Your Workout Soundtrack

[IrishCanadian25]

We've run this thread before, and I'm sure I could dig up the archives to find it. But then again, the rules do discourage bumping ancient threads (I tend to do it anyway), so let's start fresh.

You're at the gym. You're outside running. You're on a bike. You're hitting a heavy bag. Whatever - you're working out.

What songs / artists do you like to have on your iPod when you lift / run / workout, and WHY? What makes it a good song to work out to?

Moderator's PLEA- Don't just list songs. Give at least a reason for the song(s) or a reason for the playlist. Simply listing x-number of songs without explanation will force me to be the bad guy and warn / infract you.

Some of IC25's Favorites

Skillet

Yes, they are God Rock, and yes, they prominently feature cello and violin. This band is just awesome. They brought you the song "Monster," though I also lift to "Comatose," "Awake and Alive," and "Hero." NorCal also uses Hero in his workouts. The harmonies are great, there's a true driving beat and bass line.

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Five Finger Death Punch

Overall, they are too hard core for my tastes. But they have a few songs that are simply brilliant, and I have both "Hard To See" and their cover of "Bad Company" on my iPod. The put a load of mosh-worthy energy into their songs, and can absolutely help get you that last rep on the bench.

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[The Holy One]

My favorite bands to listen to while working out would have to be Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.

Limp Bizkit - I think their music just energizes me to do anything, I mostly listen to Crack Addict, My Way, and Build A Bridge. Usually when I'm running and doing stretches before I begin working out.

Linkin Park - They might be my favorite band or close to it, so I naturally listen to one of their songs each day for no reason at all. But whenever I lift weights or on the punching bag, I'm usually listening to Forgotten, In the End, Bleed It Out, Nobody's Listening, and Papercut especially.

Some of my other songs include Breaking Benjamin's Dance With The Devil and I Will Not Bow, Alter Bridge's Metalingus, and Hollywood Undead's Pain and City. I like to blast Dance With Devil when I'm practicing my Judo.

 

[Ferbian]

I don't necessarily have a work-out soundtrack, but I'll try to put something together to what I think my list would look like, in no specific order of the play list or favorite.

Breaking Benjamin - Blow me Away - The guitar riff of this song, mixed with Ben's insane voice (I love it to say the least) simply, well, blows me away mentally, it's a great song to pump to

Breaking Benjamin - Had Enough - Same as Blow Me away, great guitar riff and still loving Ben's voice, it has a little difference to Blow me Away, or more like a lot of difference, but it serves it's purpose.

Bloodsimple - Dead man walking - Rough song, it's quite clear that it's place on the list fits very well in, a hard riff and a brutal voice from the lead singer.

Eminem - Soldier - Em's serious side springing forth in this one, a great beat, Eminem's angry voice really adds to the song, making it a great work-out song.

Eminem - Till I collapse - The title in itself and the lyrics through it really motivates me to never give up, and keep pushing, as the intro goes "Until you just fall flat on your face.. and collapse"

Eminem - The way I am - Eminem's angry voice shows its face again in this song, I have a thing for angry voices / growling voices, fascinates me plus it gets me pumped a lot.

Disturbed - I'm alive - Like I collapse, the lyrics motivates me, and as a whole really defines the person that I am, and just fits perfectly on this list.

Disturbed - Down with the sickness - Great song, not so much for the lyrics as opposed to the roughness behind it, the whole song has me pumped up, and pumped up hard!

Godsmack - I stand alone - Sully has a great voice, and this song really shows, the guitar riff is amazing throughout the whole song, and, I said it before, I'll say it again, I get pumped for this one.

Immortal Technique - Place of no return - This guy is insane on the mic with his rapping, and the beat as a whole has really got me hooked over the past 2 weeks, it has to be on the list.

Killswitch Engage - This fire burns - Yep, CM Punk's theme song, gets me hyped every time I hear it, so of course it should be on the list as well.

