Know any good instrumental workout music?
December 30, 2013 2:31 PM

I've been flirting with weightlifting on and off for awhile and figure with New Years' right around the corner there are plenty of people in the same boat of "this is the year I get abs!" Good pulse-pounding music is of course a big help, but I find songs with lyrics too distracting for work out time. Know any cool stuff without words?

Bonus points for songs that aren't dub-steppy or overly electronica-ish because that can get really old. So far the stuff I've found to be most fun are genre tunes with heroic themes - benchpressing with this in the background is great, as is pushing for a sit-up to this tune. Any other ideas?
posted by johnpoe50 to Health & Fitness (12 answers total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
I love instrumental hip hop like J Dilla.

That said, I know there are widely varying opinions on this, but I don't think it's safe to lift weights (free weights) while listening to music on headphones. I've witnessed too many situations in the gym where the person with the bar needed to hear a verbal warning for the safety of themselves or others.
posted by telegraph at 2:37 PM on December 30, 2013


Can You Dig It by Brian Tyler, aka the music from the end credits to Iron Man 3.
posted by troika at 2:46 PM on December 30, 2013


I like Rodrigo y Gabriela and Matthew Schoening for running music. In the soundtrack arena, check out Pacific Rim, Cloud Atlas, and of course the Imperial March.
posted by esoterrica at 2:51 PM on December 30, 2013


The Tron soundtrack! Sure, it's electronica-ish but the orchestral stuff really helps. It contains heroic themes, too. We all know the movie was pretty much just a music video for Daft Punk anyway.
posted by foxfirefey at 2:54 PM on December 30, 2013


If you don't mind something with a North African or Middle Eastern vibe, this is one of my most favorite mostly instrumental CD's I bought, like 12 years ago. Some favorites:

Stereo MCs - Fever
Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Shaskin Remix
Caravane - Radar

Other favorites:
La Caution - Thé à la menthe
Thievery Corporation - Khalghi Stomp
posted by raztaj at 3:08 PM on December 30, 2013


Oh Lawdy definitely definitely the Pacific Rim soundtrack. My bench press went up and I blame the bass section.
posted by WidgetAlley at 3:50 PM on December 30, 2013


The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks are great for this too!
posted by brilliantine at 3:55 PM on December 30, 2013


I'd go for stuff by Sam Spence, he of football music fame. My favorites are ones like Classic Battle, Worldwide March, The Raiders, and Wild Bunch. There's a good hour of it here with music from a few different artists. It's great. I've worked out to it before. Nothing like running on the treadmill and feeling like you're running 75 yards for a touchdown.
posted by cashman at 6:00 PM on December 30, 2013


At least a few of the songs on the Bastion soundtrack might work - while it's a video game, the music isn't at all electronica, more orchestral and blues-y. You might also find some good stuff by searching for orchestral or piano covers of other videogame songs - keeping the "heroic theme" part while losing the chiptune/electronic aspect you're looking to avoid.. A couple I can think of off the top of my head are The Man With The Machine Gun Arm off Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds II, and Gerudo Valley Theme from the Zelda 25th Anniversary Orchestra recording. There's a decent amount of this type of music on Spotify if you do find you like the couple I linked - one artist I enjoy who's available on there is Devin Taylor.
posted by augustimagination at 11:46 PM on December 30, 2013


Apollo 440's album "Gettin' High on your own Supply" is utterly perfect for this need. Trust me.
posted by Thistledown at 6:11 AM on December 31, 2013


I'm a huge fan of 2 Steps from Hell. You can purchase their albums on iTunes, CD Baby, and Amazon, but a lot of their music is also available on Youtube. Other epic music by folks like Audiomachine, Brand X Music, and Soundcritters is great for workouts, too. You can check places like Spotify, CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, and Youtube for samples; most of these groups have really enthusiastic followings.
posted by skye.dancer at 8:36 AM on December 31, 2013


Jazzanova "Mixing". Vocals, but good. A near-continuous mix that ramps up and then down in intensity.

If you like the funk, Soulive "Doin' Somethin'" No vocals.
posted by 4midori at 12:18 PM on January 3, 2014


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