UltraFit™ Sports Headphones, Performance Starts Hear™

The next stage in precision audio equipment designed to meet the demands of the elite athlete.

Music & Performance

Headphone Music: The Ultimate Performance Enhancing Drug

Popeye ate spinach for instant stamina. It was the first "performance enhancing drug." Good for him. I'd rather pop on a set of good headphones and jam. Works the same way, and tastes better. In fact, listening to music while working out or doing other strenuous activity increases your endurance by as much as 20%. The good news is that now it's not only easier to work out with music, but it's also easier to be confident that your audio equipment will keep pace with your workout. That's because Polk Audio has combined high performance audio with extreme sports durability in a new line of sports headphones.

Research done by scientists in places with important-sounding names (like "Brunel University School of Sport and Education" and "University of North Carolina Sports Science Department") finds that listening to music increases your endurance during physical activity. They give two good reasons for this. First, by distracting your brain, music keeps you focused on your goal instead of on your pain. If you're focused on the next mile or the next repetition, and not on how exhausted you are, researchers found that you run farther and workout longer. Plus, this kind of distraction makes music a sort of reward! By rewarding yourself for working out, you'll probably workout more often and more effectively. Secondly, researchers found that people have a tendency to coordinate their movements with external stimuli, like a rhythmic beat. With the right tempo, you can make your workout a real workout! Research supports the finding that listening to upbeat rhythmic music also promotes something called "flow," the ability to reach that rare "optimal state" where your brain is completely focused on your physical goals. If your music's flowing, so are you! Dr. Costas Karageorghi of Brunel University, one of the leaders in all this research, calls music's effect on athletic performance "the legal equivalent of a performance enhancing drug."

Getting your 20% starts with the right gear.

Now that you can have your whole music library on an MP3 player the size of a stick of gum, all you need to overcome are the limitations of the portable speakers: your headphones. So if you're looking for a real boost or you're just fed up with lame-sounding, poor-quality headphones that don't stand up to your workout, check out the UltraFit Series even if you're just running to the subway.

Making A Workout Track

There's plenty of research out there that proves music has an impact on physical performance. But not just any music will work. When you put together a play list for workouts, there are some easy, simple guidelines to follow.

First, pick music in the range of 120 to 140 bpm. That's beats per minute, and that range is the tempo in which your body, in its physical effort, syncs with your music. You can feel your body working to the beat, and the music seems to carry you along. The effort you expend may even seem easier. But believe us, you are getting a better workout, because you are working harder.

Music with a beat of 130 is where your pace will really ramp up. It isn't just the beat you want to feel, though. Lyrics can play a role in motivating you, as well. Hence, the importance of choosing music that really motivates you. Try to choose from among you favorites. It's a potent combination.

And don't forget your cool down. Choose music that helps bring your heart rate down, slows you down. You might even want to choose something that brings you into a more meditative state. The end of a workout is just as important.

So how do you know if the music you want to use in your workouts is in that workout sweet spot of 120- to 140 bpm? There are several bpm analyzer programs available online, some of which you can Download free. One such program is the MixMeister BPM Analyzer, and it will determine beats per minute of any song, so you can create a play list with the bpm range you need to ramp up your workouts.

For more on the subject of music for workouts: http://www.livestrong.com/article/330881-the-best-music-for-workouts/#ixzz1Xkzp6pYw