I've been watching the Olympics lately and I was struck by an ad they've shown throughout. The commercial features Nordic Combined athlete Bill Demong and his playlists for his workouts, preferring hip hop for the gym, classical for cross country skiing and "something special" for ski jumps.
I can't comment on the effectiveness of Jimi Hendrix on ski jump performances, but you can't listen to hip hop in the gym. Hip hop music is for a night out, it's for loosening up your mood at a party, get's you in the right frame of mind when you see that special lady.
And classic music is too soothing for a workout. You might fall asleep and drop a set of weights across your throat.
Working out is about misery, pain, despair, agony and the survival thereof. The best way to get through your workout, therefore, is the music of despair, torment and suffering: heavy metal. OK, but you probably don't listen to heavy metal on a regular basis. After all, you're a reasonable, sane, well-adjusted human being. No worries. There are those of us equipped to assist people like you. The next time you hit the gym, go for a run, jump on your bike or tackle exercise of some sort, arm yourself with these songs and you'll power through much more easily than you might have.
The "ground rules" The chosen songs were selected for their tone, pace and rhythm along with their ability to supply occasional motivational lyrics. I also stayed away from obvious choices like "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses or "Bodies" by Drowning Pool. Lastly, I tried to keep the swearing to a minimum--which eliminated several great choices right off the bat. With that, the list:
Alive and Kicking, Nonpoint
Fittingly of the album, To The Pain, "Alive and Kicking" has some nice grooves and riffs but it will keep you motoring with lyrics, particularly chorus parts like, "I'm stronger now even after everything that you did/ I'm still alive and kicking/ I'm better now, I'm awake now, I can see/ everything in front of me..." Verses are stocked with helpful lines, too, like: "I'm tearing this and everything else between me and what I want to do to pieces..."
New World Order, Ministry
Children of the '90s will recognize this as one of the seminal tracks of the sub-genre Industrial. The hard, repetitive chords are perfect for a stint on the treadmill. The song's grinding guitar riff seems to line up perfectly with each foot strike on the treadmill. It also sets the perfect pace for squats, a scraping "daa daaaaah" is just the right amount of time to dip down and back up again.
The Last Fight, Bullet for My Valentine
Different songs are better for different phases of each workout. "The Last Fight" is up tempo and energetic, perfectly suited for those final 10 minutes when you're trying to convince yourself to stop and you're generally hating your workout. Just when you feel ready to collapse, the boys from Wales chime in with, "I will fight, one more fight/ don't break down in front of me/ I will fight, will you fight/ I am not the enemy..."
Heatseeker, AC/DC
This song is much better to play at the start of your workout. It feeds off high energy levels and sets the tone with the opening line, "Get ready to rock, get ready to roll/ I'm gonna turn on the heat, gonna fire up the coals..." The drum beat keeps a nice tempo for cardio machines, dance classes, kick boxing or just plain old calisthenics. "I don't need no life preserver, don't need no one to hose me down."
Over the Mountain, Ozzy Osbourne
There are plenty of great Ozzy tracks for a workout, but this one is perfect in a lot of ways. It has a not-too-fast, not-to-slow tempo for when you're settling into a nice rhythm mid-workout. It's perfect for something like step aerobic, jumping rope or something where you want to go a while and keep a good rhythm. Plus, lines like, "Don't need no apology/ it's inside of you and me/ you don't need a ticket to ride with me, I'm free," are just trippy enough to help you find your Zen.
Broken, Beat & Scarred, Metallica
If Stuart Smalley (of Positive Affirmations fame) wrote metal songs, he would have written this one. Despite the title, this song is about rising above difficulty and turmoil--such as a tough workout. This song has a moderate pace and tempo which is great for mid or late workout. What it's best for is helping you through those "I can't do this" moments in every workout. "Your rise, you fall, you're down and you rise again/ what don't kill you make you more strong..." OK, it'll make grammarians cringe for sure, but when Metallica are singing throughout, "Show...Your..Scars..." and saying, "breaking your life, broken, beat and scarred...but we die hard..." It'll carry you through your toughest moments.
Southtown, P.O.D.
This track is nice to start off with. The opening line "welcome to hard times, back again/ like it's never been the first time..." let you know the misery you're about to endure. However, I find this song much better mid-workout. There's pain, sweat, who knows, probably even some tears and perhaps you've even wet yourself a little. It happens. When your workout is weighing heavy on your head, you need a song to pull you out...but sometimes you need a song to commiserate with. When you hear, "Life isn't got to be like this/ life isn't got to be like this..." in the middle of this song, you'll take heart in knowing someone understands your state of being.
Push It, Static X
There are lots of Static X songs that fit into a workout playlist well, but this one is the best for obvious reasons. Getting through a workout is about pushing through, challenging yourself to go a little farther and dig a little deeper. The grinding beat in this song will drown out any voice in your head telling you to do anything but push it. Whatever the hardest thing in your workout is, it's no match for this song.
Back for More, Five Finger Death Punch
If you can only tolerate one metal song in your workout, make this the one. The riffy, up-tempo pace is great for any activity but the lyrics are what will really push you through anything. In a workout, sports contest or life in general, you won't win all the time. There are good days and bad ones. This song makes you want to fight. If you've had ten straight losses, a dozen bad days or just a string of really bad workouts, this song will put you back on track. It's a three and a half minute halftime speech that will compel you to a championship. "Ain't no room for second place/ go big or go home," is only the start. FFDP hits you again and again with sections like, "It's time to rise up, man up, get back up/ never been and won't be broken/ dust off and then come back for more/ you've got to reach down, dig deep, break ground/ show then all you won't be beaten..." If that doesn't pick you up from a bad day at the gym, nothing will.
Now dust off those shoes and get to that gym and show everyone what you're made of.
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