Effects of tempo of self-selected music on isokinetic strength performance and psychological outcomes.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized crossover trial
PubMed 37702552 · doi:10.1111/sms.14487
What was done
Thirty resistance-trained college-aged adults completed three exercise testing sessions in a randomized, counterbalanced repeated-measures design. Participants performed concentric maximum-effort knee extension and flexion testing on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°/s under three conditions: self-selected fast music, slow music, and no music. Standardized Likert-style scales measured perceived effort, discomfort, attention, arousal, and pleasantness.
What was found
Music improved knee extension torque compared to no music, but had no effect on knee flexion torque. Neither the presence of music nor its tempo influenced any of the measured psychological outcomes (effort, discomfort, attention, arousal, or pleasantness). The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values.
Why it matters
This study suggests that self-selected music provides minimal ergogenic or psychological benefit during short-duration, high-intensity strength tasks, contrasting with its established benefits in endurance exercise.
Limits
The sample size is small (n = 30) and restricted to college-aged, resistance-trained adults. Outcomes were limited to single-joint isokinetic contractions at a single velocity (60°/s), which may not generalize to multi-joint or free-weight resistance exercises. No numerical data or confidence intervals are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- context Intentionally playing music during training provides a small benefit in muscle growth, and generally higher tempo music is more effective.