Listening to Fast-Tempo Music Delays the Onset of Neuromuscular Fatigue

Caffeine Expectancy Does Not Influence the Physical Working Capacity at the Fatigue Threshold

ABSTRACT

Ambrozy, CA, Hawes, NE, Hayden, OL, Sortzi, I, and Malek, MH. Caffeine expectancy does not influence the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1056-1062, 2024-The placebo effect occurs when a desired outcome is experienced due to the belief that a treatment is effective, even in the absence of an active ingredient. One explanation for this effect is based on a person's expectations of a drug or supplement. Although caffeine's effects on sports performance have been studied, little is known about how expectations of caffeine affect neuromuscular fatigue during continuous muscle action. The physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT) can be used to assess neuromuscular fatigue noninvasively using surface electromyography. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether caffeine expectancy influences PWCFT. We hypothesized that regardless of expectancy, caffeine consumption would delay neuromuscular fatigue. The study involved 8 healthy college-aged men (mean ± SEM: age, 25.6 ± 1.0 years) who visited the laboratory on 4 occasions, each separated by 7 days. The subjects completed 4 experimental conditions, in random order, where they were told that they were consuming caffeine or placebo and either received caffeine or placebo. After consuming the drink, the subjects remained in the laboratory for an hour and then performed an incremental exercise test. The results showed that the condition where subjects were told that they were consuming caffeine and received caffeine had significantly higher mean values for maximal power output (F(3, 21) = 11.75; p < 0.001), PWCFT (F(3, 21) = 12.28; p < 0.001), PWCFT (%maximal power output; F(3, 21) = 8.75; p < 0.001), and heart rate at end exercise (%predicted; F(3, 21) = 3.83; p = 0.025) compared with the 2 conditions where placebo was received. However, no statistically significant mean differences were found from the condition where subjects were told that they were consuming placebo but consuming caffeine. This suggests that a person's expectancy and potential somatic response may serve as a cue for how an ergogenic aid or placebo could affect subsequent performance.

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.

Listening to Music Pretask on Neuromuscular Fatigue During Exercise: Preferred vs. Nonpreferred Music

ABSTRACT

Diehl, TL, Yu, JN, Storer, FM, and Malek, MH. Listening to music pretask on neuromuscular fatigue during exercise: preferred vs. nonpreferred music. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1537-1542, 2023-Studies indicate that listening to music can elicit various physiological responses ranging from distracting the subject from the sensation of fatigue to changes in specific regions of the brain. Indeed, the use of music, as an ergogenic aid, to improve human performance has been shown to be a powerful tool. Many studies on the effect of music on human performance have had subjects listen to music in-task (i.e., during the activity). There is, however, a growing interest to determine the role of listening to music pretask (i.e., before the activity) on exercise outcomes. In addition, it is important to consider the subject's music preference as that may influence the target outcome variable(s). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether listening to preferred music pretask influences the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC FT ). We hypothesized that listening to preferred music pretask will increase the estimated PWC FT compared with the control condition, which is listening to nonpreferred music. Nine healthy college-aged men (mean ± SEM : age, 23.4 ± 0.4 years; body mass, 71.6 ± 2.5 kg; and height, 1.81 ± 0.02 m) volunteered for this study. Each subject visited the laboratory on 2 occasions separated by 7 days. In a randomized manner, subjects listened to their preferred music for 30 minutes before the exercise test for 1 visit, whereas for the other visit, subjects listened to their nonpreferred music 30 minutes before the exercise test. Exercise outcomes were recorded for both visits and analyzed using a paired-samples t test. The results indicated no significant ( p > 0.05) mean differences for maximal power output (mean ± SEM : 60 ± 4 W vs. 60 ± 4 W), PWC FT (25 ± 3 W vs. 29 ± 2 W), or heart rate at end exercise (153 ± 8 b·min -1 vs. 155 ± 7 b·min -1 ) between listening to nonpreferred vs. preferred music 30 minutes before the exercise activity. These findings suggest that listening to music pretask does not influence neuromuscular fatigue during the exercise workbout.

