Self-Selected Motivational Music on the Performance and Perceived Exertion of Runners

Combined Effects of Listening to Preferred Music and Video Feedback, during Warm-Up, on Physical Performance in Young Kickboxers

Although studies have indicated that the prior use of video feedback and music listening separately improves physical performance and positive feelings in various sports, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated their combined effect in combat-sports-specific tasks. The aim of this study was to determine the combined effect of listening to preferred music and video feedback on aerobic and anaerobic performance in male kickboxers. In a counterbalanced crossover study design, twenty kickboxers underwent three kicking exercises under one of three conditions: (1) control condition, (2) combined listening to preferred music and video feedback, and (3) video feedback during 10-min of rope warm-up. Kickboxers performed a ten-second kicking test, multiple ten-second kick test, and progressive taekwondo test. The total number of kicks, fatigue index, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, and feeling scale were measured. The combined music and video feedback condition improved the number of kicks with a better positive feeling scale (F ≥ 7.4, p ≤ 0.002, ηp2 ≥ 0.28) than the video feedback and control conditions in all three kicking exercises, while the video feedback alone led to better kick performances and a better feeling scale than the control condition in the ten-second and multiple ten-second kicking tests (p ≤ 0.016). The combined listening to preferred music and video feedback condition was more effective at enhancing the positive feeling scale and repeated roundhouse kick performance. Future investigations should examine the application of video feedback and listening to music in various kickboxing tasks including punches and kicks.

Music Alters Conscious Distance Monitoring without Changing Pacing and Performance during a Cycling Time Trial

Athletes use their own perception to monitor distance and regulate their pace during exercise, avoiding premature fatigue before the endpoint. On the other hand, they may also listen to music while training and exercising. Given the potential role of music as a distractor, we verified if music influenced the athletes' ability to monitor the distance covered during a 20-km cycling time trial (TT20km). We hypothesized that music would elongate cyclists' perceived distance due to reduced attentional focus on exercise-derived signals, which would also change their ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). We also expected that the motivational role of music would also be beneficial in pacing and performance. After familiarization sessions, ten recreational cyclists performed an in-laboratory TT20km while either listening to music or not (control). They reported their RPE, associative thoughts to exercise (ATE), and motivation when they each perceived they had completed 2-km. Power output and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded. Cyclists elongated their distance perception with music, increasing the distance covered for each perceived 2 km (p = 0.003). However, music reduced the error of conscious distance monitoring (p = 0.021), pushing the perceived distance towards the actual distance. Music increased the actual distance-RPE relationship (p = 0.004) and reduced ATE (p < 0.001). However, music affected neither performance assessed as mean power output (p = 0.564) and time (p = 0.524) nor psychophysiological responses such as HR (p = 0.066), RPE (p = 0.069), and motivation (p = 0.515). Cyclists elongated their distance perception during the TT20km and changed the actual distance-RPE relationship, which is likely due to a music-distractive effect. Although there was a reduced error of conscious distance monitoring, music affected neither pacing nor performance.

Effects of preferred music on physiological responses, perceived exertion, and anaerobic threshold determination in an incremental running test on both sexes

This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of preferred music on anaerobic threshold determination in an incremental running test, as well the physiological responses and perceived exertion at this intensity, in physically active men and women. Additionally, by using area under the curve (AUC) analysis of the parameters of interest during the graded test, we studied the effects of music at two physiological moments-before and after anaerobic threshold intensity (iAT)-in men and women. Twenty (men = 10; women = 10) healthy and active participants completed four visits to the laboratory. The first and second sessions were used for sample characterization. In the third and fourth sessions, participants performed an incremental running test (started at 7 km.h-1 with increments of 1 km.h-1 at each 3-minute stage) under preferred music and non-music conditions. Blood lactate ([Lac]), heart rate (HR), and perceived exertion were measured by two scales (RPEBorg and the estimation of time limit ‒ ETL) during all tests, and the total time of effort (TT) was considered as performance. Individual curves of the "intensity vs blood lactate" analyzed by the bissegmentation method provide the iAT and the AUC of [Lac], HR, RPEBorg, and ETL before and after the iAT attainment were calculated. The iAT for men (non-music: 11.5±0.9km.h-1 vs music: 11.6±1.1km.h-1) and women (non-music: 9.8±0.7km.h-1 vs music: 9.7±0.7km.h-1) was not affected by music, and for both sexes, there was no difference between non-music and music conditions in all variables obtained at iAT. The AUC of all variables were not affected by music before the iAT attainment. However, [Lac], HR, and RPEBorg presented higher values of AUC after iAT for the female group with preferred music. This may be due to the fact that 70% of women have increased TT under music conditions. Overall, preferred music did not affect the iAT determination in an incremental running test. However, some physiological responses and perceived exertion after iAT of female subjects seems to be influenced by preferred music.