Who needs steroids or human growth hormones? Athletes can enhance their performance with something that is both legal and easily obtained> It's called music, says BBC.com. In a study of Australian triathletes, researchers found that listening to music tracks by the likes of Queen, Madonna, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers increased the athletes' energy efficiency by 1% to 3%, enabling them to do more with the same amount of oxygen. "Music is like a legal drug for athletes," says British researcher Costas Karageorghis. "It can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15%." The key is finding music whose tempo is synchronous with a runner's desired stride; Haile Gebrselassie, who recently set a new world-record marathon time, likes running to the techno pop song "Scatman," with a tempo of about 135 beats per minute. Even recreational runners, researchers say, can benefit from musical accompaniment.
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