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Pump up the volume: the best tracks for working out

Phil Hilton applies academic rigour in his quest to find the perfect exercise playlist

My workout playlists are the product of so many pet theories and half-forgotten experiment­s that they sometimes catch me unawares. Earlier this year I found myself performing callisthen­ics in the scorching heat of Vietnam to Noël Coward’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen. I smiled during a set of pull-ups, which is rare.

In my quest to compile the perfect workout playlist, I consulted Prof Costas Karageorgh­is, of Brunel University, who has investigat­ed the ways in which exercise and music interact for decades. He applied scientific rigour to this conundrum that millions of us wrestle with every day.

Coming off the sofa

Chariots of Fire

Vangelis

Beats per minute (bpm): 136

I’m looking here for a track that will remind me of the qualities I need to run, lift, punch or kick. Prof Karageorgh­is says what is required is something slow and heroic that evokes the right mood.

“I might use a track like Chariots of Fire by Vangelis. It’s slow, inspiring and it conjures imagery of Olympians of old striding across the sands of St Andrews in their long white shorts.” He explains that there are a number of factors in the way music can influence our workout and one of the most powerful is emotional connection. Someone of a different age, someone unfamiliar with the film, would respond quite differentl­y to Vangelis’s slice of electronic­a.

The warm-up

Da Funk

Daft Punk

Bpm: 110

Here we begin to use the beat of the music to create energy, but this should be slow enough to allow scope to build as the workout hots up. Prof Karageorgh­is’s latest research suggests that familiar music with lyrics we know is an important factor in relation to bpm. Without familiarit­y, the beats per minute have no discernibl­e relationsh­ip to our preference­s during a workout. Following his advice, I use a very gentle techno track – Daft Punk’s Da Funk – to energise me but keep me sufficient­ly relaxed to warm and stretch without overdoing it. This track is one I know well but doesn’t have any lyrics so I can also keep the power of the words for later.

Steady aerobic work

Love Shack

B-52s

Bpm: 130

Here, Prof Karageorgh­is suggests the beats per minute build as you work harder but there is not a strict relationsh­ip with musical tempo and heart rate.

“In a resting state, we prefer music that is a little above our heart rate. That preference continues through to low intensity and moderate intensity. But if we reach zone 5, and our heart rate is around 150-160bpm, there is not a correspond­ing increase in tempo – this plateaus and even dips slightly at around 150bpm.”

My ideal zone 2 (fairly gentle) heart rate is around 125bpm (yours may be quite different, of course). For this, I pick a track like Love Shack by the B-52s. I was 25 when this song was released in 1989 and some part of me becomes 25 again when I hear it. Also, the attitude of the band and the lyrics are all carefree adventure – by the end of the first verse, I’m a flat-sharing clubber with his life ahead of him.

Resistance training

It’s Like That

Run-DMC vs Jason Nevins

Bpm: 118-120

This is a challengin­g part of the workout to programme musically. There are short bursts of effort followed by brief rest periods between sets of lifting. Prof Karageorgh­is says: “Slower and beat-heavy music, with pronounced basslines, seems to work well. Not as energising as one might use for an aerobic workout, but in the range of 118-120bpm.”

His research suggests that the mindset and atmosphere of the music is fairly consistent for this type of exercise. “Weight-trainers tend to break down into two categories. They either like quite heavy hip-hop or they like heavy metal. The commonalit­y is the aggression they hold.” I turn to It’s Like That by Run-DMC vs Jason Nevins as I’m lifting to tap into the aggressive energy of the tracks.

High-intensity aerobics

Homicide

999

Bpm: 133

This is the part of a workout that takes your heart rate up to the maximum. There is a role here, before you even start, for a pre-burst, performanc­eenhancing inspiratio­n track.

“If you’re an athlete, you need a pre-competitio­n mindset – one that cannot be broken by others, even if they’re trying to psych you out. The hopes and dreams of a nation might be resting on your shoulders,” says Prof Karageorgh­is.

He worked with Team GB hurdler Dai Greene to create a bespoke track with his favourite producer Redlight. Greene went on to a personal best with the aid of this piece of music.

Taking this on board, I use the mid-paced Homicide by 999. Released in 1978, this late punk classic hit teenage me like a religious conversion and this very formative time remains a cultural reference point I find uniquely pungent.

Once you’re moving, the beats per minute should not be tracking your heart rate and the impact of the music is reduced. It’s still significan­t but far less of an influence than at less full-on moments.

Prof Karageorgh­is explains that at high intensity, our capacity to process anything external is reduced. “At low to moderate levels of exercise music is really effective at blocking interocept­ive cues [internal messages]. That’s why there’s a reduction in perceived exertion – about 10 per cent.”

The cut-off is 75 per cent of aerobic capacity, he says – beyond that music is far less effective because what’s happening in our own body is taking up all the bandwidth. Tracks need to be very simple and somewhat slower than our heart rate.

Warm-down and stretching

Orinoco Flow

Enya

Bpm: 115

“The energy within the music should mirror the peaks and troughs of the workout,” says Prof Karageorgh­is. For this final section, he recommends “gradually descending tempo and energy levels as we lead towards revitalisa­tion and state of homeostasi­s”. He often ends a workout with tracks by Enya or Enigma to take him back to a relaxed and calm state ready for the rest of his day.

I tend to use ambient or contempora­ry classical pieces, my favourite being John Cage’s

In a Landscape. This piece is over nine minutes long and along with its elegance, its duration keeps me on the mat despite the boredom (I hate stretching). Probably not what he had in mind when composed the piece in 1948.