Episode 99Jul 12, 2026· 5:14

Music and Movement: Why I Can't Work Out in Silence

▸ Show notes from the creator

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About this episode

Host Ashley Grant reflects on the personal role music plays in her workouts, describing how silence made exercise feel harder during road trip stops at gas stations and in hotel rooms. She explains the mental effect of music — focusing on lyrics to get through pain, feeling transported, pushing reps harder — and praises her YMCA instructor Rhonda's eclectic playlist spanning rock, rap, hip hop, and Latin music. She…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You dread working out and find yourself quitting early or dreading every rep — not because you're lazy, but because nothing makes it feel worth pushing through.

You've tried squeezing in movement while traveling — hotel room workouts, quick stops on a road trip — and it felt so much harder than usual and you couldn't figure out why.

You're someone who's been working out in silence and wondering why it feels like a grind every single time.

You've had that one moment in a class or a run where a song came on and something just clicked — your body shifted and you pushed harder without even deciding to — and you want more of that feeling.

You're in physical discomfort during workouts and you're looking for anything that helps you get out of your head and stop focusing on how much it hurts.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Does what you listen to actually change how hard a workout feels?

answered

Ashley says yes — when she's listening to music she likes, she's able to forget about the pain and push harder, describing it as being 'transported somewhere else' rather than just a distraction.

"doing my workouts, it's like I'm transported somewhere else. I'm able to focus so much more on the music that. I'm able to kind of forget about the pain for a minute, especially when it's a song I like. And I think that's one of"

Why does working out in silence feel so much worse?

open question

Ashley notices the difference sharply during travel workouts — squats and jumping jacks felt significantly harder without music — but rather than explaining why, she sits with the tension that it's the same movement yet genuinely isn't.

"there wasn't music playing. And it's nuts to say that because it seems like, well, it's the same movement. No, it's really not. And here's"

Can a song actually change how you perform in the middle of a workout?

answered

Ashley treats it as real, not a fluke — she watched a woman at her class who was struggling with a move visibly shift the moment a good song came on, working harder than Ashley had seen her work before.

"her whole body just like. shifted and she was working out harder than I had seen before and it was like she got excited and it lit her up and she was able to do the moves so well and"

Is it just in my head that music makes exercise easier?

answered

Ashley's experience is that it's not just in your head — she describes music as something that changes 'something in your brainwaves' and transports her to another place, making the same physical movement feel genuinely different.

"it's that important. Like hearing really good music, it's like it changes something in your brainwaves and you're in, you just, like I said, it transports me to another place. So I want"

Setting expectations: This episode is not about the science of music and exercise performance, workout playlist curation tips, or research-backed explanations of why music helps athletes. It's Ashley personally reflecting on how she can't get through a workout without music — illustrated by struggling through silent hotel room squats on a road trip and watching a woman in her YMCA class completely transform mid-move when a good song came on.

Tone & style

Ashley opens taking music for granted as a workout staple, then realizes its true weight only when it's absent during travel stops — doing squats and jumping jacks in silence and finding everything harder. Watching a woman in her YMCA class visibly transform the moment a good song came on cements the realization, and she closes by encouraging listeners to find a playlist that 'rocks your world.'

Personal experience and opinion. Ashley's observations about music and brainwaves are speculative, not drawn from research.

toneWarm & enthusiastic

focusAshley shares how doing workouts without music during recent travels made her realize just how essential a good playlist is to getting through — and enjoying — movement.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium_high

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureenthusiastic, warm, conversational, light

Notable quotes

"'all, it is a playlist that can drag me through no matter what. It's one of those things that..."

— Famous Ashley Grant

"to me how much harder everything felt because"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"why. When I am listening to music while I am doing my workouts, it's like I'm transported somewhere else. I'm able to focus so much more on the music that. I'm able to kind of forget about the pain for a minute, especially when"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"where if I had the choice between music or not music while working out, I will choose music all day, every day and twice on Sunday. Because"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 3 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Music as a Workout EssentialAshley introduces the episode's topic — how important music is to her personally — and reflects on realizing its significance only after doing workouts without it during recent travels.1:362. How Music Makes Hard Workouts Feel DifferentAshley describes how music transports her mentally during workouts, helping her forget pain and push through reps, and praises her YMCA instructor Rhonda's eclectic playlist as a prime example.3:363. Watching Music Transform Someone Else Mid-WorkoutAshley shares an observation of a woman at her class who was struggling with a move until a good song came on and visibly shifted her whole energy and performance.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

organizationYMCA

The gym where Ashley takes fitness classes, whose instructor Rhonda she credits for having one of the best workout playlists she's ever heard.

personRhonda Good

Ashley's fitness instructor at the YMCA, praised specifically for her eclectic playlist mixing rock, rap, hip hop, and Latin music.

Key themes

Music as a workout necessity

Ashley describes music not as a nice-to-have but as something that can 'drag her through no matter what,' a realization that only hit her when she had to work out without it during travels.

Working out without music feels harder

Ashley recounts doing squats and jumping jacks at road trip stops with no music playing and finding the same movements noticeably more difficult than usual.

Music as a pain distraction

Ashley explains that focusing on lyrics during a song she knows lets her mentally 'forget about the pain' mid-workout, especially in moments when she's hurting.

Being transported somewhere else by music

Ashley describes the sensation of listening to good music during exercise as being 'transported somewhere else,' disconnecting from physical effort.

Rhonda's eclectic YMCA playlist

Ashley singles out her YMCA instructor Rhonda Good's playlist — mixing rock, rap, hip hop, and Latin — as one of the best she's ever heard and a key reason she loves those classes.

Watching a song visibly change someone mid-workout

Ashley describes watching a woman in class struggle with a move until a good song came on, at which point her whole body shifted and she suddenly worked harder than Ashley had seen before.

Zumba and music that makes you want to move

Ashley connects her love of Zumba specifically to the fact that most of its songs 'inspire you to move,' making it a natural fit for her music-dependent workout style.

Finding a playlist that rocks your world

Ashley shares her personal preference for music over silence during workouts and encourages finding a playlist that 'gets you jazzed,' framing it as the thing that will make you move more.