Do you lift better while listening to music?

Short answer

You lift more, not heavier. Music you pick yourself added reps at the same weight, but it did not raise the heaviest weight you can lift once.

Do you lift better while listening to music?
'Music → better mood → heavier weights' — does this formula hold?
Many people say they feel stronger with earbuds in at the gym. The idea is that music lifts your mood, so you lift heavier and more. We checked it one step at a time.
Music raised mood and exercise performance
The verdict from 139 studies and 3,599 people
An analysis that pooled 139 studies with 3,599 people found music made exercise feel better, raised performance, and lowered how hard it felt. Heart rate did not change. The first link holds.
In lifting, reps went up
The heaviest weight stayed the same
When 15 people did 5 sets of bench press to failure at 70% of their max, they did 41.7 reps in total with music they chose, versus 38.3 without music. In another 31 people, reps went up, but the heaviest weight they could lift once did not change.
Pooled analyses agreed
What goes up is reps
A 2026 analysis that pooled 21 studies found music raised reps and mood scores, with no clear difference in peak power or speed. Another analysis of 41 studies found no clear difference in maximal strength compared with no music.
But not just any music
Your own picks beat music you dislike
When 19 people trained to 5 songs they chose versus their least favorite genre, they did more reps on squats and deadlifts with their own music. Focus and energy were higher, and effort did not feel harder. An analysis of 855 people also found preferred music raised motivation.
How much more?
About 0.7 reps per set, more with fast songs
In the bench press trial above, the extra reps came to 3.4 across 5 sets, about 0.7 per set. In the 139-study analysis, fast-tempo music boosted performance more than slow or medium tempos.
Bottom line: more reps, not heavier lifts
The formula breaks at 'heavier weights'
Music lifted mood and added reps at the same weight, but it did not raise the heaviest weight you can lift once. Fast music you pick yourself works for sets taken to failure.