100 Best Workout Songs

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100 Best Workout Songs

Put the boom-boom back in your zoom-zoom with these fresh playlist picks.

By Karla Walsh

The Best Hip-Hop Songs

Sweat-worthy rap and R&B workout songs (75 to 139 beats per minute)

"Find Your Love" - Drake (95 BPMs)

"Got Your Back" - T.I., featuring Keri Hilson (75 BPMs)

"Check It Out" - will.i.am and Nicki Minaj (129 BPMs)

"2012 (It Ain't the End)" - Jay Sean, featuring Nicki Minaj (126 BPMs)

"Midnight Hour" - Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek, featuring Estelle (139 BPMs)

"In My Head" - Jason Derulo (108 BPMs)

"Who Dat" - J. Cole (90 BPMs)

"Club Can't Handle Me" - Flo Rida, featuring David Guetta (127 BPMs)

"Not Afraid" - Eminem (86 BPMs)

"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love Again" - Usher, featuring Pitbull (118 BPMs)

The Best Power-Up Songs

Power workout songs to pick up the pace (76 to 163 beats per minute)

"Break Your Heart" - Taio Cruz, featuring Ludacris (122 BPMs)

"Hot Mess" - Cobra Starship (120 BPMs)

"Gettin' Over You" - David Guetta, featuring Fergie and LMFAO (130 BPMs)

"Double Vision (Wiz Khalifa Mix)" - 3OH!3 (120 BPMs)

"One Step at a Time" - Four Year Strong (163 BPMs)

"Power" - Kanye West (76 BPMs)

"I Like It" - Enrique Iglesias, featuring Pitbull (129 BPMs)

"Girls and Boys in School" - Neon Trees (120 BPMs)

"Hunted Down" - Soundgarden (83 BPMs)

"I Can Talk (French Horn Rebellion Remix)" - Two Door Cinema Club (163 BPMs)

The Best Dance Workout Songs

Bouncy beats that move your feet (115 to 130 beats per minute)

"California Gurls" - Katy Perry, featuring Snoop Dogg (125 BPMs)

"22nd Century" - Kelis (130 BPMs)

"Red Light" - Alina (115 BPMs)

"Morning After Dark" - Timbaland, featuring Nelly Furtado and SoShy (118 BPMs)

"Only Girl (in the World)" - Rihanna (126 BPMs)

"We No Speak Americano" - Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP (125 BPMs)

"Lovers n' Fighters (Original Mix)" - Kruse & Nuernberg (124 BPMs)

"Commander" - Kelly Rowland, featuring David Guetta (125 BPMs)

"Go Ape (Live from the Cherrytree House)" - Far East Movement (128 BPMs)

"Hey, Hey (Vandalism Remix)" - Dennis Ferrer (128 BPMs)

Motivating Workout Songs

Motivating lyrics that stoke your session (89 to 148 beats per minute)

"Stronger Than" - Pete Yorn (115 BPMs)

"King of Anything" - Sara Bareilles (118 BPMs)

"Impossible" - Shontelle (90 BPMs)

"Rockstar 101" - Rihanna (140 BPMs)

"Take My Breath Away" - Michael W. Smith (126 BPMs)

"Waves of Change (Kaskade Mix)" - Samantha James (128 BPMs)

"Sure Fire Winners" - Adam Lambert (89 BPMs)

"Secrets" - OneRepublic (148 BPMs)

"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" - Shakira, featuring Freshlyground (126 BPMs)

"Forget You" - Cee Lo Green (128 BPMs)

The Best Remixes

Music makeovers for any workout (100 to 152 beats per minute)

"Violet (Ospina and Oscar P Main Mix)" - Oscar P (124 BPMs)

"Try Me (RAC Mix)" - Anoraak (131 BPMs)

"Sweet Disposition (Axwell Remix)" - The Temper Trap (129 BPMs)

"All the Right Moves (Danger Remix)" - OneRepublic (152 BPMs)

"Bulletproof (Tiborg Remix)" - La Roux (126 BPMs)

"Dance Rock Shake Pop (Reydon Radio Remix)" - Jump Smokers (126 BPMs)

"Whole Lotta Love" - Santana, featuring Chris Cornell (100 BPMs)

"Telephone (DJ Dan Extended Vocal Remix)" - Lady Gaga and Beyonce (126 BPMs)

"Hard (Jody den Broeder Club Remix)" - Rihanna, featuring Jeezy (125 BPMs)

"Alejandro (Afrojack Remix)" - Lady Gaga (128 BPMs)

The Best Yoga & Cool-Down Songs

Songs for stretches and asanas (52 to 126 beats per minute)

"Crimson" - Morcheeba (77 BPMs)

"Makyen Ghrir Allah" - EarthRise SoundSystem, featuring Hamid Boudali (85 BPMs)

"Tango Square" - Gotan Project (82 BPMs)

"Oxygene, Part IV" - Christian Prommer (116 BPMs)

"I Am" - Christina Aguilera (55 BPMs)

"Donde Esta" - Si*Se (96 BPMs)

"Chaos" - Taylor Eigsti (84 BPMs)

