3 months ago
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Posted On: July 22nd 2026, 12:16 pm
Doctor of Physical Therapy POV: Yes, the song you choose for your run can actually matter. 🎶🏃♀️
No, one magical song isn’t going to suddenly turn you into an Olympic runner. 😂 But music can act like a metronome, giving your body an external rhythm to follow.
Why does that matter?
Increasing cadence appropriately can help:
👟 Shorten your stride and reduce overstriding
⚡ Reduce braking forces
🦵 Change how forces are distributed across the hip, knee, and ankle
🏃 Improve running mechanics and efficiency for some runners
As a physical therapist, these are things I’m paying attention to when working with an injured runner.
But here’s the nuance: 180 BPM is NOT a magic number.
Your ideal cadence depends on your height, leg length, running speed, experience, terrain, and current running mechanics.
If you naturally run at 155 steps per minute, I’m probably not throwing you straight to 180 and hoping for the best. 😂 Often, we experiment with a small increase from your baseline, around 5 to 10%, and see how your body responds.
And cadence is only ONE part of the injury puzzle. Strength, training volume, recovery, tissue capacity, previous injuries, and how quickly you increase your workload matter too.
So can a song make you run faster?
Technically, no. 😏 But if the beat helps you change your cadence, running rhythm, and mechanics, your playlist might be doing more than you think.
Comment RUN for my free running guide and follow @movementmantra.pt for evidence-based running and strength tips from a Doctor of Physical Therapy who actually runs.
P.S. Yessss, I know this song can technically be counted as 100 OR 200 BPM depending on how you’re counting the beat. 😂 Just go with the premise for a second…
Dr. Libby
#RunningTips #RunningForm #PhysicalTherapy #RunningInjury #runners
No, one magical song isn’t going to suddenly turn you into an Olympic runner. 😂 But music can act like a metronome, giving your body an external rhythm to follow.
Why does that matter?
Increasing cadence appropriately can help:
👟 Shorten your stride and reduce overstriding
⚡ Reduce braking forces
🦵 Change how forces are distributed across the hip, knee, and ankle
🏃 Improve running mechanics and efficiency for some runners
As a physical therapist, these are things I’m paying attention to when working with an injured runner.
But here’s the nuance: 180 BPM is NOT a magic number.
Your ideal cadence depends on your height, leg length, running speed, experience, terrain, and current running mechanics.
If you naturally run at 155 steps per minute, I’m probably not throwing you straight to 180 and hoping for the best. 😂 Often, we experiment with a small increase from your baseline, around 5 to 10%, and see how your body responds.
And cadence is only ONE part of the injury puzzle. Strength, training volume, recovery, tissue capacity, previous injuries, and how quickly you increase your workload matter too.
So can a song make you run faster?
Technically, no. 😏 But if the beat helps you change your cadence, running rhythm, and mechanics, your playlist might be doing more than you think.
Comment RUN for my free running guide and follow @movementmantra.pt for evidence-based running and strength tips from a Doctor of Physical Therapy who actually runs.
P.S. Yessss, I know this song can technically be counted as 100 OR 200 BPM depending on how you’re counting the beat. 😂 Just go with the premise for a second…
Dr. Libby
#RunningTips #RunningForm #PhysicalTherapy #RunningInjury #runners
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