Posted by Steve in Exercise, Motivation | 34 Comments
Great Songs for Running
I just finished a great 45 minute run on the treadmill about 15 minutes ago and I wanted to write this down before I got distracted with some other project.
Many people get bored while running and have a hard time keeping their minds “occupied”, myself included. A great way to fight this is listening to music and singing along with it. (if you are at the gym keep it in your head, lol )
Just google “running music” and you’ll get thousands of sites offering different mixes and playlists, most are listed by BPM (beats per minute) which is convenient if you are looking for pace based workouts. I look at it differently though.
My Ipod is filled with different playlists organized by genre and not BPM. Each genre is best suited for my different moods and how energetic I feel before I workout. For example If I’m in an angry mood or just feeling pissed at myself for missing a previous workout, eating too much etc.. I put on the Hip-Hop or more specifically the Gangster rap. I generally don’t like the content but the beats and over all tone of the music just gets me pumped. (P.S I’m the whitest guy you’ll ever meet).
Tonight I was in a good mood, had a good amount of energy and just wanted to enjoy the run. For that kind of mood I go with either the Dance/techno songs or the Classic rock. It was classic rock night.
Great Songs for Running
Here are just a few of the songs that got me going and yes I know most of these are from the Rock Band games.
Mississippi Queen – Great for singing along with, 3 minutes gone and didn’t even notice it.
Hair of the Dog (Nazerth) – I like to visualize myself gaining on people while running a 5k and saying “now your messing with a son of a bitch” that and I like making the guitar noises half way through the song 
Spirit in the Sky – I’m not religious, I just like singing “gotta have a friend in Jesus” or Allah as my Muslim says. I dare you to singing it without smiling.
Stranglehold – Ted Nugent – The drums and guitar just put me in a better mood, that and I like to imagine me getting my fat self in a stranglehold and giving him crap for not doing more to get the weight off sooner.
Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty – Great song for the last 5-10 minutes when you’re tired and feel like hitting the stop button. The line, “hey baby there ain’t no easy way out” is perfect and fits with my whole weight loss philosophy.
Spoonman – Soundgarden – Not exactly “Classic rock” but it has a great beat, plus I kick ass at rock band on this song and have the rhythm down perfectly. I literally finished my cool down listening to this while playing the air guitar and air drums.
Those are a few of my favorites I have a ton more of 90’s rock, Dance, Techno, etc… sorry no R&B or Country music on the ipod I rather listen to a 45 minute track of screaming babies over that stuff
The whole point of this is that I had fun while exercising by singing along and getting into the music the 45 minutes flew by. It was actually more like 50 minutes because I wanted to hear free falling one last time.
So I want to know what is in your Ipod and what are your favorite running/workout songs. Maybe I can add some new stuff.
I go to the gym when I have time, and I find I train a lot harder and with more motivation when I have the right music in my ear. I love Italo so that’s what’s on my Ipod! Plus some of the new songs from David Guetta (When love takes over), or Akon (you’re so beautiful etc).
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
David Guetta is all over my dance playlist. His song “Baby when the lights go out” gets me moving. I use it as a power song when I am doing high intensity interval training. (perfect for sprints)
[Reply]
I love that you thought of running to “Mississippi Queen”–that would be a riot. I’ll have to be honest: I forgot all about that song until I played Guitar Hero, and I love it all over again.
One song you might like running to is Stone Temple Pilot’s “Interstate Love Song”. It was one of the first songs I discovered fit nicely to my running cadence when I first started, and has stayed a favorite.
(BTW, I sure hope we {Hella Sound} are one of the folks that show up when you google “running music”!
)
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Interstate Love Song is a great song, I’m going to add it to my playlist. I’m adding a bunch more as well.
I still think classic rock is a great genre for running to.
[Reply]
Haha, I’m gonna disagree with all of these. Not “hard” enough for my tastes. Throw in some Swift, RX Bandits, Tool, etc… Good pick on Soundgarden though.
In some cases do i like house / trance music for longer periods of workouts.
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Wow those are some hard core bands, for me they would be better for my weight workouts.
Trance is good, but I can only take it in small doses.
[Reply]
Arghh, I really hate running, it’s as boring as you can get, I should buy myself an iPod or something to try out your suggestions. Been gaining weight due to medication and need to get it off asap.
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Definately pick up an ipod or a cheap mp3 player, it helps pass the time.
