mentioned in this article are because they can be extremely useful for workouts that entail running and jogging.
The fixed beats can help you find your groove and stick to it throughout the run or jog. You’d be surprised at how quickly you can find yourself falling into a groove with your running syncing up to the beats in the music.
Always use caution and care when using headphones will running outdoors or in areas where safety is an issue. Listening to music while running or jogging is safest when done on a running track or on a treadmill where obstacles, moving vehicles, and other dangers are less likely to be present.
