How To: Pick The Right Workout Music For Weight Training
Today I began the next stage in my weight loss journey, toning. For me, getting motivated to start a regimine to tone my body has been a lot harder then finding the motivation to do cardio, but I finally found that motivation today at the gym.
The reason it’s harder to get motivated to hit the weights and start toning is that with weight lifting it’s not super easy to start out slow. One of the things that allowed me to really get into cardio was starting out slowly. Once I realized that I didn’t have to run 3 miles on my first day of trying to lose weight, I began to understand the progression. With weight training, it’s slightly different. Whether you start out with 1lb. or 20lb. weights you will likely be sore in the morning. Starting small with weight training just doesn’t work out.
The other reason getting motivated to start weight training is tricky is that the weight room at the gym can be somewhat intimidating. There are hard bodies who have been at it for years and years and it can be intimidating. When jumping on a treadmill, you can pick the one furthest away from the entrance way and hide out in your own little corner of the gym where nobody will notice.
So, how do you get over these hurdles and start making the most out of your weight training?
The same way I got over the cardio hump, a strong list of workout music that will help you tune out the world, ignore the hard bodies around you and just do your own thing. The workout music you select should also help you push through any of the pain that you are feeling from the previous days workout.
That’s why, picking music for weight training can be so much different then picking it for a cardio workout. For one, you’re not trying to sync up your heart rate with the tempo of the music. Secondly, when weight training listening to more aggressive songs will help you push through the pain and get to the point that you want to be at.
Selecting music for weight training can be a much more presonal thing then selecting music for cardio. When you’re on the treadmill it’s really important to having a strong driving beat to keep moving your feet forward. The song you are listening to isn’t quite as important as the tempo of the song. But, in weight training you’ll be able to focus a lot more on the music you’re listening to and therefore you’ll want a little more of a personal touch to your workout music.
That said, here are a couple of the criteria that I use to help me pick out music for weight training.
1.) Aggressive: The music I pick needs to be aggressive. A cheesy pop anthem from Britney Spears isn’t going to cut it. This is where my love of hip-hop comes in because while hip-hop music doesn’t always make the best cardio routine, there are plenty of artists that create aggressive hard charging music that will help you push through the pain. Eminem is one artist that immediately comes to mind.
2.) Know it: While running or walking on the treadmill you might be ok to not know the music you are listening to because you’re in a zone and really just listening to the beat, weight training produces a lot of starts and stops. A sixty second rest in between reps is usually recommended and you want to have a song on your iPod during those rests that will keep you motivated and it helps if that is a song you already know.
3.) Keep it consistent: While tempo is not quite as important during weight training as it is with cardio, it still plays a part. It is a good idea to keep the music you are listening to consistent throughout. If the beat and intensity of the music is too herky jerky going from Eminem to Jason Mraz it will throw you off your game and you’ll struggle to keep any sort of rhythm. Try and keep the beat and intensity consistent and you’ll be “cut” in no time.
Keep these three rules in mind when choosing your workout music for weight training and you’ll be able to put Hulk Hogan’s 21 inch pythons to bed in no time.
Here are five of the songs I included this morning on my workout playlist that kept me motivated.
1.) Eminem ft. Nate Dogg – Till I Collapse
2.) Fort Minor – Petrified
3.) Rihanna ft. Sean Paul – Break It Off
4.) N.O.R.E. – Nothin’
5.) Talib Kweli – Hostile Gospel Part I
