Excercise playlist suggestions?

January 7, 2006 5:37 PM

I'd like to put together a rocking playlist for exercising. Suggestions, please.

Up-tempo, lively stuff, along the lines of I Fought the Law and Panic in Detroit , just to mention two that I've already chosen. Genre doesn't matter, although I don't see myself sweating to the oldies... (Or disco, for that matter.)
It's for running on a treadmill, mostly.

posted by Finder to sports, hobbies, & recreation (29 comments total)

In da club- 50 cent
You can do it- ice cube
shake it fast- mystikal

I spent 6 months perfecting my running playlist and I am constantly adding to it... As you can see, it's mostly hip hop.
posted by skjønn at 5:43 PM on January 7, 2006

Panic! at the Disco is my favorite, also Motion City Soundtrack.
posted by charmston at 5:46 PM on January 7, 2006

Can't go wrong with The Clash (e.g. London Calling, Train in Vain, Rock the Casbah), Elvis Costello (Pump It Up, Monkey to Man, Radio Radio, [The Angels Wanna Wear My] Red Shoes), Ramones (Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna Be Sedated), Talking Heads (most of the Stop Making Sense album) - works for me when I'm on the elliptical. Pick something that really grabs you.

Now I'll just slink back to the 80s...
posted by hangashore at 5:50 PM on January 7, 2006

I'm weird but I would like Seal's "Crazy" for that.
posted by konolia at 6:15 PM on January 7, 2006

I've found that Prince's Lovesexy is excellent workout music.
I also discovered that a band I don't actually like very much, The Lords of Acid, are redeemed somewhat by the fact that they inspire one to move quickly.
(shameless plug)
My friend Dahlia, a kind of international sex-pop superstar, has recorded a number of songs which go well with workouts. You can download mp3s of a few of them here.
(/shameless plug)
Fire by Electric Six should do you right, too. Great record, incidentally.
I'm also sure this has been asked once or twice before, though I'm too lazy to search for 'em.
posted by Dr. Wu at 6:19 PM on January 7, 2006

What about some older big band swing stuff? The obvious choice is Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing [With a Swing]" -- everyone has heard this; it's in the Chips Ahoy! ads.
posted by rossination at 6:24 PM on January 7, 2006

Please include these songs, because they freaking rule for exercising. I've been making exercise CDs for friends and relatives a lot lately, and always include these.

Hey Ya - Outkast
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
Toxic - Britney Spears
You Might Think - The Cars
Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child
Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
posted by iconomy at 6:27 PM on January 7, 2006

I actually like Biggie's Ready to Die end-to-end for the treadmill, not sure why. And Mystikal's song is "Shake Ya Ass".
posted by kcm at 6:43 PM on January 7, 2006

I've found surprising success with Israelites by Desmod Dekker and Rivers of Babylon (I prefer the Melodians version, but I guess if you're hardcore you can go for Sweet Honey in the Rock). Let's here it for old-school reggae.
posted by allen.spaulding at 6:44 PM on January 7, 2006

The Chronic
posted by nyterrant at 6:45 PM on January 7, 2006

See:

What's your favorite music to exercise to?
Any tips for good tunes to bring to the gym?
What do you listen to when you work out?
posted by apple scruff at 6:47 PM on January 7, 2006

Scissor Sisters.
posted by surferboy at 6:47 PM on January 7, 2006

Do you have access to the iTunes music store? I put together some playlists based on some songs they had listed in one of their premade themed playlists for working out. I tend toward bouncy pop and dance club music for hard runs.
posted by cajo at 6:55 PM on January 7, 2006

N.W.A. - 100 Miles and Running. Instantly came to mind when I read your question. It's loud, fast, and written about being on the run. Perfect.
Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
The Arcade Fire - well, most of their songs. Songs like "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)" build up reasonably rapidly to make whatever you're doing feel like the most epic triumph of endurance ever by the end of the song.
Bloc Party - Helicopter
The Arctic Monkeys - (Bet You Look) Good On The Dancefloor
Love of Diagrams - No Way Out (Download the full song there)
The Streets - Don't Mug Yourself
The Walkmen - Little House of Savages
posted by teem at 7:00 PM on January 7, 2006

