EXCLUSIVE: These are the 21 best songs to listen to if you want to run further – according to science
- The playlist can motivate fitness enthusiasts who run, cycle, row or climb stairs
- The songs were selected based on their upbeat tempo of 120 to 135 BPM
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Whether you’re training for a marathon or can barely get off the couch and head out the door for a jog, fitness experts have put together a science-backed playlist to boost motivation and keep you running further.
The Spotify playlist with 21 songs is full of energetic tunes designed to help you get the most out of your cardio workout, whether you’re running, cycling, rowing or climbing stairs to get your heart rate up.
Researchers at Total shape created the one-hour playlist based on Spotify’s global charts from the summer.
The featured songs have been selected in part for their strong and uninterrupted beats, ranging from 120 to 135 beats per minute, a rate believed to be the ideal tempo for cardio workouts.
The songs span genres from electronic dance music, or EDM, to reggaeton, R&B and K-pop. It contains hits from artists such as Calvin Harris, Beyonce and Jung Kook.
Running on the treadmill is a popular cardio activity at the gym. However, those who are not fans of the treadmill can also do things like climbing stairs, cycling and rowing
A spokesperson for Total Shape said: ‘Listening to music lowers our levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increases our levels of dopamine, the happiness hormone, especially if we like what we hear.
“Global charts are a good place to find new songs with a high chance of being liked.”
No matter the intensity of your workout, the Spotify playlist is sure to motivate you more than a slow song to run faster, cycle further, row harder and climb higher
“You’re not getting the most out of your gym session if you’re running on a treadmill while listening to ballads,” the Total Shape spokesperson said.
They explained: ‘This is where the 120-135 BPM factor comes in, which reflects the relatively fast rhythm of a song and helps you keep a steady, mid-range beat, if that’s what you’re looking for.’
The spokesperson continues: ‘We also looked at how danceable, energetic and stable the songs are, so that they are cheerful enough and do not have disturbing breaks that distract you.
“We were surprised to find that DJ Science, as we called the algorithm, produced a flawless playlist that serves its intended purpose: perfectly supporting your cardio workout.”
It’s factors like this that make people train harder without even realizing it.
Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London said as much in 2012 you might think of exercise music as ‘a kind of legal performance-enhancing drug.’
Karageorghis explained: ‘Since exercise is often tiring, boring and strenuous, anything that alleviates these negative feelings would be welcome.’
The research into the best songs to train to was commissioned by Total Shape – a leading online source for fitness, nutrition, supplements and healthy lifestyle advice.