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While some like to do abs or cardio in peace, most athletes prefer to work out with music. But there is no question of listening to just any song or musical genre. Sports enthusiasts have their preferences, a new report reveals.
Feed.fm, the B2B music streaming platform, looked into the musical habits of sports fans. Because it is proven that listening to music has a real impact on motivation and physical performance. But the effects of the fourth art vary depending on the rhythm or style of songs. Scientific work has shown that fast tempo songs increase work capacity during exercise. This is certainly explained by the fact that rhythmic music distracts athletes’ attention, which helps them to more easily ignore the feeling of fatigue.
Fitness enthusiasts seem to be aware of the benefits of catchy songs. Indeed, the Feed.fm report reveals that 61% listen to pop when they exercise. Hip-hop and the great classics of song are also popular when doing sports (12.8%), as is EDM (8.5%).
But pop reigns supreme in the 2023 ranking of the most popular songs among athletes. Most of the titles mentioned there are very rhythmic, like “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha (n°1), “Call on Me” by SG Lewis and Tove Lo ( n°7), or even “Night Call” from Years & Years (n°8).
Athletes also showed a keen interest in music in all its diverse and international aspects. They are particularly focused on Latin or Afrobeat sounds to accompany their training sessions. Let us cite, for example, “Calm Down” by Rema in a duet with Selena Gomez, which is the second most streamed song by fitness enthusiasts in 2023.
But the artists they listened to the most to surpass themselves on a physical level are, for the most part, of American nationality. Among them are Beyoncé (No. 1), Taylor Swift (No. 2) and Meghan Trainor (No. 3). Surprisingly, only one man appears in this sub-ranking. This is Charlie Puth.
*The 2023 edition of the Feed.fm “Workout Music” report was carried out by analyzing the streams of more than 750 million songs listened to by millions of people who use fitness applications. Data was collected between January 1 and October 31, 2023.
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