In a perfect world, we’d all feel bright-eyed, energized, and ready to go whenever it was time for our workouts. But add in real-world complications like a hectic day of work, a too short night of sleep, or a too long social media scroll, and you might feel yourself dragging before you even complete your first rep.
But that doesn’t mean your workout is destined to tank. In fact, even if you go into your workout feeling drained, you still can knock out an effective exercise session—all you need is a little mental pick-me-up. And chances are good you have a pretty damn potent one already at your disposal: music.
It works for me: Whether I’m jogging, sprinting, or strength training, I rely on my trusty iPod Shuffle (with my ever important, aptly named “Upbeat Songs” playlist) to get me through it. Yeah, a dead battery going into that last interval can be deflating, but on the flip side, hearing the first few notes of one of the best workout songs—which for me right now is “Iconic” by Madonna—can be just what I need to forget my heaving breathing, ignore my screaming muscles, and finish my workout strong.
And science backs me up on the workout benefits of music: When researchers in India asked 50 young adults to run on a treadmill until they felt tired enough to stop, they discovered that those who were able to listen to music of their choice exercised for an average of about 15 minutes longer than those who ran in silence. What’s more, a 2020 meta-analysis of 139 previously published studies published in Psychological Bulletin concluded that music helps exercise feel less hard, even when you’re going at the same intensity—and that it boosts positive emotions about your workout too.
So go ahead: Fire up your playlist to crank up the heat on your workout. Find yourself skipping through your old workout songs and looking for something new? Check out these picks below of the best workout songs, gathered both from SELF staffers and loyal readers.
“Spaceman” by GW Harrison
“ICY GRL” by Saweetie
“Beautiful Trauma” by Pink
“Run This Town” by Jay-Z featuring Kanye West & Rihanna: “I love this song because it has a constant, driving beat that keeps me on track when I’m cycling or running. Plus, it’s a classic!” —Sarah Madaus, editorial assistant at SELF
“Yeah!” by Usher
“Omo” by Burna Boy
“Thunderbolts” by Polina Grace
“It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls: “It was released in 1982, but it’s a timeless classic and my favorite power-up song EVER, and is an integral part of any workout playlist I make. It’s fast-paced and it’s exultant. It’s triumph set to a killer melody. It makes me want to throw my head back, throw my arms in the air, and scream-sing along. God bless mother nature!” —Sally Tamarkin, features director at SELF
“The Greatest Show” by Zac Efron, Zendaya, Hugh Jackman, and Keala Settle
“We Built This City” by Starship
“Light Me Up” by Icona Pop
“Right Now” by Van Halen
“When a Fire Starts to Burn” by Disclosure: “This song does the perfect job of getting me to feel equal parts amped up and meditative, which is exactly what I like workouts to be. And the dance beat helps too.” —Hannah Pasternak, senior editor of emerging platforms at SELF
“Pump It” by The Black Eyed Peas
“Salute” by Little Mix
“Con Altura” by Rosalía
“Sunday Best” by Surfaces
“The Fight Song” by Marilyn Manson: “One of the main reasons I work out is to deal with stress and frustration, and because this song always reminds me of my angsty teen phase, it’s a go-to for me. It has the perfect beat for running, cycling, or boxing and just the right amount of yelling.” —Sarah Jacoby, senior health and beauty editor at SELF
“Work Bitch” by Britney Spears
“Beast” by Chris Classic
“Cheap Thrills” by Sia
“Purple Hat” by Sofi Tukker
“Momentum” by Quantrelle
“Backseat Freestyle” by Kendrick Lamar: “No song gets me going for runs or uptempo workouts like ‘Backseat Freestyle,’ which is some combination of Kendrick’s ego being absolutely contagious and the beat being perfect for keeping me motivated and in step.” —Lori Keong, commerce editor at SELF
“Mo Bounce” by Iggy Azalea
“Motivation” by Normani
“Truth Hurts” by Lizzo
“The Pretender” by Foo Fighters
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
“I’m Really Hot” by Missy Elliot: “If I had an opportunity to do a solo in someone’s hip-hop dance class, this is probably the song I’d choose. This song is so high energy that I can’t help but go into a full-on Center Stage/Save the Last Dance–style routine as soon as I press play—it’s completely infectious (but in a good way).” —Tiffany Dodson, associate market editor at SELF
“Downtown” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
“Woman” by Kesha
“White Lines” by Grandmaster Flash
“Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man
“Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels” by Todrick: “The beat is body-moving and makes me feel sassy.” —SELF reader Stacey Bennett Pierson
“Love Ain’t” by Eli Young Band
“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
“A Milli” by Lil Wayne
“Fitness” by Lizzo
“Lose Yourself” by Eminem
“Disparate Youth” by Santigold: “While the bursts of guitars and thumping synths are enough to keep my pulse going, the song’s message of pushing through roadblocks and ‘running’ with your dreams always encourages me to finish my route. I started running as a way to help cope with anxiety that would plague me in public spaces. So sometimes when I want to quit toward the end of a run, I need to be reminded that working out is worth it because it truly benefits my mental health and it’s something personal that I’m accomplishing just for myself.” —Lisa Brown, production assistant at SELF
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
“Iconic” by Madonna
“Summer Days” by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore
“Wake Up” by Arcade Fire: “This song starts my running playlist and provides an excellent build!” —SELF reader Lindsay Reinert Burney
Take a look at our comprehensive guide to the best and most popular information ebooks and products available today on Detoxing, Colon Cleansing, Weight Loss and Dating and Romance. They are all in one spot, easy to find and compere to make a quick selection for the product that best fits your needs or wants.
So browse through a category and make your preferred selection and come back here to read more choice articles and get a few more helpful tips on ways to help your enhancement.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. “saubiosaubiosuccess.com is a participant in third party affiliate and advertising programs; The Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Awin network, and other affiliate advertising programs are designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees and commissions by advertising and linking to products on other sites and on Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.”
We use anonymous cookies and various 3rd-party services to optimise and to offer you a better, more personalised, browsing experience with advanced accessibility enhancements.
Dismiss
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
