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I'm running out of excuses. The baby just turned four months old and started daycare, and the older one is about to start Kindergarten. The gym is in my building. The iPod is charged. The only thing left is the perfect workout mix.
The New York Times recently wrote about a study that came out last year where cyclists rode to music that was sped up and music that was slowed down. With faster music, not only did the test subjects work harder, but they also enjoyed the music more. The consensus seems to be that a great workout song for aerobic exercise should be somewhere in the range of 120 to 150 beats per minute (BPM).
I decided to put some of my workout favorites to the test using beaTunes shareware for iTunes. I might look for a second opinion, though, because some of my favorites failed the test. (Yes, I am stuck in a different musical era. Do not judge.)
Fail:
- "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot: 64.3 BPM
- "Judy is a Punk" by The Ramones: 90.7 BPM
- "She's Crafty" by The Beastie Boys: 96.8 BPM
- "Notorious" by Duran Duran: 106.6 BPM
Pass:
- "Invincible" by Pat Benetar: 125.3 BPM
- "Blue Monday" by New Order: 130.4 BPM
- "The Passenger" by Siouxsie and the Banshees: 139.8 BPM
- "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle: 155.7 BPM
The drawback to using beaTunes is that it can't test DRM-protected files, including what I consider to be the greatest workout song of all time, "Go Go Gadget Gospel" by Gnarls Barkley. I'll go with my gut on that, and the fact that it energizes me at the start of every workout. Go ahead, give it a try.
