It’s nearly impossible to go to a gym these days and not be surrounded by runners, weightlifters and stair climbers who aren’t sporting iPods or other personal music devices. It seems everyone has their favorite tunes that help pump them up as they hit the treadmill or sweat it out at the Smith machine. For some, Madonna gets them motivated to move. Others rely on Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith or Pantera to getting them pumped up.
Studies show listening to loud music helps some exercisers to push through the pain and ignore inner voices that tell them their routine is “too hard” or they should “just quit.” In a recent study, loud music helped women participants perform more repetitions on a leg press machine. According to researchers, the women did an average of 26 repetitions before becoming exhausted when they weren’t listening to music. However, they did an average of 36 reps while listening to loud music.
Fitness experts agree that music can help enhance physical performance and make exercise fun. However, they can’t all agree on which tunes are the most motivational.
Some of the most popular workout tunes these days (as reported by fitness trainers in Hollywood) are:
“Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas
“Jai Ho” by A.R. Rahman (from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”)
“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga
“Waking Up in Vegas” by Katy Perry
“Summer Nights” by Rascal Flatts
“Black or White” by Michael Jackson
“Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus
“Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon
“New Divide” by Linkin Park
“Burn it to the Ground” by Nickelback
I find that anything by Pearl Jam helps me stay on course. Ditto for U2, and believe it or not, Sarah McLachlan’s soothing voice helps me get through miles 16 to 20 on my pre-marathon runs.
What’s your favorite workout song?
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