The Best High BPM Songs For 2021!

By Pam Berg
Apr 25, 2021

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The Best High BPM Songs For 2021! www.runnerclick.com

If you have gone to a fitness class, you have probably noticed that the music is clearly carefully chosen to coincide with the type of exercise you are doing. Studies have frequently shown that people listening to a song with more beats per minute (BPM), tend to exercise faster and longer than those who are listening to slower music or no music. The takeaway is that if you carefully choose your music and high BPM songs, it may increase your output.

The Science Behind Choosing Your Music

Did you know that choosing the right music can increase your workout time? A study done at the University of Toronto confirmed what we all suspected when research found the right music can cause the athlete to workout up to 70% longer.

Although scientists were not shocked to see the impact music had on exercise, they were surprised to see that the higher energy level typically lasted throughout the day. Participants in studies wore monitors throughout the entire day (not just during the exercise) to take note of these changes that occurred.

When choosing your music, you need to carefully reflect on what you are trying to achieve. For example, if you are doing yoga, you are working on centering yourself and bringing peace to your mind, body and spirit. People who practice yoga listen to sounds of nature or very relaxing, soft music.

Matching Your Cadence To Music

If you are trying to figure out what tempo of music you should be listening to, you need to ascertain how many steps you take in a minute when running and walking. Start yourself a stopwatch and do your thing for :60 seconds, counting your steps. That will tell you what BPM you should be looking for to match the exercise.

listening to high BPM songs while running — breakingmuscles.com

If you have a good smartwatch, it may show your cadence for you. Apple Watch, for example, shows the average cadence. It is all calculated out for you in black and white! Then you can Google “music with xyz BPM.”

On a recent run, my average cadence was 173. If trying to complete that same type of workout, I would look for music at a high number of beats per minute.

Pump Up The Jam

As you’re trying to amp up your speed, you probably want to… literally… pump up the jam. Bearing in mind that there are different levels of BPM, find something that seems to match up with your goals.

If you are trying to pick up your pace somewhere into the area of a steady jog, maybe look for songs in the 140 range.

High BPM Songs (180 BPM Songs)

Is 180 BPM Fast?

You bet your sweet bippy that 180 beats per minute is fast! If you’re looking to pick up the pace in your workout, you may want to give some of those songs a listen.

Intervals By Music

An interesting concept is creating an interval workout by switching up your music. A woman I coach was telling me that she struggles with hitting the paces I am asking of her. I asked if she listens to music when she runs. When she responded yes, I asked her what her favorite genre of music was.

Together, we discussed the tempo and beat of the music and how she could use music to cue her running. One thing we did is for her next 5-mile run, where her goal was to warm up for one mile, then run 3 miles of threshold, then a mile of cool down, I encouraged her to make a workout playlist.

She chose 4 songs that have a very easy pace. After that, she jacked up the tempo and mood of the music. Based on her pace, I told her to pick roughly 24 minutes of songs that would keep her moving fast. After those songs, she should choose 4 more songs at a slower tempo.

Guess what happened? The music cued her workout. Without focusing on her Garmin, encouraged to run based on the music cues, she came far closer to achieving the workout I had laid out for her.

A trick I use for my own runs sometimes is to create a playlist with a fast song followed by a slower one. When the song changes, I either pick up or slow down my pace. A simple click of your smartwatch can tell you what pace you have run and for how long. This is a musical version of a surprise fartlek run.

However you choose to use it, music can lead your next run for you. It can help you slow down or push you to the next level in your speed workout. Truly a catalyst when chosen correctly, music can help you achieve great things.