Is it just background noise or are you actually listening to the song when you are training? My personal experience has been, if it’s a new playlist I am practically dancing in my head to every song. But, if I haven’t changed my playlist in awhile, it’s just noise. Once or twice in my workout, I will actually become aware of the song that’s playing. This made me think about the benefits and drawbacks of listening to music during a workout.
There are pros and cons using any type of earphones or headsets during your workout.
Some of the pros are:
- All the surrounding conversations are muted, and you are in your own world. This helps keep you focused on your workout, and not distracted by others.
- Certain songs pump you up, and give you energy. They can also provide extra motivation during your workout, especially if they remind you of a great memory or other workouts.
The cons are:
- Playing your music loudly can do permanent damage to your hearing, especially if you are blasting it during every workout.
- If you train with someone, it’s tough to communicate during and between sets.
- It can be a pain to charge your earphones daily if you are using bluetooth, or the cord can be cumbersome if you aren’t. If you forget to charge them it can also really affect your training mentally, especially if you’re use to having them during every workout.
@DumbbellClub has some advice: If you’re going to wear earphones or a headset, get the best pair on the market such as @beat.kicks or @beatsbydre and keep the volume down low enough to protect your hearing.
Sometimes, it’s a good idea to go do a workout, and leave your earphones at home. Listen to the clank of weights being lifted and racked, listen to the effort of others around you, listen to the gym’s in house music, and practice staying purposefully and mindfully in the present moment. Who knows what you might discover!
