Music Boosts Endurance by 20% in High-Intensity Workouts, Study Finds

A new study from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland has measured how self-curated music affects endurance training. The findings show a clear improvement in performance when participants exercised with music compared to without. The research was published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise. The study involved 29 healthy adults, including 15 men and 14 women, all of whom were recreationally active. They cycled at around 80 percent of their peak performance, once with a personal music playlist and once in silence. The selected songs had a tempo between 120 and 140 beats per minute.

With music, participants lasted nearly six minutes longer on the bike. This marked a 20 percent increase in endurance time. The music also helped them stay in the high-intensity 'pain zone' without increasing physical fatigue. The results add to growing evidence that music can enhance workout performance. A separate survey by the German Heart Foundation and FitX in September 2025 found that over a third of Germans do no physical activity. Lack of exercise raises the risk of cardiovascular disease and forgoes benefits like stress reduction.