To stay motivated and feel less tired, exercise to music. With this selection of the best music applications and platforms of the moment, you can choose sports playlists adapted to your activity. Then, all you need to do is simply equip yourself with accessories specially designed for listening to music during your sessions.

Why exercise to music?

Numerous studies have been carried out to determine the impact of music on sports performance. Listening to music before training improves endurance and resistance to effort, reducing the feeling of fatigue by up to 15%. Music affects both physical and mental performance. Like exercise, it promotes the production of endorphins (relaxing) and dopamine (stimulating) and inhibits the secretion of cortisol (the stress hormone). With a playlist adapted to the intensity of the effort made during the session, the benefits are multiplied.

To benefit from the positive effects of music during sport, choose songs according to their tempo, getting as close as possible to the heart rate you aim to reach. Indeed, in music, as in sport, the number of beats per minute is the reference for establishing a basic rhythm. Of course, the more you enjoy the track, the more likely you are to stay motivated.

Music applications to create your sports playlists

To create your sports playlists, you can use a simple MP3 player with your favourite songs. Many smartphone music platforms and apps can also help you find inspiration and even offer features that will make your experience more immersive!

The most useful music applications for exercising

With these tools, you can easily enjoy sports playlists without having to sort your music library by speed:

• Deezer is the leading streaming platform for finding sports playlists. Compatible with many connected devices, it features a wide choice of mixes that are specially designed for running or other activities.
• Spotify has plenty of resources to help you enhance your musical enjoyment: Just type in the name of your discipline and discover dozens of playlists!
• Fit Radio is a mobile application that works like a radio, streaming motivating songs for different sports, with new features added every day. Choose your mixes or follow the rhythm of the current selection.
• A pioneer in its field, the PowerMusic site was created by fitness professionals, with playlists specially designed to liven up sports classes: Cardio, Pilates, HIIT, running, etc. You can create your own playlists based on the style of music, the number of BPMs, specific activities and other factors.
• Take it to the next level with the RockMyRun application: It includes tracks composed by world-renowned DJs, classified by BPM and whose rhythm automatically adjusts to your training speed or the one you want to reach. RockMyRun is compatible with other running applications, such as RunKeeper or Endomondo.

The top 5 best sports playlists

Here is a selection of 5 sports playlists for different activities and all musical tastes, taken from some of the tools mentioned above:

• Born To Run 150 BPM on Spotify: Run accompanied by rock legends like The White Stripes, Alice Cooper or Ozzy Osbourne with this progressive playlist dedicated to running.
• Pop Workout on Deezer: A good mood is guaranteed during your sessions with almost 3 hours of pop tracks, including songs by Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Rihanna and Madonna.

• Yoga Now | October 2020 on PowerMusic: A mixed selection for a 60-minute yoga class, which is also suitable for Pilates, with a very slow tempo of 71 BPM.
• HIIT Now | October 2020 on PowerMusic: Ideal for checking your stopwatch less during a HIIT session, this playlist is designed for interval series exercise, with 30 seconds of activity followed by 15 seconds of recovery.
• Sport and Motivation on Deezer: This regularly updated playlist is perfect for endurance sessions.

Accessories for listening to music during exercise

Many accessories are available for doing sports to music. Don’t hesitate to study the different equipment available to adapt them to your practice:

• Choose earphones that are water- and sweat-resistant.
• If you swim, choose a player and headphones for water sports, such as water aerobics or diving.
• For safe city running sessions, in-ear headphones that allow you to hear the outside environment at the same time as your favourite songs are an ideal solution.
• Wireless Bluetooth headsets are perfect for outdoor training, listening to your sports playlists and enjoying complete freedom of movement.
• For your sports sessions with music, choose the power of your speakers according to the context in which you are training: Outdoor or indoor, room size, etc.
• For home fitness, opt for a Bluetooth-compatible loudspeaker that can be controlled from any room.
• Some fitness equipment is already equipped with speakers and compatible with all types of media: Tablets, smartphones, etc.

Check out our Fitness equipment & Coaching page for more advice.