Music to Workout To

All the way back in 2012 I wrote about my running playlist. After much experimentation I’d put together a list of songs that worked really well for helping me keep a steady pace when running, with about the right BPM and no sudden changes in tempo, and perky enough to keep me involved.

Fitness First asked me to write about my best work out playlists and after 3 years I headed over to take a peek at my old list, convinced that I must have changed and added loads over the last 3 years, only to find that my current playlist actually looks almost identical to the one I put together back then. There are a few new additions, and a few that I removed, mostly because the tempo was a bit off.

I have a running playlist that is about an hour long. As I intersperse it with Zombies, Run! that means it’s very rare that I duplicate a song, apart from in my very longest Half Marathon training runs.

In case you’re nosey, my current playlist looks like this:

• All the Small Things – Blink 182 (Amazon, iTunes)
• Candyman – Christina Aguilera (Amazon, iTunes)
• Miami – Will Smith (Amazon, iTunes)
• Lady Marmalade – Various (Amazon, iTunes)
• Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous – Good Charlotte (Amazon, iTunes)
• Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen (Amazon, iTunes)
• Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols (Amazon, iTunes)
• American Idiot – Green Day (Amazon, iTunes)
• Basket Case – Green Day (Amazon, iTunes)
• We Built This City – Starship (Amazon, iTunes)
• I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (Amazon, iTunes)
• Paint it Black – The Rolling Stones (Amazon, iTunes)
• Lose Yourself – Eminem (Amazon, iTunes)
• Movin’ On – Good Charlotte (Amazon, iTunes)
• Having a Blast – Green Day (Amazon, iTunes)
• One Way or Another – Blondie (Amazon, iTunes)
• Riot Girl – Good Charlotte (Amazon, iTunes)

I’m not a huge music lover normally, I tend not to put on a CD, or listen to music that often, but when exercising is the one huge exception! Nothing can buoy your mood, energise, distract and keep you on pace like a well chosen song! When I first passed my Roller Derby endurance laps I sang Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” to myself over and over again (and had it stuck in my head for days afterwards).

So, give me your song suggestions, and what exercise they’re good for. I find I want something different from my playlist when I’m in the gym than I do when I’m running outside, and skating and keeping a regular pace needs something different than sprints or an all out effort.

This post was produced in collaboration with Fitness First, all playlists are my own!