A Setlist for your sets – how music made my workouts stick
Soundtracks make or break scenes, and this includes when breaking a sweat.
As temperatures drop and Covid cases climb in the States, leaving the house becomes much less feasible in a year mostly spent stuck inside. All activities, exercise included, need to happen at home (and, depending on where you are, indoors), where many people currently work in some capacity. Physical activity is something I know most of us loathe to do even with access to a gym or year-round pleasant weather like Los Angeles, and hardly something we want to bring into our place of rest. Personally, I prefer exercising at home, but it took until midway through college to cultivate and maintain a steady workout routine. Growing older certainly contributed to my discipline, but one of my teachers played a very significant role in demonstrating how to spruce up a workout.
My Jazz I class instructor, Jen, began every course with a rigorous “warm-up” as grueling as any workout class I’ve ever taken – I’m saying pools-of-sweat-on-the-floor-when-you-finish-type exercise. She set this routine to a playlist, where the music informed each part of the warm-up: Rihanna for isolations, opera for stretching, the Boss for leg-swings. During the first 45 minutes, she performed this workout alongside us, matching every plié, isolation, and hi-kick. For our midterm, you performed the warm-up without her lead, only the playlist to guide you.
Using a thoughtfully chosen set list, Jen turned exercise into choreography of its own. Each measure mapped out one’s movements, simplifying them into something straightforward and predictable. There was no falling behind, and likewise no worry to catch up – you just jumped back in on the on-beat. It certainly helped that Jen had superb taste. For choreographing pieces, she choreographed to Jessie Ware, Yaz, and Springsteen. In one memorable instance she plugged her phone into the studio amp and “Blue Jeans”, the Gesaffelstein remix that is, came blaring through the speaker.
By next semester, I started using Jen’s warm-up as a daily workout. I needed no equipment, not even a stop timer, only iTunes. Soon enough, I began modifying the playlist to suit my tastes but still remain optimal for my routines. When incorporating new exercises, I chose new songs to accompany them. The result was a playlist I called the Build-Up, at the time an hour long. Some of those songs are listed out below, along with a few other tracks I consider ideal for an exercise playlist.
Though not a fitness expert, I do know music, and I know how much it helped me develop a workout routine. Music, whether in movies or the dentist’s office, shapes its environment. Pick the right tunes and you can turn Pilates into performance. There’s a reason Dua Lipa molded Future Nostalgia around ’80s workout videos. Synchronizing music to something like aerobics lets one do physical movement and performance at once. Working out is not fun, but dancing is. Going further, when you start working out at home (which you should do at this time in history), it involves a lot of body-weight exercises, cardio, and general improvisation. By setting it to music, you streamline these movements into a routine. Like Britney on tour, you just press play and sync up.
By slowly repeating this step each day, exercise became a habit. Today, I can do multiple pull-ups, shocking my high school self; my hands don’t just touch my toes, their palms sit flat on the floor; taking my foot into my hand, I can fully extend my leg outward at a 90-degree angle while my other stays mounted to the floor. It took time and effort to accomplish these things, but putting it to a playlist helped pass the time and build up the habit. It’s better than any fit bit, I guarantee it.
Below, I’ve assembled tracks to start a build-up of your own. Truly, the atmosphere and structure of a song can make all the difference. Some songs are just bangers, but not all exercise tracks need to rumble your bones a la “Final Countdown.” An understated track allows more room to focus on the task at hand – anyone who’s ever turned down their car radio to search for an address knows some actions take more focus and more than one sense. Ultimately, I do believe this can be as helpful as making an exercise plan itself; with just a bit of theatrics, you can take some of the ‘work’ out of ‘workout.’
“8 Days a Week” – Sweet Female Attitude
While obviously upbeat, 2-step rhythms allows you a bit of flexibility on your preferred speed of motion. The time signature gives you the option of holding a movement for the whole measure or speeding it up and doing it in double-time. Plus, an easy way to develop a habit involves songs about pledging a weeks+ worth of devotion.
“Count Contessa” – Azealia Banks
Now that this song is on streaming platforms, let it streamline your workout. Banks rides a beat while on the back of a pink dolphin, counting her blessings and flexing on bodybuilders. The song’s repetitive verses are well-spaced for multiple sets along with intermittent periods of rest. Honestly, a lot of her music works well for exercise, but you want the track with Muscle Mike.
“Call On Me” – Eric Prydz
If you’re ever in need of doing just some sort of workout, the “Call On Me” video literally has a two-minute one built right in, easier to follow than a K-pop dance. No, it is not the most feminist of videos in 2020, but this song shines in a way that draws focus away from the tiniest of bodysuits. Also comes in both a full version and radio edit, making it a versatile selection for your playlist as either a quick burst of energy or an extended run.
“Crown” – Sammus
Working out in a lot of ways feels like a boss battle; you use all the skills you’ve cultivated to a certain point to overcome a new obstacle. When you finish, there comes the rush of satisfaction at a job well done. Let’s level up, folx!
