A study from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) found that listening to self-selected favorite music during high-intensity exercise can significantly boost endurance without increasing perceived effort or physiological strain.

Key findings:

• In a cycling time-to-exhaustion test (at ~80% of peak power), 29 recreationally active adults lasted ~20% longer with their own music: 35.6 minutes on average vs. 29.8 minutes in silence (nearly 6 extra minutes).
• The music tracks were typically in the 120–140 bpm range.
• Heart rate and blood lactate levels at exhaustion were the same in both conditions, meaning participants tolerated sustained effort longer without the workout feeling harder or their bodies reaching higher stress markers.

Practical implications:

• Self-selected music acts as a simple, free tool to help people train longer and accumulate more quality training time.
• It could improve exercise adherence, fitness gains, and help combat inactivity-related health issues.
• Lead researcher Andrew Danso notes it makes tough sessions more doable and enjoyable without altering actual fitness level or immediate cardiovascular demand.

Overall, the research highlights music as an accessible way to push through discomfort during endurance training.

The peer-reviewed study, titled “Feel the beat, not the burn: Effects of self-selected music in time-to-exhaustion cycling”, was published in Psychology of Sport & Exercise.