After seeing the music thread questions to Prof X out of curiosity, I began wondering what do most of you listen to when you’re training. My gym usually has on country music or like really soft jazz…mind you I REALLY enjoy jazz, but not when I’m working out.
Friends of mine need like death metal and stuff…Not exactly my style.
I listen to a mixture of stuff which I think is pretty original, I don’t know anyone who listens to what I do.
It tends to have this weird balance of fast & loud and Rhythm & Harmony
Mostly Hip Hop & Goth Rock. But when I’m warming up I listen to Chicago… (shut up- their horn’s section is tight)… when I’m maxing or going to hit a PR though… I HAVE to listen to james brown, in particular “Super Bad”…
Don’t ask me why, but the GodFather of Soul really helps my lifts.
Hey I’ve got Chicago’s greatest hits part one and two, and Hall and Oats and I did buy Thriller in 8th grade.
I bet that Chicago raises testosterone levels. Listening to them always makes me feel like its summer.
The best albums to get a workout to for me are #1 Metallica: M.O.P. or Black. The others are up and down.
I also like NIN for working out.
Somethimes Van Halen 1984. Sometimes LIVE “throwing copper”
The only rapper I like who has some volume of work is Dr. Dre and its great to workout to. Oh, I might listen to Tupac sometimes.
I’ve also gotten a good workout on occasion to Stravinski.
Jazz is great postworkout. “Giant Steps” baby. 30 minutes of that is worth 90 minutes of sleep. Also Mozart and sometimes I listen to an outdoor nature sounds tape.
Been lurking for quite a bit and am a big financial supporter of T-Nation. The products are the best I’ve ever come across and the discussions/articles have become must-read material for me. That said, I wanted to chip in this bit of info.
A few years ago there was an EMG study done in one of the S&C Journals that indicated that people who listened to classical music actually produced more force and work output than those exercisers who listened to harder, more agressive music. The authors theorized that this had something to do with the increased right-left brain hemisphere integration you experience when listening to classical. For that reason, when it’s time to lift, I crank the Mozart!!! Spot me Amadeus!
Seriously though, I find that it helps me focus while training.
Pantera-Vulgar display of power.
Slayer-Seasons in the abyss
Henry Rollins-Nice
System requirements:
Carver TFM-55 or better
Polk Audio SDA1 circa 1990
Volume-Earthshaking
I dont know that I really pay attention to the music that is being played at my gym. IF I had an MP3 player I would listen to a mix of old school rap, hard rock, punk, and ska.
Something that makes me focus, and keeps me entertained. james brown’s “the boss” is an example, but so it metallica’s “bleeding me”. im very selective, but enjoy music of different styles. death metal just distracts me.
Tool (Aenima and Lateralus) and Primus’s Brown Album. I just love that line from track 3 - “When asked if he ever felt remorse, while sitting up in that pen, he said ‘hell no, ya know a thief’s a thief and I’d shoot that fucker again yes I would’”
DMX is perfect and I agree chronic2001 is a good lifting track…some of it’s just too slow for me though. But some of it has that creepy element I like. Hope you know what I mean I don’t know how else to describe it.
Yesterday i felt somewhat weak on the bench and all of a sudden, Enter Sandman came on the radio and i did some PR…
I got to admit that i don’t like training with earphones on, it kinda break my concentration. I wouldn’t like to trip on the cord while im squatting for a 1RM.
Hatebreed- Live For This is my personal anthem. Tool, QOTSA, Lamb of God, Mastodon, High On Fire, Lil Jon gets me Crunk! Old Rage Against the Machine, The Bronx, Aperfectcicrle, cKy, Jay-Z, DMX
Personally when listening and lifting it’s got to be something that blocks everything else out for me. The sonic overload of S&M (San Francisco Symphony Orchesra and Metallica) achieves it nicely, though I stick to the faster and heavier songs to keep the adrenaline going.
As gay as it sounds the soundtrack music from Matrix Reloaded (not the artists, but the fight scene music) does quite nice as well since it’s overwhelming.
Other artists who can achieve it Mudvayne and Godsmack.
Ironically I tend to listen to my absolute most favorite hip-hop album ever on the way there, even though it’s not hard, fast, or really loud.
Enta Da Stage - Black Moon
I could rock this album 24/7 and still not get tired of it.
