5 Clues Your Workout Music Is Too Loud

A few days ago, I happened to be at the gym when a fitness class was ending. I couldn’t help but notice a number of people walking out of the room were rubbing their ears, and one person even complained that the music being too loud had given them a headache.

Now, I should admit that I don’t listen to music during my workouts. I tend to prefer podcasts.   So I don’t get the whole ‘pump yourself up’ part of loud music for my workouts.   But I’ve noticed a trend toward music being played louder at my local gym, just in the background.  That doesn’t even count using earbuds.

Or maybe I’m just getting old.

5 Clues Your Workout Music Is Too Loud

People around you are complaining that the music from your iPod is drowning out the background music.  (No lie – I heard someone complain about this).

You catch yourself yelling in response to a question. (My kids are guilty of this).

Your ears ‘ring’ after taking out those shiny new earbuds.

You experience headaches after a workout session. (I know a fitness instructor who had a student complain about the music in a class being so loud it was giving them headaches. The instructor’s response was that the loud music ‘inspires her students to work harder and if she didn’t like it, too bad.’). Note – headaches could be a sign of other problems and may warrant a trip to your doctor.

You’ve been hit by a car while running. No joke here, either.  A buddy if mine was running along the side of the road, music blaring directly into his ears, and didn’t see (or hear) a car turning across his path. The car came from a blind spot, making it difficult to see, but he may have heard it, had he been able.  Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously hurt. But he may have avoided the accident altogether had he not deprived himself of one of his senses.

Having said all that, a recent report suggests that, despite the growing use of personal audio devices, rates of hearing loss are one the decline.  But, that doesn’t mean we should start taking our hearing for granted.  The one truism about hearing is that, once its gone – that’s it.  There’s no “fixing it.”

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