Listening to Music Underwater Can Help You Swim Faster

You may already know that your favorite tunes can motivate you to run faster or stick with the kettlebells longer, but dry land isn't the only place that your mp3 player can help you step up your fitness game: Listening to music underwater can help you swim faster, according to new research conducted at Brunel University in the United Kingdom.

In a recent study, 26 collegiate swimmers experimented with wearing earbuds during 200-meter trials for three weeks. They listened to motivational music for one week, neutral music for one week, and no music at all for the final week. Listening to both types of music helped the athletes slash their 200-meter times by three seconds. That may not sound like a lot, but in swimming, three seconds can be the difference between first and third place and the difference would likely be even greater for longer distances. We found that any song played at 130 beats per minute, mellow or upbeat, motivated the swimmers, says study co-author Jasmin Hutchinson, assistant professor of exercise science and sport studies at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

Looking to improve your swim time or just have a more efficient workout?

Simply place your phone in the DryCASE, use the pump to remove any extra air, and secure it to your arm with the neoprene armband. Plug in the DryBUDS and you'll be rocking out, lap, after lap, after lap…