Self selected music during warm up improves anaerobic performance in female handball players across time of day

This study examined the effects of self-selected motivational music during warm-up on time-of-day (TOD) variations in short-term maximal performance among adolescent female handball players. Eighteen athletes (16.16 ± 0.38 years) completed eight sessions in randomized order across four TOD points (08:00 h, 11:00 h, 15:00 h, 18:00 h) and two warm-up conditions: with music (Yes-MUS) and without music (No-MUS). At each session, oral temperature (OT), countermovement jump (CMJ), medicine ball throw (MBT), 20-meter sprint (20 m-ST), and Illinois Agility Test (IAT) were assessed. Results showed that oral temperature increased significantly from 35.63 ± 0.72 °C at 08:00 h to 36.78 ± 0.12 °C at 18:00 h (p < 0.001), mirroring improvements in all physical performance tests across the day. Notably, music enhanced performance at all TODs and significantly reduced the amplitude of diurnal variation in CMJ (5.7% vs. 2.3%), MBT (13% vs. 6.6%), 20 m-ST (5.9% vs. 3.3%), and IAT (7.1% vs. 4.7%). The largest gains were observed during morning sessions. These findings suggest that self-selected motivational music during warm-up can act as a practical ergogenic strategy to counteract time-of-day performance decrements, especially in female team-sport athletes. Integrating music into pre-exercise routines may help optimize training outcomes when performance is typically suboptimal.