Music in the Gym
by Mark Rippetoe | November 11, 2024
Most people train with the radio on. By “the radio” I mean a
source of music in the background – radio, SiriusXM, CD player,
iTunes, your phone files, 8-track, cassette (sorry, trying to fill
the list). We have all gotten in the habit of having music in the
background of our workouts.
And that’s fine, but
you have to keep something very important in mind: we are trying to
concentrate on a rather complex movement pattern that must be
carefully controlled. We are not just pushing as hard as we can on a
machine’s lever – we are performing a full range of motion movement
involving as much muscle mass as possible over the longest effective
range of motion possible, while lifting the heaviest weight possible,
while balanced on our feet and not falling down. This is not the same
thing as Blasting Bis or Tris or Quads or Pecs or Delts or Lats or
Hammys or Calves (did I leave anything out?).
Barbell training
demands a certain amount of focus on what you’re doing, since you can
fall down if you don’t focus. Because the weight is heavy, falling
down is a problem. So when you don’t fall down, balance is therefore
trained as well as strength. And anything that distracts from focus
on the movement pattern’s requirements is a liability when the weight
is heavy. If music becomes a distraction, it must be turned down.
Most people in the gym
are not there to train. Most people are there for Leg Day, and they
have been taught that the music helps them Blast their bodyparts. You
are not just extending your knees, or your elbows or ankles, or
flexing your elbows or knees – which doesn’t require much focus or
skill or control.
When you squat, your
whole body is moving. The whole musculoskeletal system has to move
correctly, with all its components operating in physical and
anatomical proportion, in the correct positions balanced over the
mid-foot, so you don’t fall down. This means you must be paying close
attention to what you are doing, because the heavier the weight gets
the smaller the margin of error becomes.
If Blasting AC/DC or
Metallica or Judas Priest or Scorpions (I’m old, remember?) distracts
you, turn it off, or at least down. Let me suggest that headphones
are a very bad idea. Warmup sets shouldn’t be a problem with the
music, but you will not miss the loud auditory input for the 45
seconds it takes to execute a complicated full-body movement pattern
with a PR weight on the bar. If you’re in a public gym and not in
control of the sound system, bring some ear protection earmuffs and
wear them for your heavy sets. It will make an immediate difference
in your interaction with the bar, and it may even allow you to
correct a nagging form problem that won’t go away.
