Best Gym Music?
So I started my resolution early this year. At the beginning of December I started going to the gym every morning at 8:30 for about an hour or so. I’ve been really good about it. Like most starting out I’m embarrassed at how out of shape I’ve gotten the past few years. (Kids, sleep depravation, starting a business, and having only one car made working out difficult) But now I’m doing it.
I’m one of those guys who really can use the extra energy boost of good music. It seems that, especially on those final sets of weights, it just gives me that little bit of extra oomph.
Here’s my dilemma though. My current music mix sucks. Oh there’s some good stuff. The obligatory Rage Against the Machine and AC/DC. A little Death in Vegas. But I found, much to my shock, that my music tastes the past decade have moved quite a bit more towards more acoustic and neo-folk stuff. Working through my iTunes collection I found it harder to find good stuff to work out with. (In part due to a double hard drive failure about 7 years ago which led to half my music getting lost)
So here’s the question. What are the tunes you think are best for really getting pumped at the gym? I don’t even care the genre. I have hip hop, electronica, grunge, industrial, metal, boogie woogie and a lot else already in my mix.
BTW – funny story. I was working out yesterday and the guy from So You Think You Can Dance who was competing with his wife was working out beside me.
Posted on December 29, 2010, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 29 Comments.
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I’d have to say either “Let’s Get Physical” by Olivia Newton John or the soundtrack to Rocky VI.
You’re welcome.
My fave workout song is “46 & 2″ by Tool. It talks about moving through and muscle memory and has that driving bassline. Good stuff.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tja6_h4lT6A&fs=1&hl=en_US
For running, I use this playlist.
http://feministcyborgsquirrel.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/bpm-running-and-my-playlist/
The first two tracks off of Andrew W.K.’s The Wolf have so much pump-upitude you’ll barely be able to handle it.
"Victory Strikes Again"/"Long Live the Party"
Eye of the Tiger. Bad Rocky movie, good training music.
Please, I beg you, do NOT work out to Olivia Newton John.
That’s so awesome that you saw Ryan Dilello (if I’m not mistaken, that’s his name). Did you talk to him? I’d be curious about what he’s doing now.
I kinda like working out to Blink 182 and Third Eye Blind. I have a good mix of those two groups plus some U2 and Creed (yes, Creed) that works for me. I keep updating and changing the mix, and recently added some Killers, Band of Skulls and Kings of Leon. I think it has to be groups you like, but it helps if the BPM is at a rate that keeps you going without getting annoying.
Yes, that was already in my rotation. Great song.
Great pick. It wasn’t that bad a movie. Not in the league of the first two but better than all the others in the series. (Although I really dug the last one)
No. I hate talking to people in the gym – even back when I was in shape. Plus he was in the middle of a pretty intense shoulder workout. I’m sure he hates folks coming up to him too. (I would I know – I don’t like being on TV much. It’s something I do because I have to.)
What Kings of Leon would be a good pick? I have a bunch but none I can think off the top of my head to workout with.
“Please, I beg you, do NOT work out to Olivia Newton John.”
I was joking.
It’s been too long since I worked out and I was never a gym/weight-lifting kind of guy. I do remember using “Finest Worksong” a lot to get pumped up at wrestling tournaments. I could probably work out effectively to either Candy Apple Grey or Warehouse: Songs and Stories by Husker Du.
If you like that sort of thing, the new Matt & Kim album “Sidewalks” is really up-tempo and could probably do the job for working out.
But for a lot of people, a little Matt & Kim goes a long way.
Also, please tell me you were joking about Creed.
Please.
I end up listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and Smashing Pumpkins at the gym, mostly out of habit. My wife uses pandora at the gym and has a series of shameful stations that she enjoys.
The only famous people I see at the gym are Apollo Ono (he is a beast) and Thurl Bailey.
I figured you were joking Greg, but I wasn’t. Here’s the song that is on my workout mix and I stand by it:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW1OZC8tlfc&fs=1&hl=en_USarJ, that’s cool that you see Ono. I didn’t know he lived in the area.
I listen to podcasts. Nothing gets my anger going like politics.
This looks like it could be helpful:
http://jogtunes.com/
When I get myself out to exercise, I don’t normally listen to music. But maybe I’ll give this a try just to see what I get in return.
Limp Bizkit “Take A Look Around” which creates a nice variation on the Mission Impossible theme. That’s superb for running.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-1803292115/motley_crue_kickstart_my_heart_official_music_video/
Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue. Dude….that will kickstart your heart.
Beastie Boys “Sabotage”. Excellent tempo for a fast pace.
POD “Whatever It Takes.”
Eminem “Lose Yourself.”
Danko Jones would probably be good for working out:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QELtIB7gSA&fs=1&hl=en_US
Also Electric Six:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayy57FDUtQ0&fs=1&hl=en_US
But only if you don’t take yourself too seriously.
Limp Bizkit is one of those bands that I actually am really embarrassed I once liked. Some, like Duran Duran, are the occasional guilty pleasure. But Limp Bizkit. Man. What was I thinking in ’98?
Eminem is a great idea. I’ve not listened to him in years.