A Randomized Cross-Over Analysis of the 6-Minute Step Test When Administered in Different Music Listening Conditions to Healthy Young Adults

The 6-Minute Step Test (6-MST) is a simple, inexpensive field test that is increasingly used to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness. Whether sufficient performance is revealed by this test and the effect on it of motivational factors such as music is unknown. In this cross-sectional, randomized, and crossover research design, we aimed to analyze 6-MST performance and test outcomes in different music-related auditory conditions of non-musical/non-rhythmic [NM/NR], musical/non-rhythmic [M/NR], and musical/rhythmic [M/R]). We had 38 healthy young adults (M age = 21.21, SD = 1.21 years; 60% male) complete all tests, and we measured their number of steps taken, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, perceived dyspnea, and fatigue on the modified Borg scale. We recorded individually calculated submaximal values according to heart rate reached after three tests. The number of steps increased in the M/R condition relative to other conditions (p = 0.003), and the amount of change in perceived leg fatigue was also higher in the M/R condition (p < 0.017). Despite variable test performances in different auditory conditions, we found no statistically significant difference in cardiovascular fitness and symptoms (p > 0.05). We concluded that the 6-MST is a useful tool for assessing maximum cardiac tolerance, especially if administered while listening to rhythmic music.

Music recharges people: Synchronized music during aerobic exercise leads to better self-regulation performance

Previous studies have demonstrated that music has a positive effect on individuals during exercise and sports. We speculate that one of the mechanisms for this positive effect may be that music reduces the consumption of self-regulation strength. The primary objective of this study was to use a self-regulation strength model to explain the impact of music on individuals during aerobic exercises. Specifically, we examined the effects of synchronous music on college students' depletion of self-regulation during aerobic exercises. The participants underwent a pre-test in which they had to maintain 50% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) isometric grip and do exercise planning tasks. For subsequent power bicycle riding (aerobic exercise), the participants were divided into a music group and a control group. The music group performed aerobic exercises with synchronous music, while the control group performed aerobic exercises without music. After aerobic exercise, the participants underwent a post-test for isometric grip and exercise planning tasks. The results showed that the music group planned to reduce their efforts less for an upcoming exercise period (p < 0.01, d = 0.81), and their wrist flexor muscle group generated less electromyographic activation during an isometric grip task that maintained 50% MVC (p < 0.05, d = 0.80) than the control group. However, the two groups showed no difference in the duration of 50% MVC. This shows that: (a) for the same duration, participants in the music group required a lower degree of muscle activation than the control group, suggesting that music reduced the consumption of self-regulation strength in aerobic exercise; and (b) music decreased participants' planned exertion declined, also suggesting that music reduced the consumption of self-regulation strength in aerobic exercise.

The Effect of Music Tempo on Fatigue Perception at Different Exercise Intensities

Background: This study aimed to clarify the effect of music tempo on runners’ perception of fatigue at different exercise intensities and while listening to music of different tempos through running experiments. Methods: This study used a within-subject two-factor experimental design with music tempo (fast music, slow music, no music) and exercise intensity (high intensity, low intensity) as independent variables and the time to fatigue perception (TFP), the difference in heart rate (HR) and the difference in the median frequency (MF) of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals as observation indexes. Eighteen participants completed a total of 108 sets of running experiments. Results: (1) The main effect of music tempo on the TFP was significant (p < 0.001). (2) The main effect of exercise intensity on the TFP was significant (p < 0.001), and the main effect on the difference in HR was significant (p < 0.001). (3) The interaction effect of music tempo and exercise intensity on the TFP was significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Exercisers’ subjective perception of fatigue was affected by music tempo and the interaction between music tempo and exercise intensity, and exercisers’ objective fatigue perception was influenced mostly by exercise intensity. The findings of this study provide guidance for runners’ choice of music at different intensities of exercise. Whether it is low-intensity exercise or high-intensity exercise, listening to fast music while exercising can help runners perform better mentally and physically during their runs.