"There Is XXXX (Within My Heart)" - You Say Party (126 BPMs)

"God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" - Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs (64 BPMs)

"They Don't Want" - Electric Wire Hustle (52 BPMs)

The Best Songs for Strength Training

Tempos to help you crank out more reps (76 to 127 beats per minute)

"Misery" - Maroon 5 (103 BPMs)

"On the Sly" - The Bamboos, featuring Kylie Auldist (111 BPMs)

"Stereo Love" - Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina (127 BPMs)

"Love the Way You Lie" - Eminem, featuring Rihanna (87 BPMs)

"Ridin' Solo" - Jason Derulo (90 BPMs)

"Raise Your Glass" - Pink (122 BPMs)

"Where There's Gold" - Small Sins (113 BPMs)

"Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)" - Jazmine Sullivan (95 BPMs)

"Liquor Store Blues" - Bruno Mars, featuring Damian Marley (76 BPMs)

"Whataya Want from Me" Adam Lambert (93 BPMs)

Best Country Workout Songs

For some giddyup and go (72 to 124 beats per minute)

"Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum (106 BPMs)

"I Got Your Country Right Here" - Gretchen Wilson (95 BPMs)

"Mine" - Taylor Swift (122 BPMs)

"Shine" - Matt Stillwell (124 BPMs)

"Undo It" - Carrie Underwood (75 BPMs)

"Turn On the Radio" - Reba McEntire (123 BPMs)

"Little White Church" - Little Big Town (107 BPMs)

"Hillbilly Bone" - Blake Shelton, featuring Trace Adkins (72 BPMs)

"Whistlin' Dixie" - Randy Houser (79 BPMs)

"Rain Is a Good Thing" - Luke Bryan (108 BPMs)

The Best Rock Workout Songs

Tunes to juice your stride (110 to 188 beats per minute)

"This Is War" - Thirty Seconds to Mars (160 BPMs)

"Dead End Friends" - Them Crooked Vultures (152 BPMs)

"All In" - Lifehouse (140 BPMs)

"Cousins" - Vampire Weekend (177 BPMs)

"1983" - Neon Trees (153 BPMs)

"Get It Right" - Authority Zero (188 BPMs)

"I Don't Wanna Dance" - Hey Monday (146 BPMs)

"Elevator" - House of Heroes (141 BPMs)

"Left of Center" - Serj Tankian (160 BPMs)

"(If You're Wondering If I Want You to) I Want You To" - Weezer (160 BPMs)

The Best Workout Songs of All Time

Hit-the-gas chart toppers through the decades (104 to 176 beats per minute)

"Get Down Tonight" - KC and the Sunshine Band (113 BPMs)

"Rock and a Hard Place" - The Rolling Stones (129 BPMs)

"Dancing with Myself" - Billy Idol (176 BPMs)

"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor (109 BPMs)

"Burning Up" - Madonna (138 BPMs)

"Beat It" - Michael Jackson (139 BPMs)

"Walk This Way" - Run-DMC (106 BPMs)

"Strike It Up" - Black Box (118 BPMs)

"Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes (124 BPMs)

"Stronger" - Kanye West (104 BPMs)

Build the Perfect Workout Playlist

Skip the musical roulette.

Instead of setting your MP3 player on shuffle, proactively build playlists that provide the right energy all the way through your workout.

Keep it fresh.

Pick one weekend a month to see what's new on the iTunes charts by your favorite artists and in your favorite genres so your playlist never goes stale.

Get in rhythm.

Studies have shown that listening to music that syncs with your movements provides a better workout than exercising without tunes. See how to match your grooves to your moves below.

Untitled Document

Beats per minute Perfect for

160 and up Running, jumping rope

140 to 160 Jogging, Spinning

125 to 140 Power walking, stair-climbing, elliptical

105 to 125 Walking, toning

60 to 115 Stretching, yoga, warming up

Meet Your DJs

We polled readers and leading fitness and music pros for the top tunes of 2010 -- and a few all-time faves -- to sweat to. Then we asked the producer of Motion Traxx workout music podcasts, Deekron, known as the Fitness DJ, to curate the most-thumping nominees into 10 kick-butt playlists. Our panel also included:

Derek Beres, DJ and yoga teacher for Pure Yoga in New York City; Amy Blackburn, star of the Dance Off the Inches: Country Line Dance DVD; Cat Chiarelli, instructor for Crunch gym in West Hollywood; Yomi Desalu, director of music and talent for mtvU; Karina Diaz-Acosta Mahmoud, fitness instructor for Gold's Gym Venice; Johnny Dynell, resident DJ for DavidBartonGym Chelsea in New York City; Neil Haislop, country music journalist and author; Sunwoo Hwang, DJ for celebrity trainers and CEO of Proof Social in San Francisco; Jeanette Jenkins, FITNESS advisory board member; Bianca Kosoy, senior creative director and resident DJ for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City; Marion Roaman, owner of Ride the Zone cycling studio in New York City; Ziggy Roman, club DJ based in Union City, New Jersey; Misty Tripoli, Nike Elite trainer

Originally published in FITNESS Magazine, January 2011.