Effects of the music tempo during walking exercise on heart rate variation, lactic acid, and aerobic variables in male college students

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of music tempo on heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), lactate levels, and aerobic capacity during walking exercise in male college students. Ten male college students randomly participated in three experiments using various music tempos on a treadmill device to prevent data contamination between measurements by allowing a 2-week interval. Walking exercise was performed at a moderate intensity of 60%-70% maximum HR for 30 min, with participants divided into three groups based on music tempo: exercise group with fast tempo music (ExF, 120-160 bpm), exercise group with slow tempo music (ExS, 60-70 bpm), and exercise group without music (Ex). The study was designed using a randomized crossover method. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) assessed group-by-time interactions, and one-way ANOVA was used to compare differences between groups. Post hoc analysis was performed using Tukey honestly significant difference. As a result, the ExF group had higher HR, ventilation, metabolic equivalent, and oxygen up-take during treadmill exercise than the ExS or Ex group. But there was no significant interaction of HR and HRV during recovery according to music tempo. HRV was significantly higher in the ExF group during exercise when compared to other groups. Blood lactate concentration was significantly decreased in the ExS group. These findings provide new information that music tempo type applied during treadmill exercise might have a positive effect on the maximum oxygen intake and lactate accumulation in the recovery phase.