Rise Against - Drones - Just like CM Punk's theme song, this one has me hyped whenever I hear it, and I think I could really pump to this one.

Saliva - Click Click Boom - I'm realizing I'm starting to repeat myself, but I pretty much have all these songs on the playlist for the same reason, they get me pumped and I could definitely see me working out to them, this one including.

Seether - Out of my way - This was the song that was used by Zack Gowen, I heard it the first time he was about to wrestle Brock, and I was hooked on it, very good song to get you pumped up.

That's about it, good thread IC.

Edit: I noticed that I left out a particular band.

Linkin Park - Point of Authority - Chester has an amazing voice, this song shows it, and it definitely fits in on this list, of pumped up weight lifting song ala Ferbian.

Linkin Park - A place for my head Again, Chester's voice really shows its greatness in this song, and I love the growling / screaming part of this song.

The list could really go on with Linkin park songs, but I'd have to end this post somewhere, and I probably would like to be able to listen to all the songs through my work out, that won't work if I keep this list going, unless I work out for hours.

 

[D-Man]

Holy shit... I could go on forever with this thread. Once again, very nice work, IC25.

So, my lists goes like this:

Killswitch Engage - What's so amazing about this band is the fact that their verses are so hardcore that I can't understand one word that they're singing, and yet the choruses are so fluent and melodic. Either way, listening to them makes me want to put my fist through something.

My Curse
I discovered this song when I unlocked secret tunes while playing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Back then, I only heard the next KE song on my list, but I figured that if I liked that one so much, I might take a liking to this one, as well. Man, I wasn't disappointed. Far and away, this is my favorite Killswitch song of all time, next to Holy Diver, End of Heartache, and...

This Fire Burns
CM Punk's WWE theme song. Need I say more? This was the song that got me into Killswitch.

Bullet For My Valentine - Their sound is similar to that of Killswitch, hence the reason why I enjoy them so much. Only difference: You can understand the words they're singing.

Scream, Aim, Fire
This song is pure adrenaline from start to finish. It's basically a play on words that refers to getting into a war with someone or something. Is that the perfect criteria for the gym or what?!?

Your Betrayal
Their newest single. It's got a great, fast beat that keeps your blood pumping. you can't go wrong with the song.

Disturbed - One of my favorite bands of all time. I've seen them six times in concert and they get better every time. Not to mention the fact that their music is like a runaway freight train. David Draiman's vocals are as distinct as Ozzy Osbourne's and have propelled this band into stardom.

Stricken
Anyone that doesn't think this is one of Disturbed's best songs should step out back and shoot themselves in the head with a shotgun. This song isn't your typical, gradual build-up to the choruses. The absolute thunder-crash of guitar that begins this song sets the tone for the straight-ahead, fast, hammering sound that sounds like an army plowing through their enemies and never stops until it achieves victory. The song never slows down, never changes tempo, and keeps your adrenaline pumping. Perfect for bench press.

All That Remains - I recently got into this band after coming across an amazing song on Sirius/XM Octane station. That song was none other than...

Forever In Your Hands
Just like Killswitch, I can't understand one fucking word during the choruses, but it doesn't matter. Once that melodic, clear, and lucid chorus hits, my heart melts. It's almost like a relief from the turmoil and energy put into the choruses of the song. An absolutely amazing tune.

 

[Avrusha92]

Eminem-Till I Collapse
this song just pumps me up it motivates me to never give up, not to stop.
His voice just makes me hyped up.

Eminem-Soldier
Same as above.

Skillet-
Hero, Awake and Alive, Monster
Great guitar in those songs, It keeps me running when I'm on treadmill or when I'm biking.

Alterbridge-
Metalingus, Find the real, Save Me, Coming Home
all those songs have metal to it, and it really pumps me up and keeps me going I love loud music when I workout, and alterbridge is one of those bands that hype me up.

Young Jeezy: I Put On
ok, Now whenever I'm shadow boxing or hitting the punching bag this song pumps me up as well the moment I hear: I put on for ma city on for ma city on for ma city... Ahhh love it.

