Music as ergogenic aid: comparative analysis of music tempos on selected physical fitness components of untrained collegiate students

The study aimed to investigate the effect of three different music tempos such as 44-77BPM, 78-120BPM, and 121-200BPM, on selected physical fitness components, which include flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, reaction time, and agility. Specifically, it also compared the music tempos to each other based on their effectiveness as ergogenic aids on the said fitness components. The study includes 70 participants (male=47;female=23) who are untrained collegiate students through purposive sampling. Four groups were formed, assigned by different music tempos (No Music Group=17; 40-77BPM=18; 78-120BPM=18;121-200BPM=17). The pretest was conducted by administering the fitness test, which measures the physical fitness components of the participants. Before the post-test, participants listened to a playlist with a music tempo assigned to their group. After this, the post-test commenced. The data was analyzed using a paired T-test for within-group comparison and ANOVA for the group comparison. The No Music Group and the 44-77 BPM group did not demonstrate any notable enhancement in the physical fitness components. The 78-120BPM group showed a significant improvement in flexibility of the lower limbs (p=.03, t=2.44) and agility in changing direction (p=.00, t=4.76). Lastly, the 121-200BPM group demonstrated a significant increase in reaction time (p=.01,t=3.14) and agility in changing direction (p=.00,t=3.39) . As for group comparison, cardiovascular endurance was different among groups, suggesting the 121-200BPM group to be superior compared to another group (p=.01, t=4.02). Music with a tempo of 44-77 BPM should be used as post-workout recovery, while 78-120 BPM was observed to enhance flexibility and agility. Music in the 121-200 BPM range shows potential for improving reaction time and agility. Cardiovascular endurance was superior in the 121-200 BPM music tempo. Future studies should focus on the role of slower tempos in recovery, further investigate flexibility and agility across various BPM ranges, and ensure reliable performance evaluations through replication.