With the thrill of New Year’s resolutions behind us and a long winter ahead, it can be hard to keep going with workout goals. But sometimes, all you need is the right song to give you the push you need to keep at it — whether running, biking or weight lifting. TIME is here to help with an essential workout playlist: a mix of songs that are tried-and-tested crowd favorites and some deeper cuts worth your attention from recent years and beyond. Normani’s “Motivation,” Lizzo’s “Good As Hell” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” are just the beginning; from hip-hop to classic rock to EDM, there’s a little bit of everything.
“Getting on a treadmill or a bike or going for a run is a very solo activity, so having an artist sing to you along the way can be reassuring,” Spotify’s trends experts Shanon Cook told TIME about the popularity of music in getting people going with their fitness routines.”Music can help you find your rhythm or help you set your pace.” From motivational lyrics to driving beats and tunes that bring back good memories, it’s no secret that music has power in helping you stay on track.
We sorted through hundreds of tunes to select the critical picks that help us get our hearts pumping at fitness classes or while working out solo. The end result: a list of 50 of the songs that are best used for motivating you while working out — whatever the activity, from running to weight-lifting to getting in your crunches. As Cook says, “every person’s different, and every person’s going to listen to different types of songs when they’re working out.” But certain things are nearly-universally appealing, like hip-hop jams. And certain songs, like Eminem’s “Till I Collapse” (Spotify’s most popular workout-related tune for four years in a row), Kanye West’s “Stronger” and Survivor’s perennial classic “Eye of the Tiger” remain favorites across the board. Others — a Ricky Martin deep cut, some Brazilian baile funk and even a K-pop track — might be new surprises for the casual listener. Turn on the music and turn up your heart rate.
- Till I CollapseEEminem, Nate Dogg4:57
- 2MotivationNormani3:13
- 3Eye of the TigerSurvivor4:05
- 4Con AlturaROSALÍA, J Balvin, El Guincho2:41
- 5Don’t Start NowDua Lipa3:03
- 6POWEREKanye West4:52
- 7Dance MonkeyTones And I3:29
- 8Vossi BopEStormzy3:16
- 9Wake Me UpAvicii4:07
- 10La RomanaEBad Bunny, El Alfa5:00
- 11Good as HellLizzo2:39
- 12BelieverImagine Dragons3:24
- 13Level UpCiara3:24
- 14Lean OnMajor Lazer, MØ, DJ Snake2:56
- 15Paint It, BlackThe Rolling Stones3:22
- 16On My WayTiësto, Bright Sparks3:03
- 17SICKO MODEETravis Scott5:12
- 18Work BitchEBritney Spears4:07
- 19Purple HatSofi Tukker2:58
- 20Numb / EncoreEJAY-Z, Linkin Park3:25
- 21bad guyBillie Eilish3:14
- 22La Mordidita (feat. Yotuel)Ricky Martin, Yotuel3:31
- 23I Like ItECardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin4:13
- 24Higher LoveKygo, Whitney Houston3:48
- 25Jumpin’, Jumpin’Destiny’s Child3:50
- 26Bring Em OutT.I.3:37
- 27Bruised Not Broken (feat. MNEK & Kiana Ledé)Matoma, MNEK, Kiana Ledé2:40
- 28Rock ItOfenbach2:26
- 29No New Friends (feat. Sia, Diplo, and Labrinth)Sia, Diplo, Labrinth, LSD2:55
- 30Vai malandra (feat. Tropkillaz & DJ Yuri Martins)Anitta, ZAAC, Maejor, Tropkillaz, DJ Yuri Martins3:21
- 31StrongerEKanye West5:11
- 32War PaintFLETCHER3:45
- 33Trampoline (with ZAYN)SHAED, ZAYN3:04
- 34SatisfactionBenny Benassi, The Biz4:45
- 35Work from Home (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)Fifth Harmony, Ty Dolla $ign3:34
- 36Giant (with Rag’n’Bone Man)Calvin Harris, Rag’n’Bone Man3:49
- 37BOPEDaBaby2:39
- 38On the BallEBryce Vine3:10
- 39SurvivorDestiny’s Child4:14
- 40MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) [Full Length Edition]BTS, Steve Aoki5:07
- 41JungleX Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons3:09
- 42…Ready For It?Taylor Swift3:28
- 43Don’t Stop The MusicRihanna4:27
- 44I WinELethal Bizzle, Skepta3:07
- 45God Is A Dancer (with Mabel)Tiësto, Mabel2:48
- 46Blood, Sweat & TearsAva Max3:13
- 47Raising Hell (feat. Big Freedia)EKesha, Big Freedia2:49
- 48My Oh My (feat. DaBaby)Camila Cabello, DaBaby2:50
- 49I Don’t Care (with Justin Bieber)Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber3:39
- FU (feat. French Montana)