T.I- Bring em out
bring em out bring em out
Great rap when your curling, or shadow boxing.
A lot of boxers I know train to this song... I wonder why..great rap to pump you up.

Cassidy- Hustler
another great rap while your doing speedbag, lifting, curling
i hate rap ( I wouldn't listen to it when I'm chillin)
but when I work out I listen to only my rap playlist which includes Hustler by Cassidy.
This rap motivates you to hustle hard.

Overall my playlist includes:
Eminem
Cassidy
Young Jeezy
Lil Wayne
T.I
Alterbridge
Skillet
Disturbed
System of a Down
Black Sabbath
Iron Maiden
Avenged Sevenfold
Guns n Roses
Some hardcore trance that gets me going crazyyy

 

[The Doctor]

I don't have any set songs I listen to, save for one, which I will cover at the end of this post. I do however have a playlist I listen to when working out. It's actually a playlist for Driving, but it works well for both. I'll put it on that playlist and shuffle 10 random songss, and talk about them.

Note that when I work out, I spend most of my time running, so these will be talked about mostly as running songs.

1. Dr. Steel - Planet X Marks The Spot
This is a great song. It's funky and full of screaming lyrics that really make me want to run faster. It's pretty fast without being TOO fast, and easy to imagine things to. That's a big thing that I do when I work out. I do a lot of my best thinking when I'm out on a run or on the weight machines.

2. The Protomen - The Sons of Fate
This is one HELL of a song. The raw emotion pounding through the whole thing (from the brothers' fight to the bloodthirsty choir) gets me really pumped up. This is one of the most emotional songs I have on my iPod and it's great for a hard run/elliptical machine thingie.

3. Beatdrop - Until Forever
Beatdrop is the heaviest techno artist I know. His songs are characterized by relentless pounding beats, epic instrumentation, and music that can sweep you up and take you away. It's heavy but it never lapses into "noise" as there is always some GREAT musicality in all of his songs. I use it when I need to forgot about tiredness or pain, and it makes me feel like pounding things.

4. Beatdrop - Get Down
See above. This song has some awesome-sounding lyrics to go along with the beats and music, and is definitely a "speed" song, that is one to listen to when you feel like doing things fast.

5. Dio - Evil Eyes
Dio is a great band, and Evil Eyes is one of my favorites. It's a song that makes me want to pump my fist in the air, especially at the "Do you ever think about the day I caught the rainbow" line. Just awesome.

6. Calvin Harris - Worst Day
Calvin Harris is a great electropop singer, and Worst Day is one of his faster songs. It features a great backup singer in Izza Kizza and a really fast pace that is conducive to running. Definitely a good one when you're full of energy, or want to be.

7. Kavinsky - Pacific Coast Highway
Kavinsky is another electronic band, this time with an 80's pop flavor. Pacific Coast Highway is a slower song that's still great to dance (and run) to when you feel like doing more of a slower but persistent pace.

8. Scooter - Maria (I Like It Loud)
Scooter is a German band that does stadium techno, or big beat music that relies on rapid vocals and a live sound and feel. This song in particular makes you feel like you're in the middle of a concert and has an incredible energy that fills you up as you listen to it.

9. Alter Bridge - Coming Home
I know Alter Bridge isn't looked on favorably by the likes of X and others, but I love this song. It has a great chorus that eggs me on with its huge sound and cool vocals. The whole song is loud and fun to listen to.

10. No More Heroes OST - Dynamite Rider
Best song on the No More Heroes OST, easily. It's mostly electronic with some rock influences and the feeling of speeding down a highway with hell at your feet. Very appropriate, considering it was originally used in a motorcycle chase scene.

And this is the one song I ALWAYS listen to when I work out:

DragonForce - Valley of the Damned
This is DragonForce's best song. I use it when I'm on the last stretch of my run and need something to push me to the limit. It's loud, fast, and has one HELL of a great chorus. It helps me fly to the finish. One of the best songs for pumping you up, ever, in my opinion. Amazing.