The songs that get me working hardest on the rowing machine are: "Do the Standing Still","Girl O'Clock", "Pay for the Piano", "Gyroscope", and "The Dismemberment Plan Get Rich" all by The Dismemberment Plan.
posted by travosaurus at 7:38 PM on January 7, 2006

I am actually a bit of a music snob with hipster bent -- last concert was New Pornographers, last CD purchased was Wolf Parade. However, every time I go to the gym, it's all Kelly Clarkson all the time. It's good stuff.
posted by awegz at 7:55 PM on January 7, 2006

Thank you all. (I don't know about Britney though: doesn't that make you forget trig or something?)
posted by Finder at 8:01 PM on January 7, 2006

I don't know why, but I love biking to Rush. My favorites from their two cd greatest hits compilation get me through a 30-60 minute workout. If I'm lifting weights, I like depeche mode and other more new-wavy music, but Rush is the only band that gets me biking. The music is so damn busy and optimistic it both focuses me on, and distracts me from my workout in just the right way.
posted by sophie at 8:12 PM on January 7, 2006

E Nomine.
posted by devilsbrigade at 10:15 PM on January 7, 2006

Foo Fighters, In Your Honor - Disc 1
posted by any major dude at 10:39 PM on January 7, 2006

OK Go - You're So Damn Hot.
posted by eleyna at 10:41 PM on January 7, 2006

Sons And Daughters. The Scottish accents alone are enough to get my blood pumping, and their songs are great, too.

It's cheesy, but I'm quite partial to Tubthumper by Chumbawumba. There goes my indy cred.

Mashups are always good because then I think about how weird it is that every song ever recorded can be mixed with Paranoid by Iron Maiden, instead of thinking about how much I hate working out.
posted by smartyboots at 11:01 PM on January 7, 2006

Work it - Missy Elliot
Eminem
Never Again - Nickleback
Madonna - the club-type stuff she is so fond of recently
Really anything that is club-type dance music will usually have a driving beat that works for cardio.
This the Trip - Sister 7
posted by jopreacher at 11:03 PM on January 7, 2006

I've been a spin instructor for years. Songs that people always seem to comment on (positively):

Propellerheads - Take California
Shakira - Ojos Asi
Back to the Earth/Drum Trip - Rusted Root
Delta Disco - Transglobal Underground
Ready Steady Go - Paul Oakenfold
The entire "Run Lola Run" soundtrack
Time's Running Out - Cirrus
Salve Mea - Faithless
posted by mtevis at 12:03 AM on January 8, 2006

Any techno song by Paul Oakenfold or Paul Van Dyk.

I enjoyed sunbeam's 'one minute in heaven' as well.
posted by merlin17 at 12:19 AM on January 8, 2006

Wow, I was totally surprised to flip through this and not see the SoundTrack for Footloose mentioned! Come on, it's a movie about dancing, freedom, and teenage rebellion. I used to love to RollerBlade to that. Or wait...is 80's now considered Oldies? I hope not. Guess that would rule it out if it did.

Besides that, Here's some excellent ones that generally up my energy level.

Beastie Boys - Body Movin
Eiffel 65 - Move your Body
Green Day - Holiday, American Idiot, lots of others
Garbage - Push It
Trapt - Headstrong
Linkin Park - most of their first album
Rob Zombie - Dragula
Lots of other Techno songs

Apollo Four Forty - Stop the Rock
I love this one for some reason, it always seems to make me push. It's kinda disco-ish though.

N.E.R.D. - LapDance
Mystykal - Mystykal Fever
I include these two because I've seen Kiss of the Dragon waaaay to many times, and simply listening conjures up images from those fight scenes, which are very good.

Short list. Most people probably have waaaay too many to list here.
posted by Phynix at 4:20 AM on January 8, 2006

Finder, she may suck, but the song is great to work out to. Don't be a hater!
posted by iconomy at 1:38 PM on January 8, 2006

I should add that every time I make an exercise tape or CD for someone, they are thoroughly disgusted that Toxic is included, so your reaction is pretty much par for the course. I wish I had photographed my husband's reaction the first time he saw 'Britney Spears - Toxic' in his playlist. But now he says it's one of the best songs to sweat to. He just enjoys it in secret.
posted by iconomy at 1:40 PM on January 8, 2006

Andrew W.K.
posted by holloway at 1:53 PM on January 8, 2006