Play The Beats That Move Your Feets

I have an old friend who is a DJ. A very good DJ. He's also hilarious, and rhymes a lot. He had a fun little slogan for his DJ business where he says, "I play the beats that get people out of their seats." I'm sure he isn't the first to ever say this, but it stuck with me. You all know what he means - there are songs that you can't help tapping a foot to, if not signing along with and dancing. You can use music's innate ability to get you moving even when you're not intending to move to amp up your workout performance (and enjoyment).

I have always used a workout mix when working out, and have generally tried to use up-tempo, powerful songs. But I was too lazy to make several workout mixes, so I'd use one for all types of cardio, weights, body weight exercises, etc. And the truth is, the right music for running isn't always the right music for pumping iron.

The reason is primarily about tempo. For running, you hear that the magic number is in the neighborhood of 180 beats per minute, or bpm (typically +/- 20bpm). For lifting, that will either likely be too fast, or you basically ignore the cadence the music is trying to move your body to. That's ok, but then you are breaking the natural connection your mind is making with that song, lessening its ability to almost instinctually move you better when you run/lift/jump/etc, and making those motions harder since your mind has to actively (even if subconsciously) tune out the tunes.

I found this first hand last summer. I was recovering from double hernia surgery, and was walking 30-60 minutes a day - usually outside in the gorgeous (though drought-like) weather we had. It was great. I rebuilt my workout mix with some great new songs I was into, and found they really fit my walking pace (between 12 and 15 minutes per mile). As my recovery progressed, I started to jog, and eventually got back to running at sub-7 minute mile paces (at least for my intervals). One of those newer songs came on during a fast interval. I remembered how it was perfect for a faster-paced walk. It had good base so you could really feel the beats and the pacing. It was catchy without being cheesy. The vocals were great. But I literally felt my body slowing and feeling encumbered when it came on during a run. It was like my feet each instantly weighed 20 lbs more. Ensuring it wasn't really a physical thing, I skipped the song, and a really good, running-paced song came on. It was like I had gotten a shot of energy instantly.

So I wanted to share a few songs that I have found to be really good for running, but there are lots of suggestions out on the web. Lots of them are really bad, actually. The reason - it goes to what the person likes as a good song, but they often lose sight of the appropriateness to running. So, think about what activity you will be engaging in when you pick a song, and try to picture your body moving in that activity. Will the song fit? Will it seem awkward? And if you aren't sure about the BPM, just Google the song name and "bpm", and you'll likely get your answer.  Aim for a minimum of about 160 if you're running, but feel free to go a little slower if you run a little slower.

Some great ones I happen to really like from three of my favorite artists are:

• White Rabbits, "Danny Come Inside" from Milk Famous
• White Rabbits, "The Day You Won the War" from Milk Famous
• Matisyahu, "Sunshine" from Spark Seeker
• Matisyahu, "Shine on You" from Spark Seeker
• Matisyahu, "Tel Avivin'" from Spark Seeker
• Coldplay, "Charlie Brown" from Mylo Xyloto
• Coldplay, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" from Mylo Xyloto
• Coldplay, "Hurts Like Heaven" from Mylo Xyloto

You are probably asking, "Who are the White Rabbits?" They're literally the greatest band you've never heard of. Unreal talent, and incredible live (I was really lucky to have gotten to see them in concert once). Their latest album, Milk Famous, has a few good workout tracks, but the two above really stand out for running tempo-wise. One of the reasons they're good for workouts is that they have two drummers, so there's a really strong baseline to their music. It's great for reinforcing tempo.

Spark Seeker is generally an upbeat, positive album that works well for running, but has too many intros and outros that are slow and quiet, so if you want to use it, be sure to trim the tracks (in iTunes, you can get info on the track, go to the Options tab, and set the start and/or end time to avoid this stuff). Other Matisyahu tracks are also great for running, especially from the albums Youth and Light. He's worth checking out, and his message is very positive. I don't like running to negative stuff...sets the wrong mood.

I do like rap and hip-hop for workouts because the base is strong, consistent and can really pump you up. The attitude and message are often too tough or negative, so I tend to reserve it for things like lifting when I want to feel tough and hard rather than nimble and lithe. If you're interested, some good options are "When Will They Shoot" by Ice Cube from The Predator; "Do My" by Memphis Bleak from The Understanding; Juvenile's "Act You Know Me" from UTP: The Movement; and Lil' Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot" from The Carter IV, and Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulders" from The Black Album.

Experiment with your favorite songs to see which ones seem to aide your body in moving toward its goals, and which ones you should relegate to casual listening and/or shower singing. Music is a fantastic way to enlighten.your.body