Plus, my wife hates the kinds of music I listen to so it gives me an opportunity to listen to it.
[Reply]
hey1 i have a song too, that you should listen as well, this song is from rocky 3, eye of a tiger.. me as well run with song and it makes me out of my control. i do forget all pain and just do run
[Reply]
Im a throw a tracklist out of left field here. LoL when I run I like to listen to Atmosphere (ant and slug)
Running takes a good hour for me so I like to use that time to analyze my life as far as analyzing my past relationships and where i’m headed >< so yea I listen to Atmosphere because I like to over think life ;p
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Samantha I’ve never heard of Atmosphere before but they sound interesting.
I’m also looking into brainwave music, they are supposed to help relax you and focus more energy on running. I like songs/music that aren’t mainstream.
[Reply]
Well, as for me, I particularly like Miss Independent by Neyo. I really love his music and this one gets me moving. I wonder what to pick when I’m walking.
[Reply]
What about the classic “I will survive”? Any song that gets you motivated and pumping should work. Stay away from ballads when running!
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Ha Ha true a good love ballad will kill that pumped up feeling and I suspect it will end your run right there
[Reply]
Linkin’ Park does the trick for me when I need to finish that last mile!
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Linkin’ Park is great for weight workouts. I could listen to their albums straight through.
[Reply]
I like to use that time to analyze my life as far as analyzing my past relationships
[Reply]
Forget staying at home, bopping in a club can last for hours on end plus you never know who you might meet
Teehee
[Reply]
staying at home, bopping in a club can last for hours on end plus you never know who you might
[Reply]
There are many songs you can choose to keep you running.
It depends on your mood on that day.
You can choose rock, hip-hop, jazz or dance music.
I tried this one already.
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
I never really considered running to jazz music before. I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin, I can’t even name a single jazz artist.
[Reply]
I go to the gym 4 times a week. Thanks for sharing these great song tips. I’ll put them on my iPod.
[Reply]
I know that how I run is hugely affected by the music I’m listening to. I tend to listen to songs with faster beats, but planning your playlist ahead can help your performance. Every third song I throw in something slower. This helps to slow my pace for a couple minutes and manage breathing (prevent those dreaded side cramps).
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Excellent tip Brad. You can’t go all out for the whole workout. Using slower paced music can help you with your pacing.
[Reply]
I enjoy working out to Hip Hop music as well as Dance like David Guetta. I find that upbeat music gets my adrenaline going and motivates me to push that extra mile.
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
David Guetta is one of my favorite artist to run to. But lately I have been getting back into 90’s dance music for running. I’ve been kicking but with it.
[Reply]
I definitely listen to the Rocky Soundtrack whenever I’m running. I used to watch the movies as a kid and they really motivated me to work out (and punch people). Anyway, eye of the tiger is a classic and no easy way out is awesome too. Try those!
[Reply]
..yeah! i agree. you will be more motivated if you like the music while working out. for me..i like reggae music. =D
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Collie Buds “Come around” is a great cool down song. I love it. Look it up on youtube, there are a ton of remixes of it too.
[Reply]
I will find this songs. Hopefully it can motivate me during my session in the gym.
[Reply]
There is no doubt, you forget the time when you have great music playing along while you do some workout….But the music depends on the era and personality of the person listening to it to be motivated.
[Reply]
Great article! I have very much enjoyed reading these entries!
Thanks
[Reply]
This is a fabulous idea! Music definitely has a major impact on how we feel when working out. Just a quick tip for an ever more effective run on the treadmill. Try doing 3-4 minutes warmup at a steady pace, then run for 1 minute, walk quickly for 1.5 minutes, run again for 1 minute, walk again for 1.5 minutes etc. You do this for 20 minutes and you will be amazed at how you feel and the results are better than simply running. The idea is to get your heart used to different stress levels so you can cope with difficult situations more easily. Also this serves to shock your body so that it doesn’t get used to a certain pace and will help you lose weight more effectively. Try it and let me know what you think!
Mark Fitworth Belly Fat Loss Expert´s last blog ..Not Enough Time to Workout Super-quick Multi-Workouts for the Home or Office
[Reply]
Hello,
Interesting post. Music has a massive impact for me when I work out. I especially love listening to battle music such as from Gladiator the Movie before playing hockey. Really pumps me up!
Mark Fitsworth´s last blog ..Quick Belly Fat Loss With These 2 Vital Secrets
[Reply]