You’re rounding the corner at the end of your run. It’s uphill. You want to sprint the last stretch, but your legs aren’t exactly listening to your brain, nor are they listening to Yeezy – who’s been barking at them to keep it up for the past five songs. It’s time to reach over to your armband and whip out the guilty weapon song that turns you into a superhuman, but you just pray your earbud doesn’t fall out and reveal to the general public what that song is.
It’s not news that, for most people, upbeat music charges their exercise – adding to the experience and energy levels with the thump of each beat. In fact, I can’t name anyone off the top of my head who gets a physical kick out of listening to themselves pant and wheeze – despite the fact that the sound of your physical exertion is actually quite empowering. I suppose it’s just more fun to let Girl Talk take the mic.
Every time I’m out for a run or finishing my last set, I’m so aware of the music that rejuvenates my depleted muscles, and therefore waste no time finding the songs that push me over the hump. Even more often, I’m hyperaware of the comedic or unlikely songs that get me to that place of power or resilience – and today, I asked the other nuts to share what the surprising – and sometimes guilty – musical secret weapons are that help them over the finish line.
CATHERINE says: This EDM-loving, Justin Timberlake worshipping, dance floor hopping gal’s guilty pleasure workout song is most definitely “Uprising” by Muse. Listen to that song and tell me you don’t think you can lift a car while running forever. You can.
KATE says: Mine is easily “Another Night” by Real McCoy. Something about this ridiculous track gets my blood pumping. Whether it’s the sweet 90s rap segment (“just another night, another minute of love, to feel joy, to feel pain and nothing will be the same”) or the synth pop background beat – whenever I’m on the ‘mill, this guilty pleasure makes me run a little bit harder (and grin from ear to ear like I’m the queen of the gym dance floor).
MEGHAN says: My guilty pleasure workout song is “Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy. That or “Everybody” by Backstreet Boys. I have no reason other than they pump me and my workouts up by appealing to the 16 year-old girl inside of me. She’s fearless and far less tired than I am during the middle of a run or tough set.
KAYLEE says: Definitely “Superfly’ by Curtis Mayfield. My workout playlist certainly includes some songs from this century, but true to my upbringing by children of the 70s – it’s mostly the golden oldies that get me moving and grooving to the beat.
JESS says: Aside from shamelessly hard rap songs, which I’d feel illicit posting on this sweet lil’ blog, my guiltiest pleasure, push-me-to-the-max jam is “Local God” by Everclear. As a child of the 90s and all of the sweet, grungy rock that came with the delicious Big Shiny Tunes and MuchMusic era – the thrash of these guitars, unexpected eff bomb and feel-good lyrics (“I feel so stupid, happy and young”) kick me into high gear when I’m about to poop out. A close second would be “I Can’t Win” by The Strokes – because that song’s like a summer running drug.
We’d love to hear what gets you moving, and based on our guilty admissions above, we promise not to judge. Leave a comment!
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