The Perfect Workout Playlist To Help You Hit The Gym

Listening to music while exercising isn’t just fun – it’s also been proven to increase your physical performance.

Scientific reviews have shown that listening to music during your workout helps to distract you from pain and fatigue, increases your endurance, reduces perceived effort, and could even help to give your metabolic rate a boost.

In fact, music has even been dubbed ‘a type of legal performance-enhancing drug’ by one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of exercise music, Costas Karageorghis.

As you might expect, according to Karageorghis’ research the best type of exercise music has a high tempo, ideally between 120-140 beats per minute (BPM). However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the higher the tempo, the better your workout – beyond the 145 BPM mark, the effect seems to plateau.

And the good news is that listening to your favourite type of music also helps!

So, in this article, we’ve collected a few great workout hits from a variety of genres, meaning that no matter your chosen vibes, you can get your sweat on while enjoying some of your favourite sounds.

Pop

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (120 BPM)

If you’re feeling low on energy, there’s nothing to brighten up your workout like this
joyful classic by Cyndi Lauper. Girls Just Want To Have Fun has a consistent beat at 120 beats per minute, helping you to keep pounding the treadmill however tough it gets!

Whether you’re suffering from fatigue, muscle aches, or just having a bad day, this song is sure to put a smile on your face as you do your workout.

Like A Virgin – Madonna (120 BPM)

This catchy classic by Madonna is a perfect karaoke tune, and it’s impossible to resist the urge to sing along!

That won’t be a problem though, as singing along to music while exercising has been shown to help your workout in several ways. It helps to regulate your breathing and stabilise your core – great for runners, and anyone who regularly practices core-focused exercise such as Pilates or aerials.

And singing can even burn up to 136 calories an hour, exercising your lungs, increasing your lung capacity, and building your chest-wall muscles. Not only that, but singing releases endorphins, making you feel happier and acting as a natural painkiller – perfect for working through those muscle aches!

So why not pop your earbuds in and have a sing-along? It’s good fun and good for your body!

Womanizer – Britney Spears (139BPM)

You can’t have a pop workout playlist without a bit of Brit!

With a pounding and unrelenting beat at 139 BPM and blaring sirens, Womanizer is the perfect choice for increasing your endurance. And great news for dancers too – this pop hit makes for an excellent dance track!

So why not put your dancing shoes on and get blasted back to the noughties with this nostalgic chart topper?

EDM

Titanium Remix – Sia/David Guetta, Remixed by Label Worx Ltd. (140 BPM)

If your workout is in desperate need of a boost, you can’t go wrong with this remix from Label Worx Ltd!

At 140 BPM, this track is the perfect choice for cardio and high-energy dance workouts, helping you to get your heart rate up and power through.

EDM fans will love this remix with its heavy beat and ground-shattering bass drops, perfect for
making you sweat!

Mountains – Said The Sky ft Diamond Eyes (120 BPM)

If you prefer your EDM to be more melodic, Mountains will make for a great soundtrack to your exercise routine. Light, breezy, and beautifully composed, this melodic dubstep track is incredibly evocative, and will help you climb mountains in your workout!

Don’t miss this one if you’re a fan of EDM. With a heavy beat at 120 BPM and some great build-up sections, this track is wonderfully upbeat and creative.

The Frequency – Talamasca & XSi (140 BPM+)

If your taste in EDM is a little more psychedelic, this psytrance track from Talamasca & XSi is
guaranteed to get you moving. Fun, fast-paced, and futuristic, The Frequency will make your workouts ‘out of this world’ with its sci-fi elements and pulsating rhythm.

At 8 minutes long, this track is great for testing your endurance. With this track playing in your headphones, there will be no stopping you!

Hip Hop And Rap

Molly (Explicit) – Tyga ft Wiz Khalifa, Mally Mall, Cedric Gervais (140 BPM)

Hip-hop gets futuristic in this explicit, yet catchy track from hip-hop icon Tyga. While we don’t advocate working out on substances (especially in a public gym), there’s no denying that this hip-hop track is perfect for getting in the zone.

Tyga’s rapping is so smooth and fluid that getting lost in his bars is easy, and he hits each beat effortlessly, making it a great choice for pumping some iron.

This track is a great accompaniment for benching weights or pounding it out on the cross trainer.

Cold (Explicit) – Stormzy (140 BPM)

If you have a ‘can’t stop, won’t stop’ attitude towards your workouts, this one goes out to you!

Stormzy has taken the UK hip-hop scene by storm, and it’s easy to see why his music is so popular. This relentless track is unique and creative, and uses a versatile range of electronic elements for a wonderfully unusual soundscape.

And if you have the opportunity to watch the music video while you work out, you absolutely should. The video features some of the brightest and most talented kids of our generation, from talented academics to skilled athletes.

We can’t wait to see where they will be in ten years’ time!

Sweat (Explicit) – Snoop Dogg Vs David Guetta (130 BPM)

If you love both EDM and hip hop, how about a David Guetta remix of Snoop Dogg’s Sweat? This appropriately-named track will get you sweating in the gym with its classic club sound and heavy, dirty beats.

Snoop Dogg is one of the most beloved figures in the hip-hop world, having cornered a spot as one of the biggest names in the music business – and now, branching out to food television with unlikely ally Martha Stewart and his comedic parody of Planet Earth, or as he calls it, ‘Plizzanet Earth’.

So if you like a little Snoop, why not add this great track to your workout playlist and then treat yourself to some of his top-quality comedy?

Rock And Metal

Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen (156 BPM)

This classic from the operatic rock group Queen will have you ‘travelling at the speed of light’ on the treadmill! At 156 BPM, this track is a great choice for keeping up your speed, and its theatricality is a great way to keep your brain engaged while exercising your body.

With Freddie Mercury’s timeless voice in your ear, there will be no stopping you. Plus, it’s great for a singalong session too!

Firestarter – The Prodigy (140 BPM)

This rave rock anthem from the Prodigy is a great way to get your muscles fired up. With a racing bass line at 140 BPM and a classic drum loop, this iconic rock-dance track will help you smash your workout targets.

Feel the burn!

Domination (Explicit) – Pantera (140 BPM)

If you like your music as heavy as your workouts, you’ll love this groove metal hit from Pantera.

This 140 BPM metal classic will help you to dominate your workouts, complete with satisfying death growls, heavy bass, and electrifying guitar riffs. When you want to feel like a badass at the gym, there’s nothing like a bit of metal to keep you going.

Interestingly, listening to metal can also improve your mental health, as well as boosting your physical performance.

Studies have found that listening to ‘extreme music’ such as metal does not increase feelings of anger and depression – a common misconception regarding the genre. In fact, metal can help listeners to process negative emotions in a healthy way, reducing cortisol levels and feelings of depression, stress, and anger.

So why not indulge in a little music therapy while you work out, and lose yourself in the noise!