The best music to accompany your workout depends on both your chosen activity and your personal taste. But some broad principles still apply. Fast beats encourage you to exert more and keep at it longer. Look for tracks with at least 130 beats per minute. Keywords and phrases help motivate, too -- sweat, grind, move your body, pump it, push it, jump, snap, pound, don't stop and step to it. And upbeat themes elevate your mood as well as your energy level.
Hip Hop
Whether you prefer old school or the latest cutting-edge remix, hip-hop was designed from the beginning to get your body moving and keep it grooving all night. Classic uptempo tracks to add to your mix include LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" -- great for cardio -- "Push It" by Salt'n'Pepa, House of Pain's "Jump Around," Black Sheep's "The Choice is Yours" and "So What'cha Want" by the Beastie Boys. Also consider are Kanye West's "New Workout Plan" and DJ UNK's "Walk It Out."
Heavy Metal
Heavy metal is great for weightlifting. Its beats-per-minute count tends to be a bit lower than other genres, but the driving guitar crunch makes up for it. Some workout favorites: "TNT" by AC/DC, "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith, "I Love Rock 'n Roll" by Joan Jett, Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" and Mettalica's "Enter Sandman."
'80s Tunes
Dance tunes from the '80s have pep to spare and the nostalgic gloss to make you smile. Songs worth adding to your workout mix include "Good Two Shoes" by Adam Ant, "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow, "We Got the Beat" by the Go Gos and Devo's "Whip It."
Soul and Funk
The best thing about using soul music as the soundtrack to your workout is its inspirational content. It's hard not to feel uplifted when listening to tracks like "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield, "I Want To Take You Higher" by Sly and the Family Stone, "Living or the City" by Stevie Wonder, "It's Your Thing" by
the Isley Brothers or just about anything by James Brown.
Dance and Disco
Disco and club music hits the ideal beats-per-minute range target and usually has some motivational content as well. C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" is a can't-miss cut in this category. Other songs to consider: Dee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart," "Pull Up to the Bumper" by Grace Jones, "She Works Hard for the Money" by Donna Summer, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson and "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston.
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