Tag: workout music

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The Best Motivational Workout Songs & Prompts to Push Yourself Harder

Motivational Workout Songs

I see you looking for motivational workout songs. You’re trying to find something that is going to inspire you to put on your fitness clothes and get moving. Well, the time is now. Go put on that spandex. I’ll wait. When you’re ready, come back and follow one of my seven exercise playlists and motivational prompts below. 

These prompts will help you take your workout from average to exceptional. You’re already halfway there—finding motivational workout songs is a huge piece of getting inspired. The second half is to tap into your mental toughness. You’re fully capable of pushing yourself to do your best with this workout, and these prompts will help you. 

How does it work? 

Simple. Read the prompt and take a moment to think about how you can apply it to your workout. Then, throughout the exercises, come back to the prompt and use it as motivation to increase your intensity level. 

Enjoy! 

Playlist #1: Traditional Motivational Workout Songs

You can find these songs all across the internet, but for good reason: they work. These are songs meant to inspire you to work harder, lift heavier, and run farther. 

Prompt: What’s your fitness mantra? 

A mantra is a word or phrase you can easily repeat to help you concentrate and focus your mind. Think of a simple mantra related to your fitness goal(s) that you can repeat to yourself throughout your workout to help you work harder towards achieving your goals. 

Some examples: 

  • One word: faster
  • Longer than yesterday
  • My best
  • A long, happy life 
  • Booty, booty, booty rockin’ everywhere (Can a mantra also be a song lyric??) 

The Motivational Workout Songs for Playlist #1

  1. “Lose Yourself,” Eminem
  2. “Till I Collapse,” Eminem, Nate Dogg
  3. “Love Myself,” Hailee Steinfeld
  4. “Messiah – Dirty South Remix,” I See MONSTAS, Dirty South
  5. “Thunder,” Imagine Dragons
  6. “Jungle,” X Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons
  7. “The Champion,” Carrie Underwood, Ludacris
  8. “Out Here Grindin’,” DJ Khaled
  9. “Numb / Encore,” JAY-Z, Linkin Park
  10. “Turn Down for What,” DJ Snake, Lil Jon
  11. “She’s Kinda Hot,” 5 Seconds of Summer
  12. “Sweat – Remix,” Snoop Dogg, David Guetta
  13. “Remember the Name,” Fort Minor, Styles of Beyond
  14. “Lose My Breath,” Destiny’s Child
  15. “Way Down We Go,” KALEO
  16. “Go Hard or Go Home,” Wiz Khalifa, Iggy Azalea
  17. “You Shook Me All Night Long,” AC/DC
  18. “Shots,” LMFAO, Lil Jon
  19. “The Other Side,” Jason Derulo
  20. “Whatever It Takes,” Imagine Dragons
  21. “We Are the Champions

Catch the full playlist on Spotify here, or listen here: 

Playlist #2: Motivational Workout Songs That Build Community

If these past few years have taught me anything, it’s that community is so critical to our well being and happiness. For most of us, community is something that we need to work hard to build each and every day—it doesn’t come easily. This is a great prompt for helping build your own sense of community and give back to the greater good in a small way. 

Prompt: Dedicate your workout to someone else. 

Think about the folks in your life that may need some good energy sent their way. Maybe it’s someone that’s struggling with an illness, a challenging job, or a difficult relationship. Maybe it’s a friend that you have been meaning to text and just haven’t found the time—but, dang it, you hope they’re crushing life. 

Pick one person and mentally dedicate your workout to them. Maybe they don’t have the time to workout, but you can workout for them. You can give it your all in your workout as a way to send positive vibes, healing energy, and well wishes their way. 

