Working out isn’t always easy to do. Problem is, in a society obsessed with physical perfection, it’s something that most of us feel like we have to do. And the worst part isn’t even the workout itself. You have to make time for it in your day, usually early in the morning or right after you get home from work or school. More specifically, you have to change into your workout clothes, drive/run/ride to the gym (some people have everything they need in their home – lucky bastards), drive/run/ride back home, take a shower, and change your clothes again! It’s really pretty time consuming.
Believe me, as a certified personal trainer, I know how hard making that time can be.
But there’s an upside to it all. Once you finally get to the gym, you get to zone out to your favorite tunes. I’m a huge music lover, but unless I’m in the car, I rarely listen. That’s why I covet my workout time so much. Of course, feeling and looking better is not a bad perk to working out either.
So, to honor that rare hour or so of uninterrupted music listening, I thought I’d list my favorite workout tracks. Now, of course, we tend to listen to different things depending on the type of workout (or at least I do), so I’ll break it down into several playlists. Also, when I work out, I tend to work out hard, so some of these songs are pretty loud and, uh, intense.
Intense Cardio (running, sprints, plyometrics, interval training, etc.)
I like to listen to electronic music when I work out, and as you’ll notice, I’ve got a TON of Daft Punk on here. Half their songs sound like they were made for the gym. Don’t believe me? Listen to the lyrics. The heavy bass and repetitive nature of their music helps me zone out, too. It’s a bit like hypnosis, I guess. There are some other obvious choices on here as well.
Better Off Alone – Alice Deejay
Cinema (Skrillex Remix) – Benny Benassi
One More Time – Daft Punk
Aerodynamic – Daft Punk
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Daft Punk
High Life – Daft Punk
Da Funk – Daft Punk
Around the World – Daft Punk
Rollin’ ’n Scratchin’ – Daft Punk
Robot Rock – Daft Punk
Technologic – Daft Punk
Musique – Daft Punk
Derezzed – Daft Punk
The entire Alive 2007 album – Daft Punk
Sandstorm – Darude
Moar Ghosts ’n’ Stuff – Deadmou5
Ghosts ’n’ Stuff (feat. Rob Swire) – Deadmou5
I Remember (feat. Kaskade) – Deadmou5
Strobe – Deadmou5
Bootleg Fireworks (The Rebirth) – Dillon Francis
Latch (feat. Sam Smith) – Disclosure
Bird Machine (feat. Alesia) – DJ Snake
Death By Robot – Feed Me
Hold Me Close – Flux Pavilion
Pardon My French – Gramatik
You Don’t Understand – Gramatik
Prime Time – Gramatik
It’s Just a Ride – Gramatik
Genesis – Justice
D.A.N.C.E. – Justice
Room for Happiness (feat. Skylar Grey) – Kaskade
4 AM (Adam K & Soha Mix) – Kaskade
Move for Me – Kaskade & Deadmou5
Lick It – Kaskade & Skrillex
Hello – Martin Solveig & Dragonette
My Eyes – Nero
Must Be the Feeling – Nero
Doomsday – Nero
Me and You – Nero
Wildfire – SBTRKT
Pharaohs – SBTRKT
Right In – Skrillex
Bangarang (feat. Sirah) – Skrillex
First of the Year (Equinox) – Skrillex
Reptile’s Theme – Skrillex
Rock ’n’ Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain) – Skrillex
Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites – Skrillex
Kill Everybody – Skrillex
Love & War – Wolfgang Gartner
Weightlifting (or cardio if I get tired of the first list)
There’s a lot of metal and alternative on this list. I actually don’t listen to it very often, but when I need an extra push, this list does it.
Falling Down – Breaking Point
Prayer – Disturbed
Indestructible – Disturbed
Perfect Insanity – Disturbed
Inside the Fire – Disturbed
Voices – Disturbed
The Game – Disturbed
Stupify – Disturbed
Down With the Sickness – Disturbed
Fear – Disturbed
Bodies – Drowning Pool
Reminded – Drowning Pool
Mute – Drowning Pool
Told You So – Drowning Pool
The Pretender – Foo Fighters
Dirt Off Your Shoulder / Lying From You – Jay-Z & Linkin Park
Jigga What / Faint – Jay-Z & Linkin Park
Points of Authority / 99 Problems / One Step Closer – Jay-Z & Linkin Park
Papercut – Linkin Park
Figure.09 – Linkin Park
Bleed It Out – Linkin Park
This Is the New Sh#t – Marilyn Manson
Battery – Metallica
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Enter Sandman – Metallica
Sad But True – Metallica
All Nightmare Long – Metallica
For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica
Follow You Home – Nickelback
Side of a Bullet – Nickelback
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
I Don’t Wanna Stop – Ozzy Osbourne
Let Me Hear You Scream – Ozzy Osborne
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
Bulls On Parade – Rage Against the Machine
Killing In the Name – Rage Against the Machine
Dragula – Rob Zombie
Demon Speeding – Rob Zombie
Remedy – Seether
Headstrong – Trapt
Alternate Weightlifting or Light Cardio
If you crave heavy bass (and I know I do!), and you don’t like Electronic music, then you’ll like this list. The only problem is most of these songs don’t have a very high BPM, so this list isn’t very good for cardio. I actually had to leave out some great songs because of that.
Pop Bottles – Birdman
Stuntin’ Like My Daddy – Birdman
Bet I – B.o.B
Out of My Mind – B.o.B
Strange Clouds – B.o.B
Look At Me Now – Chris Brown
Hold On, We’re Going Home – Drake
I’m Goin In – Drake
The Motto – Drake
Forever – Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem
Low – Flo Rida
How We Do – Game
Blame It – Jamie Foxx
The New Workout Plan – Kanye West
Stronger – Kanye West
Gold Digger – Kanye West
Flashing Lights – Kanye West
On Sight – Kanye West
Black Skinhead – Kanye West
Clique – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean
M.A.A.D City – Kendrick Lamar
Swimming Pools – Kendrick Lamar
Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi
Bring It Back – Lil Wayne
Got Money – Lil Wayne
A Milli – Lil Wayne
Lollipop – Lil Wayne
Blunt Blowin – Lil Wayne
MegaMan – Lil Wayne
6 Foot 7 Foot – Lil Wayne
John – Lil Wayne
Everybody Drunk – Ludacris
Thrift Shop – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Hot in Herre – Nelly
Grillz – Nelly
ATLiens – OutKast
The Way You Move – OutKast
Hey Ya! – OutKast
B.O.B. – OutKast
Freek-A-Leek – Petey Pablo
Wildfire (OVO Remix) – SBTRKT
What Up, What’s Haapnin’ -T.I.
Worldwide Choppers – Tech N9ne
Riot Maker – Tech N9ne
Caribou Lou – Tech N9ne
Like Yeah – Tech N9ne
Let’s Go – Tech N9ne
Sickology 101 – Tech N9ne
Yeah! – Usher
In Da Club – 50 Cent
Candy Shop – 50 Cent
What about you guys? What do you like to listen to when you work out?
If I Had Any Cents At All 