If you know the feeling of struggling through the last kilometre of your run, take heed of these five tips, as the songs on your running playlist may be the key to giving you that final burst of strength.

While this may seem obvious, it could be you are training with the wrong tracks in your earballs, and as a result not training as hard as you should. Dr. Coastas Karageorghis, author of Inside Sport Psychology and a leading expert on the psychophysical and ergogenic effects of music at Brunel University, in London, says:

Music has the propensity to elevate positive aspects of mood such as vigor and excitement, and reduces negative aspects such as tension and fatigue.

So here are five tips from Dr. Karageorghis to help you fine tune your running playlist.

1. Select tracks with energizing beats

While this may be a nod to complete and utter common sense – I don’t imagine many people jogging to Tom Waits – the difference it makes is significant. In a 2009 study Dr. Karageorghis put a bunch of people on treadmills; some rocked out to up-tempo rock and pop, while others ran in silence. Those who synchronised their pace to the songs’ tempo improved their endurance by 15%. That’s quite a bit.

Running in time to rhythmic songs lowers your perceived effort, making you think you’re not working as hard as you really are. Upbeat music increases activity in a part of the brain called the ascending reticular activating system, which “psyches” you up when you’re running. Dr. Karageorghis says:

The optimal tempo range is 120 to 140 beats per minute. Our research shows this yields the best psychological outcomes.

2. Stick with what you know

This isn’t just about liking the music you listen to while running – that is part of it – but also the cultural impact. For example the “Chariots of Fire [theme song] has been used extensively at the London Olympic games,” says Karageorghis. “We’ve made an association with this song and characters doing heroic feats. When you hear it, it conjures images and thoughts of overcoming adversity and striving towards a goal. So you’re conditioned to feel stimulated, inspired and motivated.” My advice is rocking 80’s tracks. Think Rocky and “Eye of The Tiger” or, my favourite, “Push it to the Limit” from Scarface. 

But really, it’s anything that get’s you pumped up. So, for those 90’s kids in their 30’s trying to get a handle on their expanding bellies, I reckon there’s a lot of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” going on.

3. Don’t forget to hit shuffle

If you think you already have the perfect running playlist and listen to it every single time you train, you might be negating it’s impact by overplaying it. You are becoming desensitised to the music’s motivational properties. “This is why radio stations promote songs by playing them repeatedly, but then play it less and less, so listeners don’t develop a negative response to it,” says Karageorghis. “Change your playlist at least every couple of weeks so you don’t listen to the same track over and over.”

4. Try digitally altering your music to boost motivation

This one is quite interesting. You can manipulate your favourite tracks to get you working even harder. When Karageorghis is designing playlists for professional athletes he finds the right tracks, and then makes them faster. “ I digitally adjust tracks to give a little push of one or two beats per minute,” says Karageorghis. “Differences in tempo of up to four beats per minute are indiscernible to non-musicians. You can easily manipulate your favorite tracks slightly. It’s a particularly good ploy if you want to give yourself a little jolt or get out of a training slump.”

5. Be choosy about lyrics

Common sense prevails here as well, with lyrics that convey inspirational themes being better than songs about depression and loss – country music, right out then. The good doctor says “You will notice a lot of athletes like  Michael Phelps use music as an integral part of their pre-event routine. He’s famed for his rap-centric playlist. In Beijing, he listened to the song “I’m Me” by Lil’ Wayne which has strong affirming lyrics as well as being acoustically stimulative.”

So that’s it. Employ these tips and be fitter, healthier, more productive. But look after your ears. Dr. Karageorghis says that “High-intensity exercises coupled with high-intensity music above about 85 decibels can cause temporary hearing loss.”

Here is the good doctor Karageorghis’ playlist.

“Eye Of The Tiger” (109 BPM), Surivior
“Don’t Stop Me Now” (154 BPM), Queen
“Beat It” (139 BPM), Michael Jackson
“I Like To Move It” (123 BPM), Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman
“Push It” (130 BPM), Salt-N-Pepa

[Source: TIME]