Spotify Running Mode: Improving Cadence With Music
Spotify's new Running Mode defaults to 150 BPM. Here's the number you should actually use, and a plan to make it stick.
Spotify just launched Running Mode. Every song matches a tempo you pick, tracks blend so the beat never drops, and you can run it steady or as intervals. I demoed it this morning, and it's very cool.
The catch
It defaults to 150 BPM, and it does not read your actual cadence. (The 2015 version did that using your phone's accelerometer, and they killed it.)
Most of us already run 150 to 170 steps per minute. Bumping that up by about 5% cuts the load on your knees by around 20%. So if you just take the default, you're training in the wrong direction.
The guide
The number you should actually type in (hint: it's not 180)
A 4-week plan to make it stick
What to do if you're on Android or don't have Premium
There's a prompt too. Your watch already knows your cadence. The prompt handles the part nobody gives you: your target, the plan, and a weekly check-in to see if the number is moving.
My easy-run cadence sits around 168, so I'm working on getting it into the 170s consistently. What's yours?
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