 

[Hacksaw Highway]

Hell yeah to the White Zombie CoR!

As for me, mostly metal stuff gets me in the workout mood. Some favorites would be

Mastodon- Mother Puncher, Blood and Thunder, Divinations, Trampled Under Hoof, Circle of Cysquatch
Really, any of Mastodon's faster, metal-ier songs.

Meshuggah- Bleed, Combustion, Straws Pulled At Random, New Millennium Cyanide Christ, Soul Burn
Meshuggah plays some insanely complex stuff with a big focus on percussion, and it just gets the blood pumping for me. The ones I chose here are mostly faster songs, with Soul Burn being slower but featuring a just amazing riff that makes you want to push a little bit harder.

Converge- Dark Horse, the Saddest Day, Damages, Hell to Pay, Homewrecker, No Heroes
Converge is the angriest band on the planet. The raw fury, the sorrow, expressed through their music is like a tangible thing, and even though you can't always understand the lyrics, you feel their emotion. The rage expressed through the music amps me up, gives me a rush and some energy. Fantastic band for this stuff.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I believe that angry songs often make the best workout songs as well as songs with very heavy guitar-work if its rock or a heavy beat and angry lyrics if it's rap. Angry songs (or just songs with heavy guitars/beats) add to the adrenaline rush of working out.... the two just go hand in hand for me.

That being said.... I never truly had a "workout soundtrack" but as far back as 2002 I recall listening to several of the tracks from the Scorpion King soundtrack while working out. Godsmack's "I Stand Alone" was a personal favorite of mine at the time, I even had it picked as my entrance theme (I'd roll down my windows when pulling into school and play it on full blast). Another from that soundtrack was Flaw's "Only The Strong". I liked those two in particular because they helped induce andrenaline rushes while I was working out. Pretty much every track on the Scorpion King soundtrack was like that to me, so for that reason it could be considered my workout soundtrack, at least during my high school years. They are included mainly due to how heavy they were and the angry/determined feel they had to them, fits great with lifting weights!

Nowadays it's just all my cd's on random shuffle. If something pops up that doesn't fit well with working out, I skip that track. I have 125 cd's, at over a thousand tracks, so any song that fits well with the situation could be considered part of my workout soundtrack then. I just prefer angry songs and/or heavy songs because of how they quickly give me adrenaline rushes while I work out.

 

[The Dewbliners]

Firstly, great thread IC...

Now then, as for my workout soundtrack, you could generously call it "not of the ordinary". By this I mean the following: usually people would include rock/metal and hip-hop as their set list. Not me, which is unusual in that I usually do listen to metal. Excercise, however, is reserved for more soft, mellow music. So, without further anticipation:

The Corrs- So Young- Like I said, not my typical fare. I find the constant melody to be useful when doing hack squats.

Tori Amos-Strange Little Girl- I do a lot of running and jogging, usually for fun, and this song has a very light, ethereal feel to it. Really makes the time fly by.

The 3 Hanks-I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive- It's excellent for my leg presses at the gym. What makes it so good? Well, in my mind, it's because of the despair heard in Sr. and 3's voices. I can't explain why, really.

As for when I work the arms, I usually rock out the Fiona Apple, Jonny Lang, or Soul Asylum. Why? I don't really know, outside of the notion that for some reason, all their music makes me feel motivated.

So, like I said, not the typical workout music, but it works for me. Gets me pumped and whatnot.

 

[Nitafrong]

Whenever I exercise I tend to listen to entire albums rather than spefic playlists- I like the natural peaks and shallows of an album rather that the full in your face intensity that a best of playlist would provide. Each album though has a number of standout tracks which I could use for such a playlist.

One of my favourites is I wish I was Someone Better by The Blood Red Shoes. The song makes no bones about what kind of song it is from the very beginning with its hard hitting drumbeat followed by the furious guitar riff. Its such an angry fast paced song I actually find it really hard to stay still while listening to it and its perfect to hear whenever you start to fatigue.