The Motivational Workout Songs for Playlist #2

  1. “Came Here for Love,” Sigala, Ella Eyre
  2. “Happier,” Marshmello, Bastille
  3. “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” Lenny Kravitz
  4. “Mama,” Jonas Blue, William Singe
  5. “Rise Up,” Andra Day
  6. “You Make My Dreams (Come True),” Daryl Hall & John Oates
  7. “Don’t Let Me Down,” The Chainsmokers, Daya
  8. “I’ll Be There for You,” The Rembrandts
  9. “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses
  10. “Never Let You Go,” Third Eye Blind
  11. “Worth It,” Fifth Harmony, Kid Ink
  12. “I Want You,” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
  13. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” Whitney Houston 
  14. “Buy My Mom a House,” Carolina Rial
  15. “Me & U,” Cassie
  16. “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” Drake, Majid Jordan
  17. “Feels Like Home,” Sigala, Fuse ODG, Sean Paul, Kent Jones
  18. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” Bon Jovi, Jennifer Nettles
  19. “Home,” Phillip Phillips
  20. “Got My Mind Set On You,” George Harrison
  21. “Together Again,” Janet Jackson
  22. “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Captain & Tennille
  23. “We are Family,” Sister Sledge
  24. “Family Affair,” Mary J. Blige
  25. “Better Together,” Jack Johnson
  26. “Lean on Me,” Bill Withers
  27. “Come Together,” The Beatles
  28. “We’re All In This Together,” High School Musical Cast, Disney
  29. “I Won’t Give Up,” Jason Mraz
  30. “A Thousand Miles,” Vanessa Carlton
  31. “You Are Not Alone,” Michael Jackson
  32. “She Will Be Loved,” Maroon 5 
  33. “Cheetah Sisters,” The Cheetah Girls
  34. “I’ll Be Missing You,” Diddy, Faith Evans, 112

Catch the full playlist on Spotify here, or listen here: 

Playlist #3: Motivational Workout Songs Inspired By Your Haters

I have some of my best workouts when I channel my anger into my exercises. We’ve all had moments where we were overlooked for a job or opportunity, ignored by someone we admire, or felt like we didn’t quite get what we deserved. Those are great moments to use for motivation when you work out. 

Prompt: What past rejection or failure can you use for today’s motivation? 

Here’s one of mine: at my big girl job (read: not fitness related), I used to work for a company that insisted that I did not deserve a promotion no matter how hard I worked or what my results showed. Fast forward two years, I’m now even a step above that desired promotion and leading a small team. 

I love to use that initial rejection as motivation. Channeling that memory makes me work harder in my workout—and, frankly, in my life. 

Find a memory that really grinds your gears and use it as motivation to push yourself harder. 

The Motivational Workout Songs for Playlist #3

  1. “Sk8er Boi,” Avril Lavigne
  2. “So What,” P!nk
  3. “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” Fall Out Boy
  4. “Gives You Hell,” The All-American Rejects
  5. “I Hate Everything About You,” Three Days Grace
  6. “Here I Go Again,” Whitesnake
  7. “My Own Worst Enemy,” Lit
  8. “You Broke Up With Me,” Walker Hayes
  9. “Another One Bites The Dust,” Queen
  10. “Bye Bye Bye,” *NSYNC
  11. “Problem,” Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea
  12. “Freaks,” Timmy Trumpet, Savage
  13. “Love Myself,” Hailee Steinfeld
  14. “Attention,” Charlie Puth
  15. “Miss Independent,” Kelly Clarkson
  16. “Heartbreaker,” Pat Benatar
  17. “The Only Good Thing (You Ever Said Was Goodbye),” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
  18. “Run-Around,” Blues Traveler
  19. “Leave It All Behind,” Cult to Follow
  20. “Don’t Cha,” The Pussycat Dolls, Busta Rhymes
  21. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Pat Benatar
  22. “Ain’t Your Mama,” Jennifer Lopez
  23. “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
  24. “Since U Been Gone,” Kelly Clarkson
  25. “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” Janet Jackson
  26. “Sorry Not Sorry,” Demi Lovato
  27. “Independence Day,” 5 Seconds of Summer
  28. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift
  29. “Mama Said Knock You Out,” LL COOL J
  30. “Fighter,” Christina Aguilera
  31. “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift
  32. “Best Days of Your Life,” Kellie Pickler
  33. “Forget You,” CeeLo Green
  34. “Survivor,” Destiny’s Child

Catch the full playlist on Spotify here, or listen here: 

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St. Patrick’s Day Indoor Cycling Workout Music Playlist & Routine (60 minutes)

St. Patrick's Day Indoor Cycling Routine

It’s fun to make a themed indoor cycling music playlist and routine for St. Patrick’s Day, since there’s a lot more room for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. When it comes to Christmas and Halloween, you’re often stuck playing the chart topping hits, because that’s what participants expect. For St. Patrick’s Day, you can throw in a bunch of quirky songs loosely related to the holiday and get away with it.

