Songs to boost your workout

Listening to music while you exercise boosts your capacity to work out harder. And now a professor from Brunel University in West London has created a formula for the perfect workout track.

It can't be any old music. "Some gyms tend to just put on a radio station, which can be a bad idea, as radio stations will vary their tracks to create a different mood," Dr. Costas Karageorghis told the BBC. It's the wrong kind of music for intense exercise.

By testing 30 volunteers on a variety of specially-selected rock and pop music, Karageorghis found their exercise endurance rose by an average of 15 percent, which is a significant amount considering the only boost is from the music. His formula for the best exercise music is this: The song has to have the right rhythm, tempo and musicality of popular music, but also it must be mixed with a bit of "cultural impact." The best songs for moderate to intense exercise have to be between 120 and 140 beats a minute.

The top 5 songs to listen to while exercising:

• "I Like the Way You Move" by the Bodyrockers
• "Mercy" by Duffy
• "The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey
• "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
  

Not all music is good for exercising. Karageorghis warns against grunge or punk tracks, as well as slow rock. In addition to making exercise more enjoyable, music can actually reduce the perception of doing hard work -- at least during moderate exercise. Music may not have such an effect during an intense, difficult workout.

--From the Editors at Netscape