How to choose music for cadence running
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This collection includes compositions of many genres, united by one non-obvious characteristic – the number of beats per minute (bpm). When we run, we do a different number of steps in the range of 160 to 200 in 60 seconds. Professional athletes perform about 180 steps per minute, this is considered the optimal value of the cadence of running – the frequency of touching the ground with the feet.
Listening to music while jogging, we unconsciously synchronize with her the frequency of their steps, so it is so important to choose the right songs at the initial stages, when the body has not yet got used to a certain cadence of running.
If you are focusing on your cadence of the race when choosing music, then try to keep the tempo of the tracks in the range of 170-190 beats per minute or 85-95. If you choose a song whose tempo is half the size of 180 bpm, then the number of steps per clock cycle (four beats) will increase accordingly. Good news for drumm-n-bass fans: this genre implies a pace that coincides with the running cadence (170-180 bpm). The same goes for hip-hop: the tempo of many compositions is close to 90 bpm.
How to choose music under the frequency of breathing
If you do not have problems with the cadence, then pay attention to how your lungs work: this will also help properly selected music.
Let us consider two techniques of breathing, of which Liefhaker wrote in the corresponding article. If we breathe according to the scheme 3: 2, where three steps are to inhale, and two – to exhale, then you should choose music at a tempo of about 144 bpm. In this case, the duration of the song’s tact will coincide with one complete cycle of breathing.
Play playlist in Apple Music →
Play a playlist on Google Play Music →
If you run up the hill, then you have to put more effort and, as a result, breathing becomes faster. In this case, try the scheme 2: 1 – two steps to inhale, one to exhale. A suitable accompaniment is music with a tempo of about 120 bpm. One cycle – two cycles of breathing.
Play playlist in Apple Music →
Play a playlist on Google Play Music →
How to search for music at a suitable pace
To check the bpm of the track, check its presence in the SongBPM database. If there was not found it, then use a special calculator: just “click” on the screen in time with the music. There are also special services with playlists of songs at a certain pace for athletes or cyclists. One of them is Jog, ranking tracks by the number of additions to user playlists and bpm, as well as offering individual compilations for your running speed.
