Harness the power of music to enhance your workouts
I’d like to start walking more, but it’s been some years since I was active.
Congratulations on starting your journey. We actually built Tempony with walking specifically in mind and not as an afterthought. If you like music, and would like to include it during your walks, it can become a valuable part of your training. First, any music you enjoy can help you “dissociate” during your walks, meaning you’ll focus less on any physical discomfort you might be experiencing while enjoying your tunes. You don’t need Tempony for this, you can load up your favorite tunes and just get out there. But what Tempony can do is enhance this effect by tempo shifting the music (speeding up or slowing it down so that the beats match the way you naturally walk). Don’t worry, there’s no “chipmunk effect”. For the most part, you won’t even know the music has changed from its original speed. This can help you in a number of ways:
Better dissociation since your steps line up with the music.
Improved efficiency as you walk more consistently using the music to cue your steps.
A sense that you’re moving with the music (a kind of dance effect) instead of just having something in the background.
Feeling less tired and walking for longer.
BTW, Tempony is absolutely free to use for 10 minutes a day for as long as you like (no signup of any kind required). We hope it will help make starting your fitness journey a little easier.
You can read more about the science of synchronous music and how advanced athletes have used this almost secret technique to improve their training and even break world records.
I’m an intermediate runner looking to improve my performance.
Even accounting for differences in leg length, what separates high level runners and cyclists is an ability to hold a high cadence. Most elite runners prefer a cadence between 170-180, usually with a preference towards the higher end. With Tempony, you have fine-grained control over the music tempo against which you can sync your cadence. You can determine your current cadence using a 30-sec “Find your Tempo” test using Tempony. After that, you can increment the music up by 2 bpm per week (any more will feel uncomfortable) until you reach your goal.
I’m an elite middle distance runner, is there anything Tempony can do for me?
Perhaps you or your coach want to refine your cadence. If so, use the technique for intermediate runners above. Runners who are satisfied with their cadence may also find it helpful to use synchronous music to maintain cadence and avoid any unnecessary variations due to fatigue or distraction. Other, scientifically proven, benefits of exercising with synchronous music include lower oxygen consumption, lower perceptions of effort, and improved movement economy. Even a world record holder like Haile Gebrselassie used synchronous music to help him achieve his records. Like him, you may find synchronous music at once a way to stay on cadence, while also keeping your mind off any physical discomfort. Psychologist call this “dissociation”, and it can become a powerful tool to assist your training.
What about indoor cycling? Can I use Tempony?
Absolutely? Pretty much all the same rules apply to cycling with tempo shifted music. We’ve even accounted for the difference between RPM (revolutions per minute) and BPM (beats per minute), so we’ll double the tempo of the music relative to your target cadence. In practice, that means you’ll be synchronizing each pedal stroke with the beats in the music. As with running, you can use Tempony to refine your cadence over time and experience the pleasant distraction of synchronous music. You can easily integrate music and Tempony while using your favorite cycling software (Zwift, Trainer Road, etc…).
Can I use Tempony with my favorite Couch to 5k app?
Absolutely! You can now combine the benefits of synchronous music with your other training tools. It wasn’t easy, but we’ve integrated the music experience with Tempony completely into the regular audio ecosystem. That means music will soften into the background while you get instructions from your favorite training apps.