At Studio Physique our obsession with the Lagree Fitness method is pretty obvious, but thats not the only thing we’re passionate about. Every single class is highly music based. Instructors cue the class via microphone and make proper adjustments quietly one on one with each and every student once class gets started. Then comes our favorite part… we crank the tunes.
Depending on the class and instructor, you can be sure to hear your favorite pop hits, upbeat hiphop, electric dance music, throwback 80’s tunes and maybe even a little county! Listening to music while you hit the gym, run, or take a fitness class has always been a thing, but why? Understanding how the beats you listen to can enhance your workout is essential. In a 2012 review of research, Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London, one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of exercise music, wrote that one could think of music as “a type of legal performance-enhancing drug.”
“Getting lost in the music” is actually a thing. Music has always had the innate ability to distract athletes from their “body awareness”. Body awareness is the internal understanding of where the body is in space. Music can distract us from pain and fatigue, elevate mood, increase endurance, reduce perceived effort and may even promote metabolic efficiency. Distracting yourself from how hard you’re actually working can help you push through your workout.
Upbeat/fast songs take more time for our brain to process. When our brain is busy processing the music cranking through the stereo, we are briefly distracted from how much effort we are putting into our workout. For example, the body recognizes signs of extreme exertion. These signs include; rising levels of lactate in the muscles, increased heart rate and increased sweat production. Music actually competes with this physiological feedback for the brain’s attention. Rhythm response is a term, coined by psychologists, for how your body reacts to beats. From tapping your foot to shaking your booty, most people instinctively synchronize their movements to the song. Trainers at Studio Physique like to keep our playlists fresh and fun! This helps distract us from moves that really kick our a** like mega donkey kicks ;).
Music and mood are inherently linked. In fact, the beats we listen to engage a wide range of neurobiological systems. This affects our mindset and behavior. Our emotional response to music is very individual. Playlists with a variety of songs, artists, and genres, are a powerful tool you can use to alter your mood. We all know that feeling of finding the right song for that specific moment in time. That’s why at Studio Physique, trainers playlists will contain rock, rap, and pop to hit everyone’s favorites!
Tunes have the ability to make you move, no matter how much you are dreading the workout!