And let me tell you… I am OBSESSED with this playlist. I’ve been able to perfect it over the years and it is a HUGE hit with my indoor cycling class near St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re teaching indoor cycling or doing your own at-home workout, you’ll love this, too.

(And if you enjoy themed indoor cycling routines, sign up for my free Indoor Cycling Weekly Routine newsletter, where I share a themed indoor cycling routine and playlist straight to your inbox every Tuesday.)

I’m a big fan of tying together songs around a very broad theme, because then I can play the songs I want, and my participants get a kick out of the wackiness. This year, I’m adding a handful of Irish artists and songs about luck, gold and the color green to my St. Patrick’s Day indoor cycling playlist and routine. Because, why not?

If you’re putting together an indoor cycling playlist of your own, I encourage you to have fun with it! If you think a song will be awesome for cycling, but doesn’t fit perfectly into a theme, that’s okay.

Here’s my St. Patrick’s Day indoor cycling music playlist and routine.

As you know, I like to teach my cycling classes in a series of exercises that we do 2-4 times through, depending on the series. So, I pick a couple exercises to make up my series, and we stick to it throughout the class. That way, participants know what to expect, so they can go big when they’re supposed to and not hold back for fear of another interval around the corner.

Since it is a St. Patrick’s Day cycle playlist, the series is three songs long and the resistance on the bike mimics the shape of the rainbow. So, the resistance will get heavier for the first two songs and then dial down for the last song.

I also threw in an extra surprise sprints song between series to give folks an extra opportunity to get breathless.

Here’s the series — do it four times through.

  • Song 1: Climb (Part 1). Start seated at a flat road resistance and moderate intensity. Add resistance periodically during the song to increase intensity, ending the song at hard intensity. If you do have monitors, try to stick to roughly the same RPM the whole song.
  • Song 2: Climb (Part 2). Keep the resistance on the bike and continue the climb. This time, every 30 seconds we’ll go from seated to standing (and vice versa). Each time you stand, add more resistance to continue to increase intensity, starting in hard intensity and ending at breathless intensity.
    • Please note: when you stand, the intensity of the ride will not be as challenging, so participants will get some reprieve during these times. Students will monitor what their intensity is like in the saddle (seated) going from hard to breathless.
  • Song 3: Bring the resistance back down so that it’s just a touch above flat road and you’re working at a high-moderate intensity. When the chorus comes, students will go faster, finding a breathless intensity. If you have monitors, encourage folks to increase their revolutions per minute (RPMs) by 10-20. At the end of the chorus, go back to that initial resistance and intensity.
    • Please note: if students need a longer recovery period, feel free to recover a bit longer at the beginning of the climb in Song 1.
  • Between series: introduce a surprise sprints song. You call out the interval (i.e. 60 seconds) and intensity (i.e. hard or breathless) and the riders must comply. Do that until the song is over.

The St. Patrick’s Day Indoor Cycling Music Playlist

Series Song / WorkoutSong
Warm up“Drunken Lullabies,” Flogging Molly
Song 1: Climb Part 1“Green Light,” John Legend, Andre 3000
Song 2: Climb Part 2“Holiday,” Green Day
Song 3: +15 RPM at Chorus“Get Lucky,” Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams
Surprise Sprints!“What’s Left of the Flag,” Flogging Molly
Song 1: Climb Part 1“Pot Of Gold,” The Game, Chris Brown
Song 2: Climb Part 2“Greenlight,” Pitbull, Flo Rida, LunchMoney Lewis
Song 3: +15 RPM at Chorus“Lucky Strike,” Maroon 5
Surprise Sprints! “The State of Massachusetts,” Dropkick Murphys
Song 1: Climb Part 1“Green Light,” Lorde
Song 2: Climb Part 2“Gold Digger,” Kanye West, Jamie Foxx
Song 3: +15 RPM at Chorus“Rainbow in the Dark,” Dio
Surprise Sprints!“Screaming at the Wailing Wall,” Flogging Molly
Song 1: Climb Part 1“Treasure,” Bruno Mars
Song 2: Climb Part 2“You Got Lucky,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Song 3: +15 RPM at Chorus“Two Tickets to Paradise,” Eddie Money
Cool Down“St. Patrick’s Day,” John Mayer

Click here for the Spotify playlist for this routine.

