Experts on exercise have claimed that, “The more unfit you are, the more difficult exercise is,” but, “Music helps break the monotony of exercise and provide a distraction from the physical exertion.” This means that if you are new to exercising, music can help ease you into your  beginner workout routine.

Sounds goods? Then grab your favorite mp3 player and follow these guidelines to start working out more efficiently

Make a Playlist Before You Workout

Check out music stores such as iTunes online music store, Runningmusicmix.com, JogTunes, MixMeister , Podrunner, or any other website that allows you to calculate your song’s bpm (beats per minute) to help you set your workout pace. Try to pick something that starts a little slower for a warm up, around 110 bpm while you do some light exercise. Then pick a few songs that are in the 140 to 180 bpm range depending on your workout style. Play around, try putting two songs together with different tempos. Make one a little faster and one slower, and see how it affects your pace. If you tend to match your stride to the beat, it’s more important to choose rhythmic songs that will keep your cadence up. Making your playlist beforehand will save you time and keep your workout flowing without having to stop to adjust your mp3 player. You can also make a variety of playlists for different workout routines throughout the week. For example, a couple for a cardio days, and a couple different one for lifting or stretching. Lastly, if you have an Android phone, iPhone, or iPod touch, you can download Nike BOOM for Android or Nike BOOM for iPhone to help you manage your workout playlists.

FYI about your BPM

To find the target heart rate that is right for you, first find your maximum predicted heart rate.
Just take (220 – (your age)).
Then, figure that you can warm up comfortably at 50-60% of your max.
The Fitness Zone (Best for Fat Burning) is around 60 – 70% of maximum heart rate.
The Aerobic Zone (For Endurance Training) is around 70 – 80% of maximum heart rate.
Your Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) is at 80 – 90% of your maximum.
Your Red Line (Maximum Effort) is at 90 – 100% of your maximum heart rate and is very intense and not sustainable.
You will see gains in your performance if you work out anywhere above 60% of your max, with increasing gains coming from greater efforts throughout your exercise workout routine.

Fitness Classes

Working out in a class setting is also great for motivation and keeps you working hard. The music and the group setting are two positive factors to enhance your exercise experience. If you ask a group fitness instructor how they choose music for their classes, they will tell you that they select their music based on tempo and rhythm. They often choose remixed versions of songs which feature a more upbeat or racy tempo and are a lot longer which is great for a fitness workout routine.

So just remember, when exercising to music, many people automatically match the cadence of their movement to the tempo and rhythm of the song that’s playing. If you tend to do that, keep it upbeat. You may love the mellow sounds of Josh Groban, but save that for a stretch or Pilates workout, rather than trying to power walk or lift to it.

Just a Safety Reminder

Be safe. Keep music volume at a level that will not damage your hearing. “As we’re exercising our heart, we don’t want to ruin our ears,” experts recommend. Protect yourself, too. When walking or running outside with a headset on, keep the volume low enough to hear outside noises like oncoming traffic or a dog charging from the yard you’re passing. Be aware of your surroundings!

The Heart is the Most Important Muscle

I’m sure if you have been working out for a while, you are familiar with the concept of resting your muscles (see more in Injury Care)for a few days before you put them through another workout. This is simply because your muscles need to rest and rebuild itself before you can strain it some more. Without adequate rest, you can actually hinder the effectiveness (work harder for less results). Our heart is a very important muscle I want to make sure that I keep tabs on it the entire time I workout to avoid over-training it.

Maximize Effectiveness of Your Workout by Targeting Your Heart Rate

During any workout routine, I know that my heart rate should never exceed 188 beats per minute (BPM), using the Max Heart Rate formula: MaxHR = 205.8 − (0.685 × age). I know that if I am doing cardio, I should be in 65% – 85% of 188 BPM (or between 122 BPM – 160 BPM) to make my workout most effective (reason why). If I am weight lifting, I know that I should be in between 50% – 60% of 188 BPM to make my workout most effective (reason why).

Instantaneous Feedback of What’s Going on in Your Body

If I ran 3 miles today in 25 minutes while maintaining 155 BPM, I know that I will not be able to run the same distance in the same amount of time tomorrow while maintaining 155 BPM. This is because my exhausted muscles will be inefficient at converting resources to energy; thus, requiring more resources to produce the same amount of energy as when the muscles are not fatigued. Because of this, the heart has to do more work to deliver more resources per energy output and it shows in your heart rate.

I find it kind of relaxing to know that I don’t have to worry about how much distance I can cover in a period of time. All I have to do is just maintain my 155 BPM for 30 minutes and I am certain that I am doing what my body is capable of.

Conclusion

Heart rate monitor watches have been proven quite a useful addition to my workouts.  Here are a few high rated heart rate monitor watches at different price points:

• Omron HR100C Heart Rate Monitor
• Timex T5G971 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
• Nike Triax C5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
• Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
• Garmin Forerunning 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

I use the Omron HR-100C because it’s cheap and it does it is supposed to do. People who do a lot of bicycling or running should consider the Garmin Forerunning 305, since it uses GPS to track your distance for you. I mostly exercise at home or at the gym so I have no use for such a fancy heart rate monitor watch.

No matter the price, heart rate monitors are great investments because of what it can do for you if you use it right. It is definitely an exercise equipment with one of the highest return of investment (ROI). So, what are you waiting for? Start using one!