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Monday, March 10, 2008

Habit #12: The Right Music During Your Workout


Do you get charged up when you listen to hip hop or death metal? Maybe dance music fuels your fire for movement. Is Motown your thing? Or perhaps a nice dose of Carpenters or Michael Bolton is what you need to grease your wheels (don't be hater - I can see you smirking).

The thing is that it's different for everybody, but for most people, music adds an essential ingredient of passion and enjoyment to a workout. I used to work with a guy who only listened to Metallica, and he was a bodybuilder, so you know "Enter Sandman" was cranked while he was pumping iron. One of my clients prefers opera far and away over nearly any other style of music on my MP3 that accompanies our sessions (I have a special mix for her). Other clients love the blues, folk, alternative or any of the myriad of obscure artists I play during the hour. A few have even said they couldn't care less what we listen to (although that's hard for me to wrap my head around, if you want to know the truth.)

I teach boxing and used to work with amateurs and pros, sparring and training. I like loud and fast like The White Stripes, Flogging Molly or Eminem for hitting the bags and contact work. I prefer mellow (classical, swing, adult alternative, folk or even soundtracks like "O Brother Where Art Thou" or "Les Miserables") for strength training so I can focus on pristine execution.

Whatever your preference, make sure you're able to listen to what you like when you're exercising. You'll do it better and enjoy it more.

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