Danithew, back just a year or two before I’d stopped working out there was actually a podcast that had different techno mixes all adjusted for a particular BPM so you could coordinate your jogging with the music exactly. However that sort of repetitive techno kind of gets to me after a while. It lacks energy and soul somehow. (There are a few exceptions – but they are typically sampling blues)
Clark,
Yeah, I don’t listen to anything else from Limp Bizkit. I tried, but the rest is pretty much junk. That one song though rocks.
Every year before Wakeboarding and Snowboarding seasons I create playlists to listen to. I use both for working out, but find my wakeboarding playlists to work best. I try to pull from different genres (Metal, Ska, Emo, Punk, Pop, Rap, etc) because while Anthrax is one of the best to workout to, it loses its efficacy if you listen to a whole Anthrax album straight through.
My all time favorite song to workout to is Excess by Tricky, and my all time favorite song to run to is Running Up That Hill by Placebo.
Here are my 2009 and 2010 wakeboard playlists (respectively). Hopefully they help.
Summer Love/Set The Mood Prelude – Justin Timberlake
anything, anything – Dramarama
Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated – Rise Against
Seed 2.0 – The Roots
Dismantle. Repair – Anberlin
Godspeed – Anberlin
The Feel Good Drag – Anberlin
Painless – Screw 32
Stronger – Kanye West
Warbrain – Alkaline Trio
I Want to Conquer the World – Bad Religion
Only Entertainment – Bad Religion
The Science of Selling Yourself Short – Less Than Jake
One Last Cigarette – Less Than Jake
Everything Is Alright – Motion City Soundtrack
Until The Day I Die – Story of the Year
Monday Morning – Student Rick
Son Of Mustang Ford – Swervedriver
Down And Out – Tantric
Save Me – Unwritten Law
Jump Right In – The Urge
panama – Van Halen
Untouched – The Veronicas
Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
Days of the Phoenix – AFI
Super Rad – The Aquabats
Humans Being – Van Halen
Remember The Name – Fort Minor
Here In Your Bedroom – Goldfinger
Session – The Offspring
Forever And A Day – The Offspring
All I Want – The Offspring
Nitro (Youth Energy) – The Offspring
Re-Education (Through Labor) – Rise Against
Audience Of One - Rise Against
To Them These Streets Belong – Rise Against
Alive With The Glory Of Love – Say Anything
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Super-Charger Heaven – White Zombie
Every Day is Exactly the Same – Nine Inch Nails
Take the Power Back – Rage Against the Machine
Tear The Roof Off – Rappin’ 4-Tay
Excess – Tricky
Beginning Of The End – Spineshank
Shipping up to Boston – Dropkick Murphys
Gimme Shelter – Rolling Stones
Wasteland – 10 Years
Blue Orchid – The White Stripes
Excess – Tricky
Diamonds and Guns – Transplants
intolerance – Tool
Pain – Three Days Grace
Just Like You – Three Days Grace
Poem – Taproot
What You Know – T.I.
Five Lessons Learned – Swingin’ Utters
Juicebox – The Strokes
Rubberman – Stone Temple Pilots
Mudshovel – Staind
Save Yourself – Stabbing Westward
Right Now – SR71
New Disease – Spineshank
My Wave - Soundgarden
Don’t Drag Me Down – Social Distortion
Far Behind – Social Distortion
wait and bleed – Slipknot
my my – Seven Mary Three
Painless – Screw 32
Seed 2.0 – The Roots
Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated – Rise Against
Collapse (Post-Amerika) – Rise Against
Re-Education (Through Labor) – Rise Against
From Heads University – Rise Against
Pet Semetary – The Ramones
SnakeCharmer – Rage Against the Machine
Spybreak – Propellerheads
Breathe – Prodigy
The Outsider – A Perfect Circle
The Western World – Pennywise
Waiting – Pennywise
Alone – Pearl Jam
Porch – Pearl Jam
Forever – Papa Roach
It’s Time To Dance – Panic at the Disco
Lightning Rod – The Offspring
Hammerhead – The Offspring
The Meaning of Life – The Offspring
smells like teen spirit – Nirvana
Every Day is Exactly the Same – Nine Inch Nails
The Hand That Feeds – Nine Inch Nails
Stiff Kittens – Blaqk Audio
Don’t Stop – Innerpartysystem
End Transmission – AFI
Medicate – AFI
TiK ToK - Ke$ha
Starstruk ( Ft. Katy Perry) – 3OH!3
Poker Face – Lady GaGa
Want – Disturbed
I’m On A Boat (feat. T-Pain) – The Lonely Island
Honestly, I think the best kind of music for exercise is the kind that is relentless. Two bands that I would recommend are Cryptopsy and Warbringer. Cryptopsy is intense beyond belief, and it really helps your rhythm to increase in tempo, which makes you speed up and get going quicker. Warbringer is the same way. Look up “Total War” for an example of a song that makes you want to exercise. Basically, any song that makes you want to MOSH will work good for a work out. In fact, since I’m in high school and have to run the mile, I think of the track as one giant mosh pit.
Sounds like it would be really fun to watch you run!
Thanks for all the suggestions. I picked up quite a few of those. I picked up a bunch of Rage Against the Machine I didn’t have too. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow morning.
Anything by Nickelback.
I kid. I kid. (Please don’t kill me).
I kinda like early Metallica for the gym.