There is a bit of a divide in the running world when it comes to listening to music. Some people love to run alongside their favourite beats, and some people prefer to have full awareness of their surroundings and listen to the sound of nature. However, running to music doesn’t only make your run more interesting, it also presents some benefits such as improved motivation and better focus.
If you’re new to running, or you’ve not yet tried it with music, there are some tips that you should know. Keep reading as we discuss these tips and give you some insight as to the benefits that music can have for exercise.
The best music for running
What music you choose for running will likely come down to the BPM (beats per minute). As a general rule, anything above 120 beats per minute will be considered a good running song. To help break this down a bit further and help you find the right bpm for your goals, we can use the following guidelines:
- For jogging and easy runs opt for 120-130 bpm
- For runs that require a little more effort choose between 140-150 bpm
- For running faster or if you’re trying to work on keeping pace opt for 150-180 bpm.
You can search for running playlists on most streaming platforms, and you can even usually specify which bpm you’re looking for. With that being said, you can just opt for music that you find motivational or use songs that adhere to your music tastes. Many people like to choose songs with motivational lyrics, where some like to choose rock music and others like techno. It’s an entirely personal choice, but to give you an idea here are some examples of popular running songs to make your run more fun:
- Sabotage - The Beastie Boys (168 bpm)
- Thunderstruck - AC/DC (134 bpm)
- Seven Nation Army - White Stripes (124 bpm)
- Lady - Hear Me Tonight - Modjo (126 bpm)
- Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz (139 bpm)
- Song 2 - Blur (130 bpm)
- One More Time - Daft Punk (123 bpm)
- Shackles (Praise You) - Malarkey (120 bpm)
- My Sharona - The Knack (148 bpm)
- Bad Guy - Billie Eilish (135 bpm)
- Untouched - The Veronicas (176 bpm)
- Pump It - Black Eyed Peas (154 bpm)
How does running to music help?
There are plenty of reasons to run to music, but it isn’t necessary. If you prefer to run without music, you can just do what is best for you. However, many people prefer to have something playing and more often than not the music they’re listening to is a high bpm. This is because this type of music can produce many benefits. Some studies have also researched some of the effects of running to music, for example, this study suggests that those who listen to motivational music before a run will improve their performance and those who listen to calming music after a run will recover better. Additionally, a study from Corpus Christi University in Texas indicates that those who listened to music ran 4-8% faster than individuals who ran without music. Below we’ve listed some of the other advantages you might experience when listening to running music.
Motivation
Listening to high bpm music can help you to feel more pumped to run, improving your motivation and endurance levels. In addition to this, continued listening to music throughout your workout can help you to focus more. Whether that be through cancelling out background noise from the gym or general outdoor spaces, upbeat music can help remove distractions. This can also help you to push through difficult parts of your run, for example if you’re doing interval training or running uphill on your route.
Keeping pace
The speed of your music can help you to keep your desired pace. Often, the faster music will encourage you to increase your speed and the lower tempos will help you to slow down. By keeping with the beat, you can stay in whichever pace you need to. If you have to change the speed you're running at, try matching it with the tempo of your music.
Make running more enjoyable
Some people love running, and some people really don’t. Either way, it’s a great form of exercise that is free to do and requires very little to get started. If you have the view that running is boring, music can help make it more enjoyable. Alternatively, if you have a particular route you like to run but it isn’t very scenic, music can help to improve how you feel about it.
What is the best device for listening to music while running?
If you listen to music when running, you’ll need some equipment that’s designed to handle the movements of running. Of course, you can use regular headphones but you may find that they easily fall out or that they’re uncomfortable. In which case, you’ll need some running headphones. We recommend the Shokz Openrun Pro 2 Bone Conduction headphones. This technology allows you to hear your surroundings whilst listening to music, keeping you safe in high traffic areas. Meanwhile, they are secured by a thin band that fits around the back of your head and boast a long battery life, ensuring comfort and reliability on long runs. They can be used in all weathers and are resistant to rain as well as sweat, and a quick 5 minute charge enables 1.5 hours of battery life.
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| Shokz Openrun Pro 2 Bone Conduction headphones |
In addition to suitable headphones, we’d also recommend investing in a running watch that has the option to download music such as the Forerunner 165 Music GPS Watch from Garmin. Not only will this watch help to track your workout, but it means you can sync your Spotify or other streaming services to your device and download songs for offline listening without your phone. The controls also make it easy to adjust or change your music if necessary, all the while offering performance insights and heart rate monitoring.
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| Forerunner 165 Music GPS Watch - Garmin |
If you don’t have the budget for either of these items, a simple phone holder armband and wireless headphones will work, though you’ll need to be more mindful about your safety, comfort levels, battery life, and resistance to unfavourable weather conditions.
Should you listen to music when you’re running?
As listed above, there are benefits to running with music. With that being said, there may be sometimes where you should opt to ditch the headphones. If you’re planning to run races, these events often prohibit you from using them as they can distract you from your breathwork, pace, and strides. Additionally, this means that you’ll be able to hear the support of the bystanders and soak up the atmosphere.
Alternatively, if you struggle with awareness of your surroundings when you have music on, it isn’t recommended that you use headphones as this can distract you from keeping an eye out for potential hazards. Some people also find that not listening to music helps to keep a steadier pace and prevents rushing. As such, it may be worth running your regular route with and without music to see which suits you best.
Get more out of your run with Start Fitness
Running with music can make your run more enjoyable, you’ll just need to make sure that you stay safe and are aware of your surroundings. In order to improve your safety, you may also wish to look through our hi-vis running gear which will help you to be seen by oncoming road and pedestrian traffic. Alternatively, you can explore more of our GPS and technology equipment which includes more watch and headphone options.