Do you listen to music at the gym? If so, why?

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Replies

  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    I always listen to music while lifting. It drowns out the horrible gym music. I need the heavy music to help me concentrate (sounds counter intuitive); the music suppresses my ability to overthink my lifts.

    My pl coach got to the point where she let me listen to music as long as I could still hear her (shouting), b/c the music helped me stay out of my head and focus on the mechanics of the lifts.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    To help the time pass, to drown out extraneous noise and to keep people from bothering me.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I listen to music while lifting because I don’t enjoy lifting, and music helps make it more enjoyable. I see lifting as something I do because I know it’s good for me and I want the benefits, but I don’t like doing it.
  • wmweeza
    wmweeza Posts: 319 Member
    My gym is empty when I go, just a few regulars. There's no one to talk to, I'm guaranteed not to be in anyone's way, and if the fire alarm goes off I can easily still hear it. For these reasons (and I just like music) I use earbuds
  • MohsenSALAH
    MohsenSALAH Posts: 182 Member
    I don't listen to music there, I guess the noise that machines and barbells makes and people screaming here and there give u motivation than songs
  • PennyP312
    PennyP312 Posts: 161 Member
    I have to have my ear buds and music when I lift and do cardio.
    Too many social people for me at the gym so it’s a great way to avoid them.
    Plus I listen to music that I can’t listen too when I’m with my kids so it’s such a nice escape for me.
    But when my big lifts are heavy enough, the music totally fades away and is not a distraction at all.
    I would turn around and go home if I forgot myear buds, arm band, or phone once I got the the gym. It’s mandatory.
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,319 Member
    So many reasons :) 1) Yes, to try and drown out those that must have that long conversation on FaceTime about someone else's vacation. 2) My gym plays music that sounds like whales crying sometimes. 3) It does motivate me and depending on my mood it is usually Rap, Current or Old School, sometime R&B. I did't listen if I was using weight machines but now with AirPods I can, but I do turn it down low just in case for safety reasons.
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
    I listen to music while lifting generally because the gym plays music and I’d rather choose what I listen to. That being said, occasionally on a Sunday morning the gym will be silent - no music or TVs...and those are my happy days. I leave my headphones in my bag and just lift to the sound of the plates.

    Running I need music and I curate the songs based upon bpm.
  • mim619
    mim619 Posts: 33 Member
    I listen to music while I lift and during cardio. For cardio it's helpful in keeping me distracted from the monotony of the treadmill. Also I use it for pacing, I increase my pace at the end of each song till I reach my target. So I don't have to watch a clock and I can warm up my legs gradually.

    For lifting it actually helps me focus and feel less self conscious. I don't hear other people's conversations, the grunters or those awful chain sounds. (Someone will have to tell me if those chains really do something different than dumbbells)

    My husband listens to podcasts, when I found out he wasn't listening to music I thought he was an alien. But now after reading the responses I see that he is not alone :)
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I workout at home, but when I'm not using a workout dvd I usually do have music on from playlists I take time to create.

    When lifting I lift to the beat which keeps me pushing and focused.

    For cardio my favorite music keeps me moving.

    I also do a lot of outdoor brisk walking. Most of the time I will have music on. Sometimes however it's nice to hear the birds chirping and get lost in my own thoughts while power walking on a beautiful scenic trail.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,476 Member
    I put my headphones on before I head to the gym with a playlist on and don't take them off until I get home. I listen to fast music, it pushes and motivates me during my cardio then ramp it up for weight lifting. I also listen to it and read novels when doing cardio on my recumbent bike. I had my bluetooth die at the gym once and it was torture to listen to gym music, people grunting, and weights dropping! I do turn it down when I first get there to say hi to staff and sign into WiFi, otherwise only if someone is talking to me.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Nah, I find it distracts me from my rep count and momentum. I do listen to podcasts when I walk, mainly murder ones.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,970 Member
    When I went to the gym, I did not use anything that distracted me from proper form on the machines. Also, for safety purposes. I watched the tv while on the treadmill but that was it.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,913 Member
    I also don't like to listen to music because it distracts me from the lifting. I'll want to dance, or to sing, or to headbang, or whatever, based on the music choice and all of that means I'm not paying attention to what I need to pay attention to - bracing, form, cadence, tempo, etc in my lifts. Oh - and I like the sound of the clinks of the weights.

    My gym plays *kitten* music. I have learnt to tune it out.

    Occasionally they will play something I like. Every time they do, I get all excited and dance and sing like an idiot (we're talking when they play 70's disco btw) and my lifting goes to the *kitten*. How can you properly concentrate on a deadlift when it's the chorus of Blame it on the Boogie??? Seriously!

    If they had a Disco cardio class, I'd do it once a week. Not like a follow the instructor class, just play disco music for 45 minutes and whoever wants to goes in there and dances like nobody's watching. I would SO enjoy cardio if that was a thing.

  • HikeItGirl
    HikeItGirl Posts: 50 Member
    I’m happy with anything really. Complete silence when I’m the only one in the clubhouse gym is nice. But, I also tend to like to multitask, so I’m usually listening to books or podcasts when I have by earbuds in.
  • Osteoels
    Osteoels Posts: 4 Member
    I can't work out without music. It sets an unconscious tempo, and distracts me from how hard I'm working. Even if I'm listening to Spotify and it goes to an ad, suddenly my energy levels drop (especially if it happens during a high-intensity part of the workout). No music is many, many times harder than with for me.
  • jedoubleday
    jedoubleday Posts: 479 Member
    I have a couple of play lists I listen too. One is Hard heavy metal and the other is a mixture of songs. Depending on my mood depends on which one I start out with. They both are up beat and keep me distracted.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 979 Member
    Cardio: 100% yes. For starters it makes me work harder. I find it helps me forget about the fact that I'm actually having to move and focus on the music. I tend to work for longer and harder.

    Weights: Normally not, I tend to find it more of a faff than otherwise as I don't want to knock my headphones off by accident (I have over ear ones). And yeah, I get the wanting to actually focus on what I'm doing and I find that easier without music (although the gym plays "gym music" I find that easier to tune out than if its on my head)

    However I totally get the wearing headphones with nothing playing. I do that all the time just generally (mostly at work though). One because it mildly dampens the sound of stuff going on around me. And we have a reasonably chatty office, so stops me from listening to other people. But it does also say "leave me alone I don't want to talk to you", when I'm burnt out with people.
  • jfdi6960
    jfdi6960 Posts: 76 Member
    edited July 2019
    dont like the music they play at the gym, also for cardio i can get the right rhythm with certain songs - i like shouty aggressive metal so that helps with all of it
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Music at gyms is the reason I don't go there. And don't get me started on blinking screens everywhere. When I do cardio outside I also don't listen to music. If at all, a song might be 'playing' in my head. I do occasionally play music for interval workouts at home, but rarely. I like my quiet moments.