Intense interval training could be the one of most painful workout . While it’s efficiency in improving fitness is proven to be superior to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT)by many studies (Gillen et al., 2016; Weston, Wisloff, & Coombes, 2014), the anticipated pain still is intimidating for many exercisers, especially beginners .
According to NY Times, music makes young people more willing to try HIIT.
Matthew Stork, a doctoral candidate in University of British Columbia, has been studying the impact of music on HIIT. His previous finding on this topic is that self-selected music has a positive impact on the peak and mean power output(Stork, Kwan, Gibala, & Martin Ginis, 2015). The new study added more psychological and emotional factors to the findings(Stork & Martin Ginis, 2016). The study showed that the exercise attitudes was significantly better in the music group but the intention score did not change, which left the meaningfulness of the study questionable. The question needs to be answered is whether those questionnaire scores utilized in the study were valid. The scale for attitudes had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.72, which is low for an instrument, for an instrument usually needs a Cronbach’s alpha of over 0.9 to be justified as a reliable instrument. Even if we assume the questionnaires were valid , what a better attitude towards HIIT means is still not clear. Is it enough to convince people that the results of HIIT is worth the pain? Or this study only tells us those who love HIIT will love HIIT with or without their music, and those who don’t will never do even adding some music can make you feel slight better if you try.
Another problem with this study was its sample size. Only 20 people aging 18 to 30 who usually had moderate-level exercise and had not been exposed to intense interval training were included in the study, which make its generalizability very limited . Some fitness enthusiasts may think of music as a distraction and do not like music when they exercise. Thus this study only revealed the possibility that music may be used as a sort of comfort or stimulant, but whether it helps motivating people to choose a higher intensity remains unclear.
Gillen, J. B., Martin, B. J., MacInnis, M. J., Skelly, L. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Gibala, M. J. (2016). Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLoS One, 11(4), e0154075. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154075
REYNOLDS, G. (2016). How Music Might Improve Your Workouts. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/well/move/how-music-might-improve-your-workouts.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront
Stork, M. J., Kwan, M. Y., Gibala, M. J., & Martin Ginis, K. A. (2015). Music enhances performance and perceived enjoyment of sprint interval exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 47(5), 1052-1060. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000494
Stork, M. J., & Martin Ginis, K. A. (2016). Listening to music during sprint interval exercise: The impact on exercise attitudes and intentions. J Sports Sci, 1-7. doi:10.1080/02640414.2016.1242764
Weston, K. S., Wisloff, U., & Coombes, J. S. (2014). High-intensity interval training in patients with lifestyle-induced cardiometabolic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med, 48(16), 1227-1234. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092576