The Evolution of the Physical Work Capacity at the Fatigue Threshold Test: Past, Present, and Future

ABSTRACT

Feldpausch, JE, Blok, AL, Frederick, EL, Coburn, JW, and Malek, MH. The evolution of the physical work capacity at the fatigue threshold test: past, present, and future. J Strength Cond Res 35(12): 3529-3536, 2021-The assessment of neuromuscular fatigue using surface electromyography has evolved over the past 40 years while maintaining some of the original key features. In this mini-review article, the goal will be to briefly present a history and systems of the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT). In addition, we will discuss studies that have investigated the effect of different interventions such as supplementation, exercise, and cognitive fatigue to examine what stimuli influence the PWCFT. The latter section of this mini-review will discuss future studies that may provide additional information related to the underlying physiological mechanism(s) that influences the PWCFT. We will conclude with the practical application of PWCFT in health and sports settings.

Listening to Fast-Tempo Music During a Post-Exercise Passive Rest Period Improved Subsequent Sprint Cycling

Listening to music during active recovery between exercise bouts has been found to help maintain high levels of exercise performance; however, the effect of listening to music alone with no exercise while resting passively has not been elucidated. We examined whether listening to music during static (passive) recovery affects subsequent repeated sprint performances and/or psychological and physiological responses in healthy young males. Twelve healthy young male athletes completed two consecutive sets of 7 × 7 second maximal cycling sprints with a 30-second rest interval between the sprints. During a 15-minute interval between the sets, the participants rested passively while listening to fast-tempo (Fast, 130 bpm), slow-tempo (Slow, 70 bpm) music, or no music (Con). We assessed affective valence and arousal using the Affect Grid. The valence and arousal scores immediately after listening to fast-tempo music were significantly higher than those in the no music condition. Mean and peak power outputs during the second set after listening to fast-tempo music were significantly higher compared to those after the Slow and Con conditions (both adjusted p < .05). Moreover, the changes in exercise performances between the first and second set were significantly associated with changes in the arousal score induced by the music conditions, but not with changes in the valence score. These results suggested that listening to fast-tempo songs during passive recovery between the exercises improved subsequent repeated sprint cycling performance in physically active males. This type of rapid exercise recovery might be useful for competitive athletes, such as judo, track and fields, and swimming races.

The Influence of Music Preference on Exercise Responses and Performance: A Review

Listening to music has been repeatedly shown to have ergogenic benefits during various modes of exercise, including endurance, sprint, and resistance-based activities. Music is commonly incorporated into training regimens by recreational exercisers and competitive athletes alike. While specific modalities of exercise elicit varying physiological responses, listening to music has been shown to modulate many of these responses (i.e., heart rate, catecholamines, muscle activation) often leading to improved performance. Furthermore, listening to music during exercise may positively impact psychological (i.e., mood, motivation) and psychophysiological (i.e., rate of perceived exertion, arousal) changes, which may allow for favorable responses during an exercise challenge. However, there is mixed evidence regarding music's efficacy, which may be mediated through differences in music selection and preference. Emerging evidence has shown that, whether an individual prefers or does not prefer the music they are listening to during exercise greatly influences their ergogenic potential in addition to physiological, psychological, and psychophysiological responses to exercise. From a practical standpoint, music may be controlled by the individual through headphones but is often played communally over speakers in locker rooms, gyms, and health clubs, which may have consequences on performance and training. The following review will describe the physiological, psychological, and psychophysiological responses to exercise while listening to music and how music preference may particularly alter them. Current knowledge and new evidence on how music preference factors into enhancing performance in various modes of exercise will be further discussed, incorporating practical considerations for individuals and practitioners in real-world applications to optimize performance.

