One of the greatest things you can do as a person is to get in touch with your own body. While this sounds like a very elementary thing, it’s actually quite difficult to achieve to the degree I am speaking. Getting in touch with your body, once achieved, can allow you to fully understand your limits, how your body subtly reacts to what you put in it, and most importantly, when your body needs time to heal.
A few years back I came across a soon-to-be friend in my dorms that was an avid weight lifter. He loved the weight room almost as much as I did and loved spending a good part of his day either working out or chasing girls (who didn’t, right?). When we went to the gym together I noticed a VERY big fundamental difference in the way we lifted. He listened to loud, adrenaline inducing music, while I listened to classical music (when I wasn’t just using the headphones to drown out the noise of the gym).
I found this to be odd until we did a little study. After 3 months of doing the same intense routines we would see who, at the end of that period, made the biggest gains in strength, flexibility, and agility. In the end, we concluded that I had made the biggest gains in all 3 of the categories. Could it have been genetics? I’m sure that had something to do with it, as it always does. Could it have been desire? Perhaps. What I concluded it to be was that I happened to be more in touch with my body than he was. This didn’t come as a big surprise to me as I’d had years of meditation in Taekwondo.
What most people do not realize is that what they are listening to in the gym can affect their mood, their intensity, and their overall gains. When you listen to music that gets you “pumped up” you are introducing a ton of adrenaline into your system and then going through your workout. The adrenaline acts as an extra “boost” when lifting. Alternatively, classical music slows your heart rate and allows you to focus more on what your body is doing, rather than mentally running away from the pain. It also does not unnecessarily pump your body full of adrenaline and forces your muscles to work at 100% capacity (this is what accounted for the bigger gains in the 3 aforementioned categories). When your mind and body work harmoniously together during your workout, you can be sure to produce the results you are looking for.
As for my friend? After teaching him the importance of meditation and giving him a new playlist for his iPod, his results skyrocketed. Faster than mine even. Once you allow yourself to become one, mentally and physically, you can accomplish great things. But this cannot be done while running away from what your body feels under duress.
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