Effect of Music on Recovery after an Anaerobic Exercise

Abstract

BACKGROUND: For years, the effects of music on exercise performance have been researched. Recovery is extremely important for athletes, and therefore any factor that could affect it is of importance. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of listening to music on recovery after an anaerobic-exercise. METHOD: 25 male athletes (age 21.76 +/- 1.84 years) visited the laboratory on two occasions over a week. They performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) on two identical conditions but recovery was conducted `with' and `without' listening to music. Blood lactate concentration values were determined at 1, 5, 10 and 15 minutes during the recovery from the exercise. Heart rate (HR) values were determined every minute of the 15 minutes of recovery. RESULTS: There was no difference in the mean blood lactate concentration and HR during the recovery with and without music (p > 0.05). Results showed no significant differences between 2 recovery conditions in heart rate or blood lactate. CONCLUSIONS: Music cannot improve recovery after anaerobic performance and it cannot be used as a mean to enhance recovery after an anaerobic-performance.