Powered by music

Although each physical part of the brain is connected to particular functions, the brain is also a masterpiece of interconnected systems, and brain waves circulate throughout. Delta waves, for example, are associated with deep sleep, and a drowsy feeling means that theta waves dominate. When adults are awake and alert, but anxious and perhaps too focused, fast beta waves are in action. But in the state of flow, of being in the zone, of being totally relaxed but highly focused, alpha waves organize the brain.

Visualization, deep breathing and listening to music are all techniques used to bolster alpha waves. Athletes in an alpha wave state are charged up, but not so much that performance is marred or that exhaustion hits long before crossing the finish line.

Music can be a continuous stimulus to get the alpha waves rolling, helping the athlete (and the weekend warrior) induce a state of higher concentration, minimizing pain and distraction. When the body is in peak condition and the mind is in a state of calm focus, records can be broken, holes shot under par and tennis serves aced.

Although most people who exercise to music might not give copious thought to their playlists, for pro and elite athletes, the undertaking is more serious. How much music they listen to, and when and where they listen to it, can have both good and bad consequences.

For Tang, choice of music is critical in maintaining a middle ground between being too calm and too tightly wound. "I don't listen to music just to listen to it," says the 31-year-old from Massachusetts. "I know consciously the feeling I'm trying to get, the state of mind I'm trying to achieve."

Research studies have found a definite link between music and improved athletic performance. One study, done two years ago at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, found that women who listened to music ran a minute or two longer than those who didn't. They also adjusted their strides to run more efficiently, and had lower perceived exertion.

"If you get an endorphin response from something like exercise, does music enhance that and allow you to go a little further?" asks Rene Murphy, the study's coauthor and associate professor in the school of recreation management and kinesiology at Acadia.

Another study, done at Southwestern University in Texas, found that men cycling at a high intensity were able to exercise longer while listening to fast-paced music, and even longer while listening to music they liked.