Effects Of Self-selected Or Experimenter-selected Music On Psychological Responses During A Sprint Interval Training Session

Music is widely used as an ergogenic aid before and during exercise to enhance performance. The ergogenic effects of music seem to be influenced by its choice and exercise intensity. However, little is known concerning its effects during sprint interval training (SIT). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of self-selected and experimenter-selected music on perceptual (affective responses, perceived exertion, attentional focus, and enjoyment), and performance (power output) during a SIT protocol compared to a control condition. METHODS: 14 active males (27.0 ± 3.9 years; 79.0 ± 9.1 kg; 176.4 ± 5.3 cm) performed SIT sessions composed by 8 x 15s all-out bouts against a fixed load of 9% of body mass interspersed by 120s of passive recovery under three conditions: self-selected music (playlist of high-tempo subject’s favorite music), experimenter-selected music (“Power Workout” playlist from an online streaming music platform) and no-music (control). Affective responses, perceived exertion, and power output were measured throughout the protocols. Enjoyment and attentional focus (effort and recovery) were measured after each exercise session. RESULTS: Perceived exertion did not differ between conditions, but a main effect of time was detected (F2,26 = 1.67; p = 0.208; ηp2 = 0.114), with lower values in the first bout when compared to all others moments (p < 0.001). The affective responses differed between conditions (F2,26 = 4.02; p = 0.030; ηp2 = 0.236), but the post-hoc indicated only a tendency (p = 0.067) of lower values for the self-selected music (1.3 ± 1.3 a.u.) compared to experimenter-selected music (2.0 ± 1.2 a.u.). Attentional focus also differed between conditions (F2,26 = 6.62; p = 0.005; ηp2 = 0.337), however, just between self-selected (70.2 ± 30.3 a.u.) and no-music conditions (42.9 ± 27.1 a.u. p = 0.043). Enjoyment and power output measures did not differ between conditions, however, a main effect of time was observed for peak power (F2,26 = 0.96; p = 0.393; ηp2 = 0.069), and mean power (F2,26 = 1.23; p = 0.307; ηp2 = 0.087), throughout the bouts (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although there were no significant differences between conditions concerning performance, perceived exertion, and enjoyment, listen to the self-selected music during the SIT session increased the attentional focus.