Four Ways to Sync Your Workouts With Music

The perfect playlist can make the difference between achieving your workout goal and giving up halfway. There is a scientific relationship between music and the way we feel during workouts. Studies show that music can act as a natural pain reliever, releasing dopamine and opioids in the brain to improve your mood and make you feel less tired. With the right jam, you can move faster, work out longer, and feel more energized. Syncing your workouts with music is a great idea whether you’re a gym junkie or new to the whole exercise thing. Here are four easy ways to put a soundtrack to your workout:

• Spotify Running Mode
• RockMyRun
• PaceDJ
• FIT Radio

Spotify, the music, video, and podcast streaming service, launched a recent update that plays music to the pace of your run. This type of synchronization can help you perform the repetitive motion of running, and even help you move more quickly. Simply download the Spotify app (you have to pay $9.99 per month to access Premium) and turn on running mode. Start running and the app will select music that matches your pace. You can choose to listen to a multi-genre playlist, music selections based on what you’ve previously listened to, or hear new tracks DJs have created specifically for running.

This free app works with top DJs to deliver music that’s finely for the running experience. With advanced song sorting and search functionality, RockMyRun is user-friendly. Researchers from the University of California San Diego have confirmed that this app can increase your intrinsic motivation by up to 35%. Participants in the study ran about 3% faster with RockMyRun than with other apps. Choose your genre, play the “Suggested for You” playlist, select the latest mixes, and more.

Another free workout app, PaceDJ, is similar to RockMyRun, except it uses songs from your own music archive. PaceDJ matches your pace with your private music, analyzing each song in terms of beats per minute. You have control over your running routine, with slower songs that come on during walks and higher beat-per-minute jams for runs and sprints.

If you’re not a runner, FIT Radio is a great choice for other types of workouts. This music-streaming app plays DJ-created mixes that maintain a consistent beat for workouts. You can browse music based on your type of workout – for example, yoga, spin, or Zumba – or by genre or DJ. This app is free, but you can pay $3.99 per month to access more genres and other features.

You are going to need some great headphones to listen to your playlist. Check out the Puresound H100, Bluetooth Headphones on Amazon HERE.