How to Make the Perfect Playlist for Your Workouts

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Choose three for your sprint:

  • Can't Hold Us, Macklemore (featuring Ray Dalton)
  • The House That Heaven Built, Japandroids
  • Everybody Talks, Neon Trees
  • Runaway Baby, Bruno Mars
  • Pump It, The Black Eyed Peas
  • Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good) Sugarland
  • Hey Ya! OutKast
  • Come and Get It, Selena Gomez
  • All I Do Is Win, DJ Khaled

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Recover

Now choose three slow jams to place between those all-out sprints to catch your breath. Keep these at 130 to 140 BPM. This is a strategic breather. When joggers listened to tracks at 140 BPM after a burst at top speed, they recovered more quickly and were able to take off again sooner than when they went music-free, a Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study indicates.

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Choose three for your recovery:

  • Goin' In, Jennifer Lopez (featuring Flo Rida)
  • Closer, Tegan and Sara
  • Harlem Shake, Baauer
  • Let It Go, Dragonette
  • Blown Away, Carrie Underwood
  • 50 Ways to Say Goodbye, Train
  • Pour It Up, Rihanna
  • I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons
  • Feel This Moment, Pitbull

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Cool Down

The end is near! You've logged about 30 minutes of cardio. Cue two chill-out songs under 110 BPM to hit your 450-calorie-burn target. Research suggests that slower speeds like this are best for lowering blood pressure and heart rate. And Foster theorizes that this gradual dial-down is the key to enjoying exercise. You wrap up your session in a happy place that you'll actually want to revisit.

More: Best Cool-Down Exercises