Effect of Pre-Exercise Music on Bench Press Power, Velocity, and Repetition Volume

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of listening to pre-exercise music on bench press performance. We recruited 10 resistance trained males (M age= 22.8, SD = 5.8 years; M height= 173.7, SD = 8.3 cm; M body mass = 81.0, SD = 18.2 kg) for this crossover counterbalanced research design. Participants completed two bench press exercise trials of (a) No music (NM), and (b) Pre-exercise music (PreExM) separated by at least 48 hours. For each trial, following a warm-up, participants listened to music or no music for three minutes. After this 3-minute period, they completed one set of bench press repetitions with maximum explosive intent at 75% one repetition maximum (1 RPM). We used a rotary encoder to measure power and velocity of barbell movement. After a 3-minute rest during which they again listened to music or no music, participants completed another set of repetitions to failure (RTF) at 75% of 1RM. Immediately following this second set of repetitions, we measured exercise motivation with a visual analog scale (VAS). We found that the PreExM condition increased mean power output (p = 0.005; d = 0.792) and barbell velocity (p = 0.015; d = 0.722). RTF were significantly higher during the PreExM versus NM trial (p = 0.002; d = 0.985), and motivation was significantly higher in the PreExM trial versus NM (p = 0.001; d = 0.932). These findings suggest improved muscle power explosiveness and strength-endurance when listening to music before a bench press exercise. From a practical standpoint, athletes who have the option of listening to music immediately prior to resistance exercise may benefit from its use.

Management of Procedural Pain in Children

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the study of pain in children and its treatment. It is known that when facing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures similar to those performed on adults, children either do not receive specific pain treatment or receive it on a significantly lower scale. However, recent research suggests a change in attitude and an improvement in the current treatment of children's pain. Although current knowledge demonstrates the falsity of many preconceived ideas about pain and its management, our results suggest that attitudinal change towards childhood pain remains slow and that real improvement in the training and practical application of the pediatrician who has to treat childhood pain is urgently needed. In this context, this manuscript has prepared standards and guidelines to improve pain management practices in a large number of national and international professional settings.

Effect of Listening to Music on Wingate Anaerobic Test Performance. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: There are many athletes who like to listen to music while making a high intensity effort. However, research into the effects of listening to music on athletic performance has provided controversial results, and it is suggested that the timing and type of music might affect the anaerobic performance response. Purpose: The main aim of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the effects while listening to music tasks via the 30 s Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) on absolute performance and relative peak power (APP and RPP), absolute and relative mean power (AMP and RMP), and fatigue index (FI). Methods: PRISMA guidelines were used as a basis for conducting this systematic review, with inclusion criteria being set out according to the PICOS model. Computer-based literature research was undertaken until 10 March 2020 using the following online databases: PubMed/Medline, WOS, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The literature was reviewed with regard to the effects of listening to music on the WAnT using several music variables on: APP, RPP, AMP, RMP and FI. Hedges' g formula was used to calculate both standard mean differences and 95% confidence intervals, in order to establish continuous outcomes. Furthermore, the I² statistic evaluated systematic differences (heterogeneity) together with a random effect meta-analysis model. Results: This systematic review included nine articles that researched into the effects of music on WAnT performance (six studies describe improvements in APP and/or RPP, four in AMP and/or RMP and three in FI). The random effects model was used to undertake a final meta-analysis, with standardized mean differences (SMD) and magnitude of standardized mean differences (MSMD) (Hedges' g) being pooled accordingly. The resulting meta-analysis incorporated eight studies that had been previously published, with results showing that there were no apparent beneficial effects on APP (p = 0.09), AMP (p = 0.33) and FI (p = 0.46) as a consequence of listening to music. However, listening to music showed beneficial effects on RPP (SMD: 0.65; 95%: CI 0.35 to 0.96; MSMD: moderate; I², 0%; p < 0.001) and RMP (SMD: 1.03; 95%: CI, 0.63 to 1.42; MSMD: trivial; I², 0%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis has shown that listening to music during the WAnT might physiologically enhance relative anaerobic exercise performance, although reasons remain speculative.