Other Potential St. Patrick’s Day Workout Songs That Didn’t Make The Cut…

  1. The Other Side, by Bruno Mars (feat. Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.) [Song 1]
  2. California (There is No End to Love), by U2 (they’re Irish! :)) [Song 2]
  3. Brown Eyed Girl, by Van Morrison (also Irish!) [Song 2]
  4. Lucky, by Jason Mraz (feat. Colbie Caillat) [Cool Down Pt. 1]
  5. Lucky, by Britney Spears [Cool Down Pt.2]

Hope you enjoy! If you’re looking for more cycling songs and playlists, check out the workout routines and playlists page.

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10 Workout Songs for the End of Summer

The End of Summer Workout Songs

This summer is flying by. Before we know it, we’ll be trading in our long, hot days for school work, falling leaves and crisp, cool mornings. The changing of the seasons is a great time to add some new tunes to mix up your Group X playlist. A few months ago, I shared a few workout songs to try around the Memorial Day holiday. Now, here are ten workout songs that fit an end of summer theme to play in an upcoming group fitness class.

These end-of-summer workout songs includes songs about school and songs about the upcoming Fall season, because those are the two major things we get to look forward to in the near future.

School is Back in Session Songs

“Rock and Roll High School,” The Ramones — fast-paced, upbeat song that’s good for a sprint.

“ABC,” The Jackson 5 — a family fun song with a slower speed but tons of energy.

“Another Brick in the Wall,” Pink Floyd — a steady moderately-paced song that will give your playlist some edge.

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” The Police — a nice buildup for a climb or slower song.

“Teacher,” Nick Jonas — fun, upbeat pop song with a moderate beat that’s good for strength training.

Fall-ing in Love with These Workout Songs

“September,” Earth, Wind & Fire — I don’t know a single person that doesn’t love this song. A must for any fall-themed playlist.

“Falling for You,” Student Rick — A fast rock song with a bit of punk that will have you itching for an interval.

“DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love,” Usher feat. Pitbull — a high-energy pop, Top 40’s song that will fit in a bunch of different playlists.

“Free Fallin’,” Tom Petty — A classic slow jam that will have everyone bobbing their heads during cool down.

“Fall For You,” Secondhand Serenade — A great, slow love song that’s a perfect cool down song.

For more workout songs, check out the workout routines and playlists page.

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14 Themed Workout Songs for Memorial Day

Fitness instructor listening to workout songs for Memorial Day

While classes during three-day weekends can be hard to navigate due to sometimes near-zero attendance, they’re also the perfect opportunity to mix it up with a playlist full of themed workout songs. My Monday classes were cancelled today, since the gym closed early. So, I planned a themed playlist last week instead that was loosely linked to Memorial Day. I say, “loosely,” because I pulled together a bunch of songs that remind me of Memorial Day for different reasons. Some center on memories/remembrance, others are patriotic and then I sprinkled in a few with a summertime vibe.

It’s important to keep in mind that Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for everyone who has died serving in the American armed forces. So, you’ll want make sure to be sensitive and respectful of the holiday when explaining the theme.

Here’s a look at fourteen workout songs for a Memorial Day playlist.

Memory-themed Workout Songs

“Do You Remember”, Jay Sean — upbeat, Top 40’s-esque song with some sexy Sean Paul and Lil Jon flavor.

“Memory”, by SugarCult — fast-paced song, good for intervals, that your inner teenager will love.

“Remember The Name”, Fort Minor — slow, steady song with pump-you-up motivational lyrics.

“Remember the Time”, Michael Jackson — slow crowd-pleaser with a strong beat.

“Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”, Fall Out Boy — the verses build up into a quick, catchy chorus.

Songs about the USA, Yay!

“Born in the U.S.A.”, Bruce Springsteen — slower, classic song that will have people singing along.

“All-American Girl”, Carrie Underwood — pop/country song with a cutesy storyline.

“Party in the U.S.A.”, Miley Cyrus — the song everyone knows that will undoubtedly get stuck in your head.

“American Idiot”, Green Day — a fast, punk rock anthem good for sprints and intervals.

“American Woman”, Lenny Kravitz — slow and powerful. That, “uhhh,” speaks to my soul, Lenny.

Summertime, and the Songs Are Easy.

“Summer”, Calvin Harris — EDM/house song with a big buildup at the chorus.

“Holiday”, Green Day — moderately-paced, with a heavy beat. Not your average beachy tunes.

“The Boys of Summer”, Don Henley — a solid summer throwback to round out the mix.