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Continuing in the same vein is old favourite of mine- Asche Zu Asche by Rammstein Coming from their first album- it was actually a hard choice between this and their slightly dancier Du Reicht so gut- but as with the song before this song combines a driving drumbeat, hard hitting guitars and a very clear chorus. While its not quite as angry as the Blood Red Shoes- its still very much a song that grabs you by the throat and carries you along whether you want to go or not

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The next song The View from the Afternoon by the Arctic Monkeys was the song that really changed my opinion about the band. The opening fuselade from their debut album it showcases what was really great about that first album, and features a really excellent chorus. Again its really fast paced and the chorus helps lift and distract you whenever your body might want to give up

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The next is a real blast from the past- Bwomp by Mushroomhead. Its not really a style of music I listen to a lot these days but one I used to love a couple of years ago. Its great for exercise though- fast paced, angry snarling rap/singing and all surrounded by anthemic guitar and keyboard riffs. The only problem I have with this song is it does drag a bit in the middle and the long slow intro at the start and at the end really don't suit- its always annoying to have to try and skip on while running at the same time.

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Finally my last song is Fantasyby The Blizzards- a nice antidote to the anger featured in some of the songs above. While its much lighter in terms of sound- ska/pop rather than metal- its still a great running song and helps put a smile on your face as well

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[Hollywood Naitch]

I have a huge playlist of about 300 songs that i class as "workout music", mostly metal, gangsta rap and some fast dance for when I am doing cardio work. Gotta love the music that makes you wanna beat the shit out of someone when your lifting weights haha!

Some of my favourites are

Godsmack- Realign, Immune, Keep Away
Static X- Black & White
Machine Head- Davidian, Crashing Around You
Killswitch Engage- My Last Seranade
Metallica- For Whom The Bell Tolls
Black Label Society- 13 Years Of Grief

and

Body Head Bangerz- Can't Be Touched

for those who dont know, BHB features boxing legend Roy Jones Jnr, you gotta check this tune out it is awesome! Proper gym music!

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I always seem to add songs to my workout playlist everyday it seems. Some of the ones i listen to include:

Indestructible - Disturbed
Probably my favorite song to workout to, I HATE when this song comes on and im about spent at the gym, it just gives me the mindset "crap now I have to do something insanely beastly and do this song justice" lol.

The Champion In Me - 3 Doors Down
One of the theme songs from the 2008 summer olympics, just gets me motivated beyond belief with lyrics like "When the others cower, Im in my finest hour, we are champions created by desire, while i remember falling, yeah these dreams keep calling, ive worked so hard so long im taking what is mine". And "To become number one, ive always wanted to be, watch right now and you will see the champion in me".

Anthem For The Underdog - 12 Stones
This was from a movie i watched called "Never Back Down" as shit on as that movie is it gets me pumped up to be the best. Have another song called "Adrenaline" by this band as well. Lyrics of this song go "Im here now feeling the pain of a thousand hearts, been to hell and back again, but I wont take this" and "Im still here standing".

Street Fighter (War) - Sick Puppies
This song makes me want to kill someone its pretty much the same theme as one of their hits "Your Going Down" which was the theme song for extreme rules 2009. Best lyrics in this song are "Lock and load, rock and roll, bitch its all over you're going down, YOU'RE GOING DOWN". Wow even has "You're going down" in the song lol.

Under The Knife - Rise Against
Also a song that was in the movie Never Back Down. Really gets me going I usually start my session off with this song actually. Really meaningful lyrics for when I feel like shit and not wanting to do the gym. "Wake me up inside, tell me there's a reason to take another step". "These dreams will die if we just give in".

Enter Sandman - Metallica
Come on how can a workout playlist be complete without this bad boy? Brock's entrance theme for UFC and my favorite one for getting to my hardest part of training and thats weighted wide arm pullups till death lol. The beginning slow guitar intro is when im stretching and warming up it just gives you that feel of "oh fuck yes here I am and Im coming".