“Crownless” – Nightwish
A friend of mine enjoys listening to metal when he works out, and I see why. Sweeping and thrilling, it elicits the release you want when you exercise. Nightwish, who imbue their metal with symphonic elements, take it a step further with the high-fantasy themes. Much like Sammus’ Crown, “Crownless” enhances a workout the way singing enhances a shower: by adding flair, dramatics, and a sense of self-importance.
“Give Me Your Love” – Sylvia Striplin
A full 6 minutes of steady groove in your playlist allows for wealth of interpretations – weights, hi-kicks, a final warm down. What really drives “Give Me Your Love” is the 8-note synth line that comes every time the title is repeated. Short, repetitious hooks like this (think “La la la” in “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” or the famous melody of “Smalltown Boy”) give your ears something to mindlessly consume so the rest of your senses can focus on proper form for the next side plank.
“Fembot” – Robyn
You are beyond the Peloton machine itself – you are Peloton, a muscle mech who knows Cindi Mayweather personally. All of your forms, from your squat to your plank, are impeccable, no defects to speak of. You know you’re the shit, and you don’t need to shout it. It’s all warnings, no threats, to get the hell out of your way on your fitness journey.
“Kill V Maim” – Grimes
Cheerleading combines dance and gymnastics – “Kill V Maim” combines bits of Gossip’s punky attitude and this T-ara song to create Grimszez’ own intergalactic vampire / mobster cheer. It does just feel good to be bad sometimes.
“Llorando” – Rebekah Del Rio
Another one of my dance instructor’s choices. Only a few months ago did I learn this song is from Mulholland Drive, and that it’s a Roy Orbison cover. Nonetheless, I have known for a while that it lends itself well to a bit of stretching. With no beat, its pauses offer moments of breathing room, some relief after a bit of intense physical activity. End your workout on this to feel sufficiently accomplished.
“Moteur Action” – Yelle
Even if you don’t speak French, no translation is needed to understand what Yelle is saying. Propulsive with a hefty breather at the bridge, “Moteur Action” works as a warm-up or a late push before the end. You have nowhere to go but forward.
“Move Your Feet” – Junior Senior
An endless loop of encouragement and euphoric melody, “Move Your Feet” just carries you to glory. “Don’t stop, DON’T STOP!” couldn’t be said in a nicer tone, so don’t let Junior Senior down and finish that set!
“Pump Up the Jam” – Technotronic
Hello, ‘pump?’ Beef up the beat, beef up your figure at the same time. I think this is a self-explanatory track, and maybe just my reminder to listen to Technotronic today.
“Running Up That Hill” – Kate Bush”
Fitness is in the title, baby. Another one of my dance teacher’s staples, “Running Up That Hill” involved doing many deep pliés that you would rise out of into into Warrior III, one foot on the ground with the other out behind you running parallel to the floor. You rose at the chorus, where the synths hit every four counts, signaling to bend or straighten your legs. This song gives any motion a sense of dramatic flair and it feels even better once you start gaining a good sense of balance. Furthermore, Kate Bush dances and certainly considers how her recordings tie into movement. Make a deal with god today and go for a walk around the block.
“Running” (Disclosure Remix) – Jessie Ware”
Surprisingly not my instructor’s Jessie Ware selection (that would be “Wildest Moment”). As with Ms Bush, the title speaks for itself: “Keep me ruuunin’ / Keep me ruuunin’” is the instruction. Disclosure’s added whip cracks and barely-there synths laser-focus the mind to Ware alone, who never fatigues. You might tire the first few sets of pushups, but the reward is immense when, after keeping with it for a few more sessions, you finally find you don’t.
“Slide” – Missy Elliott
Stretching can get very boring. That boredom, coupled with the discomfort of stretching, can make it more of a chore than other exercises. So, let Missy guide you into a smooth lunge, or the splits for the more adventurous ones out there.
“Take My Hand” – Charli XCX
Isn’t this about rolling? Let me explain – a song about a fun activity (the more reckless the better) makes any mundane activity (exercise) an adventure. This is the song that gets your head in the zone – maybe if you’re lucky you’ll get a little flashback that makes jumping jacks feel like raving.
“Technologic” – Daft Punk
The same vein as “Pump Up the Jam,” relentless and easy to understand. Plus, those off-count synth chords towards the “end” of each verse are excellent motivators to really extend those arms!, hold that pose!, and finish that set!
“Where them Girls At” – David Guetta ft. Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj
Without a doubt the creme de la creme of exercise anthems. You have three hit-maker heavyweights at their most powerful, pounding, boasting, and in Nicki’s case, rambling in your ear. It’s got the bombast and four-count synths that any workout can benefit from. But the crowning glory is the song’s structure. At exactly 3:30, David Guetta gives you a sonic stopwatch. Each verse and chorus clocks in at 30 seconds. Seven different sections allow for a wealth of different combinations. If you really hate having to choose new songs, just put this on a continuous mix.
“XR2” – M.I.A.
Longtime rabble-rouser and recent anti-vaxxer Maya Arulpragasam knows a thing or two about instilling a sense of urgency. For exercises like cardio or calisthenics, “XR2” gives the fuel to charge ahead.
And again, this build up. That last run of the chorus is just *chef’s kiss* at inching to a climax. As I’ve been saying, making your workout feel exciting can make all the difference.