My Workout Music

   I usually use DVDs to work out - dance, yoga, kickboxing, strength - so I don't get much opportunity to listen to my own music while working out, but I do have routines from magazines and the internet which I've memorised that obviously don't come with sound and audio instructions, which I usually do in the evening instead of the morning. It's only really these that I am actually able to work out to what I like...and yet, what I workout to isn't always something I do like. I have what some would consider an odd choice of music, partly because some of them, like those used in isolations and strength training, are a little nerdy, and because others, like kickboxing, involves music I don't actually like.

   During strength training I listen to soundtracks from games and TV shows, most notably Avatar (both The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra), and I find motivation in them when I recall the episodes and scenes the music is from. Not all tracks are much good, so I only load the useful ones onto my MP3 player, and I train as if I'm going to defeat the Fire Lord. That might sound silly (all right, it does sound silly), but trust me, when it comes to training like this, take motivation whereever you can get it. The thought of defeating that rat bastard makes me work harder. No, he's not a real threat, it's a cartoon (a damn good cartoon), but I've always lived my life wishing I had these kinds of powers, and this, in its sad little way, helps me to better envision them and live a little of the fantasy. Besides, we've already established that I'm mad.

   In stark contrast, however, while I'm doing a memorised kickboxing routine I listen to heavy dubstep. This really isn't something I'd normally listen to in my day to day life, but it's the only thing that gets me seriously pumped up enough to be truly effective in my kickboxing. I've always loved doing it, and since I gave the music genre a go last month, I've actually started working a lot harder with it, and my shoulders and bum are going through an amazing transformation. The faster and thicker the music is, the better it is for me. I don't like the simple stuff, it's just not enough, and the beats don't have enough strength to throw a punch to. I've learned from this that while the music isn't something I'd say I like, certain circumstances can seriously throw those ideas out of the window, and while I'm kickboxing, I'm a big dubstep fan. Otherwise, not so much.

   While doing isolations I have specific tracks that I like to use in particular for their beats rather than just letting the soundtracks play, and these are mostly Avatar tracks again, with a few World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria ones. Like I said, take motivation where you find it, and I've always been a nerd, so I'm learning to embrace it.

   I love 'Wheels' from the Legend of Korra soundtrack the most, I will repeat that track several times over for my isolations. I adore 'On The Lam' and 'Hittin' On All Sixes' but they're quite short, and I tend to just start dancing to them rather than isolating, and while 'Firebending Training' is a really good one, it's far too short. 'Why Do We Fight' from Mists of Pandaria is one of my favourites, too, as well as 'Way Of The Monk'. It's generally the drumbeats I follow, but when the music kind of...I don't know how to put it, when the musis all kind of swings around together like it does at points in these tracks I use the opportunity to roll instead of pump. It's great fun, and I love a good fifteen minutes of isolations to music like this.

   I love these tracks so much that I've linked them below from youtube. No videos to watch, it's just the music - unless you want to stare at the CD cover for two and a half minutes.

   What do you listen to when you work out? Do you have a pre-made workout CD? Do you listen to the radio or whatever's on at the gym? Or, like me, do you have a seemingly random selection of tracks that you've picked out yourself that you blast through? Music is so important while working out, because it can both set the pace and help you keep rhythm, and it can also seriously boost your energy, enthusiasm and motivation. I don't think anyone should be ashamed or embarrassed by what they're listening to, either, especially if it's on your MP3 player and for no one else to hear. Just blast it and move!