As a working mum of young children, I find my time at the gym the few days I can manage it to be very important for my mental as well as physical well being.  It’s my time during the week to unwind and do something just for me.  I have always found it harder to concentrate and work out to the best of my ability relying on the music that is played at gyms.  No offence, it works for some people, but over the years I have found that there are certain styles of music and certain songs that help encourage and motivate me better during a session.

If you are struggling for ideas of what to listen or just want to be able to switch your playlist up a notch the next time you head to the gym or are planning on starting to go to a place like this Fitness First , then in the following article you will find some of my favourite tracks for different kinds of training.

For The Gym – Cardio

Generally when I go to the gym, I work out on the cardio machines such as the treadmill, cross trainer and rowing machine; so I like to have a good mixture of slow build up songs at the start like, and this is going to sound cheesy but I love it, Don’t Stop Believing by Journey and Roar by Katy Perry.  Then I usually like to listen to some up-tempo dance, rock and hip hop tracks like Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters, Starships by Nicki Minaj and The Rockerfellar Skank by Fatboy Slim.  Towards the end of a session I like to have slower paced and more mellow songs, especially if I am doing some stretches on the mat so anything by D’Angelo, No Matter What by Boyzone (yes I realise that is sad) and More Than Words by Extreme.

For The Gym – Resistance Machine Training

Although sometimes I like to just get on and concentrate with the resisitance machines, if I am in the mood then music helps to push me harder.  I like any sort of songs with a good bit of oomph to them.  Heavy metal and hard rock are usually my preference.  So anything by Metallica, Megadeth or Anthrax is what I like to blast to give me that push to achieve more than I did the previous time.

For Running

When I am running, I normally only do short sprints and keep to a steady pace for most of the time.  Therefore, my playlist normally includes songs that I really enjoy that will help distract me from how my legs are feeling as I progress.  I actually find that songs that are well suited for driving to, work well for running.  As I have quite a diverse taste in music, thanks to my old rocker dad, I like a good mix of songs like Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, Get This Parted Started by Pink, No Diggity by Blackstreet and 99 Luftballoons by Nena.