A good playlist can make all the difference to your workout. In fact, studies have shown that our enjoyment of exercise can increase by up to 28% when listening to music. Did you know music can reduce your ‘perception of effort’ and increase your output during an endurance workout by up to 15%? That is pretty impressive and motivating! Although, to be honest, I don’t think we need statistics or science to know music can make all the difference to our workout experience!

Unlike during ‘yesteryear’ when we’d have to carry what practically looked like a full on stereo to the gym, we now have Spotify and Apple, along with several others that make accessing a good playlist so much easier (could these be affiliate links?)! All we need to remember is to charge up our phones and our headphones! The EvolveYou team have you covered with playlists available on Spotify and Apple Music. There are playlists for your strength training workouts, cardio workouts, cool down and stretch and even the EvolveYou Podcast, which is so empowering to listen to! Krissy along with the EvolveYou team use these playlists during their workouts too, so you’ll be part of one awesome workout squad when you join in!

Music can really help make or break a workout. If you decide to create your own playlist, use our tips below to help:

1. Think about the structure and the type of workout you’re doing
We start with warm up and end with a cool down and stretch; make sure your music choices reflect this. Choose an upbeat set of songs to begin with - remember the beat of the music will reflect the tempo and effort you put in too. Choose something upbeat, motivating and songs the provide the energy you need as you begin your workout; bring it back to songs that help you ‘breathe happy’ as you cool down.

2. Choose your playlist before you hit the gym
It can be quite annoying and time consuming to scroll, search and think about your playlist when you get to the gym, especially if you’ve been studying or working! Select songs and devise your playlists before you begin your workout. It might help to devise a selection of playlists so you have something different to look forward to each time you go to the gym.

3. Beats per minute (bpm)
Music has a certain amount of beats per minute and they definitely affect the tempo and our RPE (rate of perceived exertion) during a workout. Around 80 bpm for your warm-up and cool-down and 115 bpm or more for your main workout are good indicators when choosing your music for your playlist.

4. Keep a ‘bank’ of workout songs
It can be hard to find the time to keep your playlists updated and there is always that ‘I wish I could remember that song’ moment when we actually do want to update a playlist! Instead, anytime you’re listening to the radio or you listen to a track you’d want to add to your playlist, just keep a note of it somewhere on your phone or ‘Shazam’ it for later! It’s also worth hitting the shuffle button on your playlist once in a while, especially during the main segment of your workout, just to keep things interesting!

5. Take inspiration from friends and workout classes!
Fitness instructors have a great set of music - it’s a huge part of their job to keep clients motivated and workouts fun! If you go to classes, ask the instructor for some inspiration or the name of a track you particularly like. Equally, we all have that friend who creates an awesome playlist! Why not ask them to put something together for you and join you for a workout?

At EvolveYou, we’ve got you covered - workouts, playlists and advice on how to create an awesome set of music to keep your workouts interesting, motivating and most importantly, enjoyable! Share your workout songs with us below and on socials, we love it when our community motivates one another!