Looking to Punch Up Your Cardio Workouts? Check Out This Playlist

Have you ever noticed your clients struggling to find motivation to workout? The answer is most likely a resounding yes. In fact, a lack of general motivation (25%) is the main reason people think they won’t achieve their wellness-related goals this year.

Whether your clients are looking to find the motivation to hit their fitness goals, or they're in need of a little energetic boost mid-cardio, music could be the missing ingredient in their workout–and the experts agree.

How music can re-vamp cardio workouts.

Professor Andy Lane, Sports Psychologist at The University of Wolverhampton, explains: "Music is excellent for motivation and can definitely help with endurance during exercise. It can help you move more easily via a number of ways, one being through synchronisation, for example, if the beat is similar to what you’re doing, i.e. running to the beat or cycling in rhythm. Listening to music can enhance your mood and help divert your attention away from feeling tired or bored which can often arise through the repetitiveness of certain exercises."

Faye Walton, founder of CYC:D adds:

Nick Davies, a Sports Performance Mind Coach and a specialist in the sporting mind, also says: “If you’re looking for explosive types of anaerobic exercise like sprinting, you need your brain to be producing beta waves, so you need to increase your respiration and heart rate. Music with a strong, fast tempo is ideal, these are the dance hall bangers that you jump around to. If you’re doing slower more aerobic exercises like running on treadmill running or cross-trainer, you need a steadier beat as you want to be breathing more deeply for your brain to be producing alpha waves.”

Finding the perfect playlist for your fitness class.

In light of this research, we worked with leading fitness studios to curate a Spotify playlist with over 20 energetic songs to help boost performance whilst working out. According to the experts, the top ten songs that start with a steadier beat, move to a stronger beat, and then drop for cool-down, from the list, are: 

1. Pinnacles - Four Tet
2. Freaks - Timmy Trumpet
3. Run boy Run - Woodkid
4. Rapture – Nadia Ali
5. Losing It – Fisher
6. Differentology – Bunji Garlin
7. Higher Ground – TNGHT
8. Chameleon – Pnau
9. Play – Jax Jones
10. Old Friend – Elderbrook

Feeling overwhelmed when we’re lacking the energy to complete our cardio session is totally normal, but don't waver, addressing this motivation slump is easier than you may think with the help of music. I for one turn to music when I need a little energetic boost!

We’ve worked with experts from a number of our Mindbody studios to get their thoughts on the top songs to play whilst working out to improve our performance and pulled their considerations into a public Spotify playlist with over 20 songs. We hope the playlist gives people the motivation they need to push themselves further and get the most from their cardio workouts.

A special thanks to the following Mindbody studios for contributing to this playlist: Form Studios, Level Six, Grow Fitness, Oncore London, CYC:D. 

Ready to take your fitness studio's playlist to the next level? Check out our playlist.