Ok, let me start by saying, I love music as much as the next person. Cranking the tunes while working out can really get the blood pumping. It can help you get a rhythm and keep it while running or lifting and it will help to keep motivated during those grueling long sessions. TV can be a good diversion as well. Check out the treadmills the next time you hit the gym. Sometimes I wonder if it is the treadmills that lured folks into the gym or the flat screen TV’s lined up on the wall in front of them. All of the runners have their remotes in hand and are constantly flipping the channels to find that perfect show to get them through a few miles of running. Yeah, watching TV and listening to music and working out go hand in hand, but is it productive? Sometimes, I think not.

gym with tv

Let’s put it this way, if you are focusing on what you are watching or what you are listening to, you are NOT focusing on your workout. Sound a little stuffy for your liking? Well, look at your midsection and think about what is more important…your iPod selections or the intensity and form of your exercises? One of the main difficulties that present a problem is that you have to constantly tend to your media choice during your workout. If a song comes through your headphones that you don’t like, what do you do? You stop, switch the song to something you like, and then start again. If your TV station airs a commercial, oftentimes you decide to flip channels in the middle of your run. One of the worst things, for me at least, is the constant fumbling with the earphones. It seems I can NEVER feel completely secure that my earphones will stay in my ears and usually, they don’t. I have to stop what I am doing and readjust so that I can get back to listening to…um…working out. How about losing all that distraction and focusing on the silence and intensity of your workout instead?

The first time I worked out in total silence, I’ll admit, it felt weird. I had spent so many years jamming out to my favorite tunes while working up a sweat that I felt as if I couldn’t get the same workout without the music. After a few minutes of working out in silence, however, a funny thing happened. I started REALLY concentrating. I was paying attention to my form like never before. I was working out to the patterns of my breathing versus the beat of the music. I was contracting my core at all the right moments and my lifts were much stronger than usual. In fact, not only did I finish more quickly than usual, I got one of the best workouts of my life.

workout outside

Now, trying this in a gym is almost impossible. The music over the loudspeakers or blaring through the mounted TV’s will make you wish you had brought your iPod so at least YOU can control what you hear. No, instead, I recommend getting out of the gym. Try an outdoor workout for a change. Focus on the sights and sounds of nature to get you locked into the rhythm of your body and focus on your workout. Trust me, you will make some incredible progress once you push all of the distractions off the table and focus on your goals.