What Rocks Your World? Working Out Music

Daily Fit Tips

“We whistle while we work…” The Seven Dwarfs never got tired of singing the same old song. As for me, I like variety when it comes to music and workouts. I know I can’t be the only one who’s tired of listening to the same old music in the gym, on fitness walks, and on my exercise dvds?

What would you like to hear? How about a little country, classic rock or R&B for a change? You don’t have to listen to dance music or the oldies to get a good workout. You don’t have to listen to hard rock or pop. You just might want to try something inspiration like gospel or perhaps throw in something motivational from Brian Tracey or Jim Rohn.

I’ve found that different forms of audio help me focus on the routine at hand. I learned this secret from walking with fitness CDs. I’d keep a nice steady pace while listening to the upbeat music and listening to the trainer encourage me to set goals and keep moving. When doing cardio dvds, I did well with both dance music and the oldies. For yoga, it always seemed to be some new age music that I’d never listen to on my car radio. At the gym, I preferred Metallica and AC/DC, but of course the gym never plays hard rock.

It really wasn’t until I started working out with the Beachbody workout P90X that I realized that I could decide what music I wanted to hear. I could listen to whatever motivated me, kept me focused or even inspired me.

The P90X Extreme Home Fitness dvds allow you to listen to music and cues dubbed for the program, but you also have some options. You can turn off the music and just listen to the cues to move from one exercise to the next. You also have the option of turning off the music and the cues. These options give you a lot ways to customize your program.

In the beginning of my P90X journey, I listened to the music and cues on all 13 dvds until I had the routines down pretty well. Then, I started experimenting. I turned off the music and listened to some relaxing flute music or ocean sounds while doing yoga. I tried the Chest, Shoulder, & Tri routine with the 22 themes of 007 blaring in our loft. (Don’t laugh. That really is a good cd to drown out the world and keep your blood flowing!)

Most recently, I tried something totally different. I listened to an audiobook while doing Chest & Biceps. Please don’t try this until you can do your routine with your eyes closed. Listening to words is different than listening to music. You have to focus somewhat on the audio to comprehend what you’re hearing. If you don’t have your routine down yet, this might take too much focus off your exercise session which may affect your performance or make you more prone to injury.

Of course, there are days when I just listen to my favorite music on my ipod. I’m usually walking when the ipod earphones are on. I prefer the freedom of stereo speakers when I’m doing my Beachbody workouts at home. There’s nothing like the adrenaline you feel when the stereo is too loud and no one’s at home to remind you.

Experiment a little and see what works for you. Music is our universal language. Be inspired. Get motivated to move. Feel peace and serenity. Focus. Energize. Perform at your best. Turn it on. Turn it up. Work in silence or at the lowest volume. Let music enhance your workouts. Let music rock your world.