Your playlist can extend your workout by 20%.
A new study suggests curating your workout playlist could enhance your tolerance for tough training sessions.
Recreationally active adults cycling at high intensity while listening to their self-selected music lasted on average six minutes longer compared to exercising in silence. The randomised crossover study, published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, found that riders cycled an average of 35.6 minutes while listening to their music compared to 29.8 minutes without.
Average time to exhaustion (minutes) at 80% peak power, n=29
Source: Danso et al. (2026), Psychology of Sport and Exercise
The researchers found that heart rate and blood lactate, markers of physical effort, were equivalent at exhaustion across both conditions. This means the improved performance is not a cardiovascular effect but a psychological one.
The mechanism appears to be attentional dissociation. In simple terms, listening to music helps you tolerate discomfort for longer before exhaustion sets in.
The study involved only 29 participants at a single fixed intensity of cycling, so whether the effect holds across varying effort levels or trained populations remains untested. What the study does suggest is that if you are into exercising with music, taking the time to curate your playlist could help you get through those tough training sessions. Just remember to stay aware of your surroundings.