There are a LOT more songs on the playlist but this would take me forever other notables include

The Last Fight - Bullet For My Valentine
Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold
This Calling - All That Remains
Soldier - Eminem
Hero - Skillet
All Is Numb - 32 Leaves
Cold (but Im still here) - Evans Blue
Headstrong - Trapt
The Darkest Nights - As I Lay Dying
Crash - Decypher Down
Ladies And Gentlemen - Saliva
Papercut - Linkin Park
Step Up - Drowning Pool
My Spirit Will Go On - Dragonforce (I hate this band this is the only song I like, amazing drums).

 

[Smokey]

For me, it depends on if I'm doing cardio or weight training. If I'm doing cardio; I tend to lean more towards a faster song (shocker!) such as "Hero" by Skillet or "B.O.B" by Outkast. When I lift, I like a somewhat slower song that's a bit.... heavier for lack of a better term. Usually some rap song. "Can't C Me" by Tupac; "Power" by Kanye; that kind of thing. Also, I have two wrestling themes on my iPod, Kane's old one (I'm too lazy to look up the name but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about) and Evolution's theme. They both serve me rather well when benching, etc.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

My list is really sort of a mix that was played in the wrestling room when I was in school. My coach was an old school ac/dc fan. So a few songs will be from that, and some from my metal favorites.

Ac/dc- Back in black

I remember just kicking ass to this song, and getting my ass kicked out. This was the first song I remember hearing in the room, and also the last. Coach remembered to play it for us seniors just to piss us off. Because for years we had to hear it at least 3 times a pratice. Every day, all of us could sing this whole song, and we did quite a few times actually! I usualy use this song as just a quick warm up song as Its not to fast, do a few warm up curls and get the barbells out along with the next song.

Ac/dc- Highway to hell

This song is another one of my old coaches favorites. I use it along with the song posted before to get the juices flowing.

Blue Oyster Cult- Don't fear the reaper

Allways, I remember doing 250 wall shots a day to this song, 3 days a week. Coach said that thats the ammount everyone should be able to do in a 5 minute song. I usualy implement this song in a cool down peroid of going down weights in my barbells to keep my arms up from getting to wore out.

So I'm sure most of you have some of the songs posted before on your ipod or on cd's. Well to be honest I love metal and thats what most of its going to be.

Lamb of god- The faded line

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In school I used this alot and a few others by lamb of god to do squats or leg press. I loved getting laughs from people in this song. I was doing allmost 400 pound leg presses in reps with one leg, and this song is what got me pumped up more than once when my legs were just screaming at me to stop.

Gojira- The art of dying

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This was arguably the most hated of all my songs, and the newest I put on a cd. At nine minutes I put this in for my squats or bench, and I would push myself and my teammates to do the same. Do what you were doing as hard as you could for the whole song. 9 Minutes is a long time, but that rest and drink break after it were deffinatly worth it.

Basically, I used quite a few songs. But the songs posted were allwas in my cd's for the wrestling weight room.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Oh man I could literally post hundreds here, but I will start with a few and add more as time goes on!

Roy Jones Jr and the Body Head Bangers- Can't Be Touched

This song gets me motivated like no other, its all about not being beaten, noone can stop you. So, cranking this up which pumping iron makes me work much harder

Godsmack- Realign

One of my favourite songs of all time, with one of the best choruses I have ever heard. Sully has the perfect voice for a workout soundtrack, angry and aggresive but tuneful and gets me so pumped up. Hugh Jackman has stated that for the Wolverine film, to get in shape he always had Godsmack on in the gym, and it made him lift much heavier weights

Metallica- I Disappear

Man I love this track, the riff always gets me in the mood for lifting some fucking massive weights!!

 

[Attitude]

My work out soundtrack is simple. It's The Rocky Story. It has all the best music from the first five Rocky Movies Such as Eye of the Tiger, and Living in America. Definately a great cd to workout to.