You’re in the gym working out to some lively music (I like Franz Ferdinand or Linkin Park) when it comes time to put up that impossible last rep. As you sweat and struggle and call on every last ounce of strength in your body, the music swells and consumes you, seemingly reflecting your inner turmoil. Up, up, up—just a little bit more—and now the weight is almost there, and the music has reached a crescendo, and it looks like you just…might……
Then Fur Elise comes on.
Only half of that last rep is strength. The other half is psychological, and music can provide a much needed psychological boost—when the right notes are playing. When they’re not, nothing brings you down faster.
The problem isn’t limited to the iPod Shuffle. The same jarring shifts in tempo also occur within a single song as it alternates between the chorus (which is typically rousing) and the instrumental accompaniment (which is more mellow).
We need an iPod that can monitor your body’s exertion level and flip on Eye of the Tiger when you need it most. This will go well with the gym of the future I asked for.
