Everybody has that one song that pushes you into a sprint for your last half-mile. That urgent, four-on-the-floor beat that begs your feet to pound your bike's pedals up a killer hill. The lyrics that tell you: Yes, you're awesome, and yes, you can wipe the floor with your competition, whether it's the other 500 people in the marathon or that one sweaty, spandex-clad sensation you see huffing and puffing in front of you in the mirror.
This month, Morning Edition is interviewing athletes, celebrities and NPR personalities about the music that pumps them up when it's time to hit the gym.
We were hoping you'd suggest a few tunes that rock your exercise routine, as well — and, boy, did you ever. We collected many of your choices and compiled them into one big, gym-ready megamix. You can stream it on your phone's NPR Music app while you're at the fitness center, showing off how much you can bench-press. (In the NPR Music app, hit "Radio" along the bottom options. Under "Rock/Pop/Folk," you'll find this mix listed under the title "NPR Workout Mix.") And, just because your butt's in a chair at work doesn't mean you couldn't use a little boost to exercise your hand muscles at the computer.
These are your songs for tearing up the gym, while hopefully not tearing any muscles. When you're ready to cool down, we suggest heading here or here, depending on how you feel about your workout (and your love life).
Over the next few weeks, we'll keep adding to the mix, so if your shredding-est workout jam isn't here, let us know what it is.
This mix was compiled with the help of KEXP, The Current, WFUV and WXPN.
To find the Ultimate NPR Workout Mix in your iPhone app, select the Radio option along the bottom of the screen, then select Rock/Pop/Folk. This mix is the third option.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
