The Impact of Music on Sprint Race Times
Alternative Title
Abstract
Listening to music before activity has been found to have ergogenic benefits on athletic performance. However, it is unclear how certain aspects such as tempos or athletes’ choice can impact the efficacy of music on sprint race times. The purpose of this study is to determine if listening to music before a sprint can improve race times, depending on tempo and music preference. Participants in this study will consist of members of the Alma College track team and the Alma College swim team, with equal genders and representatives from both teams. Participants will undergo five trials with audio treatment in randomized order. The baseline treatment will be three-and-a-half minutes of silence. For experimental values, participants will listen to four different songs with a tempo range between 130-140 beats per minute (BPM), and 80-90 BPM. For each tempo range, one song will be preselected, and the other will be chosen by the participant from a list of songs with the desired tempo range and a time limit between three and four minutes. Once they arrive, participants will warm up before their sprint time trial. Swimmers will complete 500 yards easy swimming, 200 yards kick, 200 yards drill, and 6 x 50 yards of swim, then build by 25 yards. Runners will complete an 800 meter jog, five moving dynamic stretches 20 meters each, and 2 x 50 meters run at submaximal speed. After completing warm up, participants will sit in a chair and listen to the audio treatment for the trial and will perform the time trial immediately after. For the sprint time trial, swimmers will sprint 50 yards freestyle, and runners will sprint for 100 meters.
Following the completion of the time trials, swimmers will swim easy for 500 yards, and runners will walk continuously for five minutes. Once all data is collected, the time comparisons across the five trials will be made using repeated-measures ANOVA. If the time difference between the silent trial and music trials is significant, this can provide a safe and cost-effective option for athletes to boost performance.