Why a good podcast could lead to a bad workout

IN AN increasingly busy world, listening to a podcast, watching a documentary or even learning a foreign language while exercising may feel like a constructive use of time.

But a study suggests that when the body is forced to carry out mental activity at the same time as physical exertion, the brain will win, and performance is likely to suffer.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge were curious to calculate the trade-off between physical and mental capacity when the body and brain are both forced to work hard.

They asked elite rowers from the Cambridge University Boat Club to take part in a mental recall test while exercising strenuously on a rowing machine.

Although all the athletes suffered both a drop in both mental and physical performance, it was their ability to row which was the most harmed. The findings suggest that for athletes who are keen to improve their performance, quieting the mind and switching off from mental distractions, such as podcasts, could help.

Dr Longman, of Cambridge’s department of archaeology, said: “Mind state and thought processes can influence physical performance. Focusing on the activity itself, rather than letting the mind wander, can enhance performance in high level and high intensity sporting disciplines.

“There is evidence suggesting that the ability to ‘dissociate’ from a physical task, to think about something else, like a podcast, enhances performance in recreational athletes by distracting them from the discomfort of the activity itself.

“In high-level elite athletes, the story would likely be different, and a podcast might well reduce performance.”

Researchers believe that humans have evolved to prioritise quick thinking over fast movement, which helped our ancestors to survive.

Participants were asked to perform one memory test and one physical, then both together.

During the simultaneous challenge, recall fell by an average of 9.7 per cent, while power fell by an average of 12.6 per cent.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.