Episode #36 | Costas Karageorghis - How the Power of Music Can Help YOU Unlock Your Athletic Potential

The use of music in the sport and exercise setting is commonplace and most us regularly use a playlist either pre-task or during our training sessions to accompany us. But how much thought goes into the choice of our music other than the fact we might like these particular tracks and what does the research actually prove?

This week we welcome to the @unlockingathleticpotential podcast, Professor Costas Karageorghis, a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Brunel University London in the UK, who is one of the world’s leading experts into the effects of music on exercise and sport.

Costas is the author of two textbooks *Inside Sport Psychology’ and ‘Applying Music in Exercise and Sport’, 12 book chapters, 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 100 professional papers in sport and exercise psychology. He has made 120 conference presentations and given numerous invited presentations at national and international conferences, including 12 keynote lectures. 

Textbook 1: http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/the-inside-sport-psychology

Textbook 2: https://uk.humankinetics.com/products/applying-music-in-exercise-and-sport

His music research has been featured in newspapers around the world; the Times, Telegraph, Independent, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Sydney Morning Herald. In both 2011 and 2016 he was the recipient of the Sportesse Award for Sport and Exercise Sciences at the annual conference of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).

Costas has acted as consultant psychologist to a number of international and professional athletes and has worked with a wide variety of UK governing bodies of sport (e.g. British Athletics, British Canoe Union, British Water Ski Federation and England Hockey). He has also worked and has ongoing collaborations with various multinational companies in the sports world and music industry. 

Outside of his research, from 2007-11 he was head coach of the Great Britain Students Athletics Team. He has also managed and coached the Brunel University London Athletics Team since the early 90s.

During his spare time, Costas plays the piano, often performing in jazz and latin duos/trios, as well as with the BASES Band at national and international conferences.

In this episode we discuss:

• What considerations should individuals make when selecting music as part of their pre-workout routine
• How this may differ if you are listening to music as part of a team
• When can music help enhance physical performance during exercise
• Research into the area of music post exercise and during interval training 
• Some of the most significant examples that the power of music has had on athletic performance
• Examples when we should not use music during exercise
• Costas’ number one piece of advice to anyone out there looking to use music to help them  Unlock their Athletic Potential? 

Here is the link to the Spotify account mentioned in the podcast if you are looking for some motivational playlists:
https://open.spotify.com/user/j8pyfvz4vrm3ez9szxfhu44xh

Unlocking Athletic Potential proudly partners with Red Dot Running Company, who specialise in sports nutrition and running kit and are based in Singapore. You can find them at rdrc.sg