“Soak Up The Sun”, Sheryl Crow — A carefree, easy-listening cool down song.

For more workout songs, check out the workout routines and playlist page.

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How to Automatically Adjust the Volume of Workout Songs in iTunes

Woman listening to workout songs on her iPhone

While I’m a big fan of premade Group X CDs — they’re convenient, volume controlled and have a consistent BPM (beats per minute) — my participants tend to prefer iPhone playlists, because the workout songs selection is better and the music is less squeaky. However, one of my biggest problems with playing a self-made playlist off iTunes is the song volume fluctuates drastically with each song. So, instead of having the freedom to be anywhere in the room, I have an invisible chain keeping me within arms’ length of the stereo so that I can turn the volume up or down to adjust with each song.

For the longest time I’ve been playing premade CDs in my strength classes. But, recently the CD player in my class wasn’t working, so I had to plug in my iPhone instead. A few participants commented that they loved the music. I was playing all of my jams — like some of Beyonce’s old stuff, like, “Crazy In Love”. But, as each song would come on, I would run over to the stereo to adjust the volume.

After the class was over, one of the members came over to suggest a solution: iTunes’ Sound Check. It automatically adjusts playback volume to the same level. I added it to my iPhone, and while it didn’t completely fix the problem, it made the volume fluctuation between workout songs more tolerable.

For those interested in adding Sound Check to your Apple devices (e.g. iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.), here’s a step-by-step guide.

1 – Open your iTunes on your computer.

2 – Click the top left corner button and click “Preferences”.

A screenshot of iTunes

3 – Select the “Playback” tab. Then, make sure “Sound Check” is selected.

A screen shot of the Sound Check option on iTunes

4 – Finally, sync your Apple device with your computer, by connecting your product to the computer with the power cord.

5 – Play your workout songs the same way you always do.

We tested my playlist after enabling Sound Check. While there was still some variability between songs, the volume was much better than last class. This is a great solution for instructors during Group X classes, but also for those that like to listen to playlists on a long run or other exercise. That way, you don’t have to yank your earbuds out of your ears when a loud song comes up on shuffle.

Sound Check just might be the technology I needed to finally start using an iPhone playlist of workout songs for my Group X classes.

For fitness instructors looking for more advice, check out the group exercise ideas and tips page.

 

 

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3 Factors to Finding the Right Group X Workout Music

Michelle-listening-to-group-X-workout-music

Workout music is an instrumental part of a group exercise (Group X) class — pun intended!

If a group fitness class was a cake, the music would be the frosting. It’s not the most important element of a class, but it can be someone’s favorite part of the whole experience. When picking out your songs, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind in order to create a playlist everyone loves.

Here are three important factors to choosing the right songs for your group exercise class.

Time of day/week for your class

The same playlist won’t work for your 5 a.m. Monday class, 10 a.m. Saturday class and 6 p.m. Thursday class. For example, weekday early morning (say, 6 a.m.) classes tend to be retired or working professionals. And most of them (yourself included) probably just woke up. Steer clear of rap or anything with an unsettling or particularly loud beat.

Your participants

For the most part, you’ll know when your participants like your songs. Sometimes they’ll sway to the beat or start mouthing the words to themselves. When a good song comes on, you can feel the energy in the room as the class starts to push themselves harder.

When you start teaching a class, try different genres of music to see how your class responds. Once you determine what your class likes, you’ll want to create playlists featuring a wide-range of genres and popularity, with an emphasis on their favorites.

If you’ve tried a lot of different genres and still aren’t sure what workout music your class likes, feel free to ask your participants directly. Be specific. You can say something like, “I tried something new by playing, ‘The Boys Are Back in Town,’ did you like that song? Should I play it again?”

You!

At the end of the day, you need to like the workout music you choose. The people in your class will feed off your energy and if you don’t love the song, they’ll notice.

If you play a song and the participants start complaining about your song choice, Schwinn Master Instructor Shannon Fable recommends responding, “Ok, I absolutely love this song, so this one is for me. If you don’t like it, you can just shut your ears for three minutes.” That way, you can still play the songs you like and casually remind the folks in your class that you have to cater to a lot of different tastes, not just theirs.

A great group exercise playlist successfully combines the preferences of you and your participants with the class environment. Once you have a sense of everyone’s music preferences, you’re well on your way to creating the best playlist for your audience.

For more music ideas, visit the workout routines and playlists page.