I joined a gym. Yes, I did. Well, I re-joined after paying but never going. You know that drill. Anyway, I joined the Green Hills YMCA and man am I getting my money’s worth. I get a reduced rate since they charge on a sliding income scale, which rules, and for just over $20 a month I have access to hundreds of cardio machines anad Nautilus machines and free weights and two pools and a yoga room, which is seperate from the aerobics room. It is huge. It’s is big enough for a parking garage.
Anyway, I’ve just gotten back into working out and I am loving it, but I’m all out of songs for my workout CD mixes. And since you all were so good about suggesting things, I thought I’d let you keep it up. This post is basically an open call for high-energy, fast-beat, explosive-type songs. My dumbass just discovered how much help the right music can be for one’s endurance, and I’m hooked.
Nothing too long. I like to keep my workout songs short and varied. Otherwise, go nuts.
18 comments ↓
Cardio = techno. Lifting = Helmet.
Techno is the way to go. And me being from the Chicago area, House music, too.
You should check out Monday and Wednesday evening yoga with Gillian. Her class is at, um, 6:30, I think. Seriously, she totally rocks.
That Erasure song, “Always”.
Looking for specific titles?
A must-have is “Harder Better Faster Stronger” by Daft Punk. It’s the ultimate workout song, ever.
^__^
Other than that…. let me see… ummm, “Bodyrock,” “Jam for the Ladies,” and “Every Time You Touch Me” by Moby are good.
“Never Gonna Come Back Down” and “Superfabulous” by BT, also appropriate.
“Rise-n-Shine” and “The Freshest” by the Freshmaka, definitely.
“Block Rockin’ Beats” or “Electrobank” or “The Sunshine Underground” by the Chemical Brothers.
That’s all i got.
A recent workout Mix of mine included:
Buck Cherry - Lit Up
Drowning Pool - Bodies
The Crystal Method - Born To Slow
Lenny Kravitz - Where Are We Runnin’
Low Fidelity All Stars - Battle Flag
Here’s an anti-suggestion: nothing by Cher. At my gym, if you work out long enough you’ll get at least one awful Cher song twice, three times on bad days.
As for real workout music suggestions… I never settled on one sound, but I would guess Dead Kennedys “In God We Trust/Plastic Surgery Disasters” would be motivating, as would The Pixies “Doolittle”. The original soundtrack for The Crow may be cool. The Ramones’ Anthology would be great.
Cool down with Elbow’s Around in the Back CD (highly recommended for any occasion other than a hard workout), or maybe one of the last two White Stripes CDs.
Yep…
Sorry, the Elbow CD is Asleep in the Back, not Around in the Back. Damn Baileys has gone straight to my head.
You can’t have every song hyper tempo or you’re gonna have a stroke.
A driving pulse is all that is required, not 160bpm.
“The Distance” - Cake
“Ground on Down” - Ben Harper (weight machines)
“Allentown” - Billy Joel (I’m not kidding, listen to that machinery in the background)
“Testarossa” - Sir Mix-a-Lot
“Can’t Stop the Rock” - Apollo Four Fourty
“Do Your Thing” - Basement Jaxx
You have to get Physical with Olivia Newton-John. That just goes without saying.
Overseer - Supermoves (great for running, cycling, jogging, rowing etc)
Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way (see above - no I really like this)
Limp Bizkit (I KNOW, I KNOW) - just one of those days - great for angry running/weight sessions
Curve - Hell above water
Toni Basil - Hey Mickey (no really, give it a try)
Huey Lewis & the news - Hip to be square
ya know…I could go on….but I wont….
meeep!
“C’mon C’mon” — The Von Blondies
“We Luv You” — Grand Theft Audio
Curve’s cover of “I Feel Love”
“Burn Baby Burn” — Ash
“Debaser” — The Pixies
Dear Britney -
To do you up propah would require that I actually “work out” and use what remaining energy there is to exploit my information gathering skills into plucking strings of songs from my mind.
That is not something I am willing to do at this time. (emphasis mine) I can, however - create “quite” the random mix based on my fancy of the moment — and since you already hit me up one tiiiiiiiime — I figure I’d return the favor.
meesh the phonetics of improperishness
Franz Ferdinand - Michael
Hey Brit! I’ll make you a workout cd…everything from Mirah to Jeff Buckley to Interpol and Modest Mouse to Guided By Voices…to say it as Don King might say it “It will be your inspiration for perspiration!” :) I’ll mail it within the week, CR
After watching Rocky and Rocky II on AMC today, I will make the cliched but wholehearted recomendation of “Gonna Fly Now.” It always gets me pumped and I havent set foot in a gym in 11 years.
This may be strictly an Eye-Talian thing however.
Jeff Buckley to inspire workout? Meh? Buh? Wengh?
How about Minor Threat? The Pogues? Prefuse 73? Do it!
Short, fast-beat, high-energy = Dick Dale. Tribal Thunder. Any/all except the title track (too slow if you can imagine). When the elliptical kicks into ‘meltdown’ pace I pray a Dick Dale tune gets cycled through the shuffle on ye olde sweaty iPod.
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