4 Steps To A Killer Workout Playlist
In my years as an athlete and now as a fitness expert, educator, avid powerlifter and olympic weightlifter there is one consistent factor that I have identified that can set the tone for a good training session...
..Your workout playlist..
The songs that will fire you up to hit a personal best during a one rep max back squat, fight fatigue during a superset of bench press and dumbbell flys, take you the distance on a long run or blow it all out on a max effort sprint. A killer playlist can make or break your training sessions and having the right songs on it can make a world of difference, especially on those days when you are dragging.
The thing about a workout playlist is that there is no secret formula to which songs are going to be the best workout playlist. It is entirely exclusive to the individual. The genre, the artist, the volume so on and so fourth, can be completely different for you than it is for the next person.
Here are some simple step to follow when creating your playlist:
Step 1: Figure out the length of your training sessions.
Knowing the average duration of your training sessions will give you a skeleton time frame for how many songs you will need on your playlist. If your training session is 60 minutes long, it's a safe assumption that most songs can range from 3-5+ minutes so planning roughly 12-20 total songs should be good.
Step 2: Identify what kind of workouts you plan to do.
Are you training to increase your running distance or lower your distance time? Are you body building? Are you attempting a one rep max of a barbell lift? Are you prepping for a sport practice/competition?
Every style of training can have a different style of playlist. When I was playing college football I had separate playlists for pre-practice, team and individual lifting sessions, the night before games, pre-game and half-time that all served different purposed and had different songs/genres for each. You can certainly have one general playlist that is your go-to for everything but it is always a good idea to have a back up in case you get tired of the same songs.
Step 3: Pick the genre of the playlist.
Consistency is a good idea for a training playlist. If you like rock, stick to rock. If you like rap, stick to rap. Nothing throws me off more than rocking out to heavy metal and then out of the blue an EDM or rap song blindsides me in the middle of a set. It is definitely encouraged to have multiple playlists of different genres so you can pick what you are feeling that day. This will also give you some variety so you are not listening to the same playlist for every workout.
Step 4: Update your playlists on a semi-frequent basis.
If I didn't do this I would still have DMX "Party Up In Here" on my workout playlist from my high school football days back in the 00's.
At a bare minimum it is a good idea to revisit your playlists on an annual basis to update the songs you have to keep the playlist fresh and current with music that you gets you fired up to. As the saying goes, "too much of a good thing can be bad in excess." This can also be said for music, too much of the same music can get boring and less exciting. So try to keep it fresh. But don't go and get rid of those classic 90's songs that are surefire hits that give goosebumps.
With all of that being said below is my go-to playlist for most workouts since weightlifting is my primary mode of exercise these days. Personally, I get fired up to rock/metal music for the pure need to bring aggression into my workouts to fuel the intensity that I work at.
What are some of your favorite workout songs? Share in the comments section of this post!
Format: Song - Artist
..Your workout playlist..
The songs that will fire you up to hit a personal best during a one rep max back squat, fight fatigue during a superset of bench press and dumbbell flys, take you the distance on a long run or blow it all out on a max effort sprint. A killer playlist can make or break your training sessions and having the right songs on it can make a world of difference, especially on those days when you are dragging.
The thing about a workout playlist is that there is no secret formula to which songs are going to be the best workout playlist. It is entirely exclusive to the individual. The genre, the artist, the volume so on and so fourth, can be completely different for you than it is for the next person.
Here are some simple step to follow when creating your playlist:
Step 1: Figure out the length of your training sessions.
Knowing the average duration of your training sessions will give you a skeleton time frame for how many songs you will need on your playlist. If your training session is 60 minutes long, it's a safe assumption that most songs can range from 3-5+ minutes so planning roughly 12-20 total songs should be good.
Step 2: Identify what kind of workouts you plan to do.
Are you training to increase your running distance or lower your distance time? Are you body building? Are you attempting a one rep max of a barbell lift? Are you prepping for a sport practice/competition?
Every style of training can have a different style of playlist. When I was playing college football I had separate playlists for pre-practice, team and individual lifting sessions, the night before games, pre-game and half-time that all served different purposed and had different songs/genres for each. You can certainly have one general playlist that is your go-to for everything but it is always a good idea to have a back up in case you get tired of the same songs.
Step 3: Pick the genre of the playlist.
Consistency is a good idea for a training playlist. If you like rock, stick to rock. If you like rap, stick to rap. Nothing throws me off more than rocking out to heavy metal and then out of the blue an EDM or rap song blindsides me in the middle of a set. It is definitely encouraged to have multiple playlists of different genres so you can pick what you are feeling that day. This will also give you some variety so you are not listening to the same playlist for every workout.
Step 4: Update your playlists on a semi-frequent basis.
If I didn't do this I would still have DMX "Party Up In Here" on my workout playlist from my high school football days back in the 00's.
At a bare minimum it is a good idea to revisit your playlists on an annual basis to update the songs you have to keep the playlist fresh and current with music that you gets you fired up to. As the saying goes, "too much of a good thing can be bad in excess." This can also be said for music, too much of the same music can get boring and less exciting. So try to keep it fresh. But don't go and get rid of those classic 90's songs that are surefire hits that give goosebumps.
With all of that being said below is my go-to playlist for most workouts since weightlifting is my primary mode of exercise these days. Personally, I get fired up to rock/metal music for the pure need to bring aggression into my workouts to fuel the intensity that I work at.
What are some of your favorite workout songs? Share in the comments section of this post!
Format: Song - Artist
- Bodies - Drowning Pool
- New Noise - Refused
- My Curse - Killswitch Engage
- Master of Puppets - Metallica
- One Step Closer - Linkin Park
- Duality - Slipknot
- Sad But True - Metallica
- Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
- Points Of Authority - Linkin Park
- Chop Suey! - System Of A Down
- Holy Diver - Killswitch Engage
- Freak On A Leash - Korn
- Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
- Psychosocial - Slipknot
- Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle) - Limp Bizkit
- Toxicity - System Of A Down
- Wait And Bleed - Slipknot
- Coming Undone - Korn
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