Whether you like hip hop, rock ‘n’ roll, country or 80s old school rock, there is a workout mix that is right for you. Your music preferences, as well as the type of workout you are doing, all play a role in your tunes of choice.
Now, I myself hail from Philly and I admit one of my favorite workout songs is the Rocky Anthem for running. By the way, Eye of the Tiger is a close second. I love other Journey songs as well and admittedly also have a secret passion for 80s Hairband Rock.
Poison and Def Leppard are one of my favorites for weight training. Who can go wrong with rockers AC/DC?
The experts at Fitness Magazine agree saying that TNT by AC/DC makes their top hits list. Along with “Walk This Way” from Aerosmith featuring Run-DMC of course. Their list was compiled by a survey of trainers and fitness experts.
"Eclectic" probably describes most gym rats’ music genre. When teaching most of my group exercise classes I prefer to keep things fresh and tend to use the latest pop hit releases. Today, my soundtrack is inclusive of Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Katy Perry, Kesha, Beyonce, etc.
For these classes what keeps the beat and the choreography flowing is the BPM or the Beats Per Minute and, like dance, works on an eight count basis. Typically for a class that is for muscle conditioning, you want 128BPM. For kickboxing or bootcamp you want a faster beat, like 135BPM.
For these type of classes, I typically rely on specific companies that remix these popular favorites to make the music “square.” What makes music square is having it broken down into 32 counts.
Two of my favorites are PowerMusic.com and Dynamix.com. These two companies not only keep up on the latest music trends, but also provide music for specific types of exercise.
When cycling either indoors or outdoors, you want to have a certain beat or cadence to keep you pedaling rhythmically. Typically, these mixes for cycling classes are different from other studio classes. Both Powermusic and Dynamix also let you mix your own music with the specific beat for your workout.
iTunes also provides lots of workout mixes and also has several options and mixes for many popular songs. On iTunes you also have the ability to choose versions that are censored without explicit lyrics as well.
Whether you are a “little bit country or a little bit rock ‘n’ roll” there is something for everyone when it comes to musically motivating you to get into shape.
Online Resources:
www.powermusic.com
http://www.dynamixmusic.com
“Top 100 Workout Songs – FitnessMagazine.com” Fitness Magazine. Web 17 2012
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/music/popular-playlists/the-fitness-top-100-workout-songs
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Reviewed January 17, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith