The Ultimate Workout Mix

Suppose you wake up one day and realise that it’s time to get fit. Rather than jump right into exercise and risk a deadly (or at least painful) injury, you should start with preparation.

No, not stretching. The first step is to create the ultimate workout mix. It’s music that will keep you pumping, running, lifting and sweating. All exercise needs determination and music, but since determination can’t be loaded onto an iPod we’ll stick with music for now.

I was thinking of calling this the Penultimate Workout Mix because I have a fondness for the word “penultimate” and using the word “ultimate” sounded arrogant. However, I figured I would use the word in the sense of it being the last workout list I’ll make.

As you may notice, the quality of a song didn’t enter the equation. All I was looking for is something that would keep me exercising. I also tried to avoid including too many songs from a single artist. I’m sure there are still some essentials that missing – let me know.

The list

  1. eye of the tiger - survivor (could it possibly start with anything else?)
  2. pump it - black eyed peas
  3. lose yourself - eminem
  4. superstylin - groove armada
  5. black betty - spiderbait (or ram jam if you’re feeling classic)
  6. runnin’ - the pharcyde
  7. feel good inc - gorillaz
  8. song 2 - blur
  9. rockafella skank - fat boy slim
  10. hey boy hey girl - the chemical brothers
  11. bullet with butterfly wings - smashing pumpkins
  12. meds - placebo
  13. light surrounding you - evermore
  14. joker and the thief - wolfmother
  15. lift - shannon noll
  16. last night - the strokes
  17. american idiot - green day
  18. woman - wolfmother
  19. thriller - michael jackson
  20. alive - pearl jam
  21. organ doner - dj shadow
  22. fit but you know it - the streets
  23. whip it - devo
  24. time is running out - muse
  25. hollaback girl - gwen stefani
  26. smile - lily allen
  27. run on - moby
  28. block rockin beats - the chemical brothers
  29. jump - van halen
  30. black dog - led zeppelin
  31. blue monday - new order
  32. girlfriend - avril lavigne
  33. take me out - franz ferdinand
  34. straight lines - silverchair
  35. freak - silverchair
  36. what i’ve done - linkin park
  37. black fingernails, red wine - eskimo joe
  38. put your hands up for detroit - fedde le grande
  39. walkin on sunshine - katrina and the waves
  40. superstition - stevie wonder
  41. alive and kicking - simple minds
  42. boogie wonderland - earth, wind and fire
  43. abc - the jackson five
  44. na na na na naa - kaiser chiefs
  45. firestarter - prodigy
  46. breakaway - big pig
  47. don’t stop till you get enough - michael jackson
  48. you oughta know - alanis morissette
  49. born to run - bruce springsteen
  50. open your eyes - snow patrol
  51. gonna fly now (theme from rocky) - bill conti (time to climb some steps)
  52. get the party started - p!nk
  53. numb / encore - linkin park
  54. danger zone - kenny loggins
  55. somebody told me - the killers
  56. love is a battlefield - pat benatar
  57. running - evermore
  58. where the streets have no name - u2
  59. you give love a bad name - bon jovi
  60. clocks - coldplay
  61. start me up - rolling stones
  62. eagle rock - daddy cool
  63. celebration - kool and the gang
  64. crazy - gnarls barkley
  65. l.o.v.e - ashley simpson
  66. the way you move - outcast
  67. magic carpet ride - steppenwolf
  68. let forever be - the chemical brothers
  69. funky cold medina - tone loc
  70. respect - aretha franklin
  71. walkin on the sun - smash mouth
  72. creeps - camille jones v fedde le grande
  73. a message to you rudy - the specials
  74. hit me with your best shot - pat benatar
  75. are you gonna go my way - lenny kravitz
  76. technologic - daft punk
  77. my friend - groove armada
  78. breed - nirvana
  79. welcome to the jungle - guns and roses
  80. life is a highway - tom cochrane and red rider
  81. play that funky music - wild cherry
  82. aisha - death in vegas
  83. blister in the sun - violent femmes
  84. ray of light - madonna
  85. what you waiting for - gwen stefani
  86. no one knows - queens of the stone age
  87. sabotage - beastie boys
  88. keep holding on - avril lavigne
  89. work it - missy elliott
  90. nutbush - tina turner
  91. the power - snap
  92. hit me up - gia farrell
  93. shine - shannon noll
  94. since u been gone - kelly clarkson
  95. toxic - britney spears
  96. dead eyes open - severed heads
  97. jump around - house of pain
  98. let me entertain you - robbie williams
  99. won’t get fooled again - the who
  100. ymca - the village people
  101. beautiful day - u2
  102. spoonman - soundgarden
  103. forever young - youth group
  104. all the small things - blink 182
  105. basket case - green day
  106. give it away - red hot chilli peppers
  107. killing in the name - rage against the machine
  108. girl - beck
  109. longview - green day
  110. tubthumping - chumbawamba
  111. monkey wrench - foo fighters
  112. footloose - kenny loggins
  113. dancing with myself - the donnas
  114. everything’s wonderful - lily allen
  115. hey ya - outcast
  116. black night - deep purple
  117. read my mind - the killers
  118. suddenly i see - kt tunstall
  119. no limit - 2 unlimited
  120. whole lotta love - led zeppelin
  121. bizarre love triangle - new order
  122. simply the best - tina turner
  123. get your freak on - missy elliot
  124. buttons - the pussycat dolls
  125. the way i are - timbaland
  126. do it again - the chemical brothers
  127. mama said knock you out - ll cool j
  128. dreams - the cranberries
  129. nookie - limp bizkit
  130. push it - salt n pepa
  131. intergalactic - beastie boys
  132. shut up and drive - rihanna
  133. sk8tr boi - avril lavigne
  134. 3am eternal - the klf
  135. i like to move it - real to reel
  136. ride on time - black box
  137. 100% pure love - crystal waters
  138. in da club - 50 cent
  139. daddy cool - boney m
  140. milk shake - kelis
  141. train - goldfrapp
  142. get together - madonna
  143. rythym is a dancer - snap
  144. sweet escape - gwen stefani
  145. legs - zz top
  146. pump up the volume - marrs
  147. wait a minute - pussycat dolls
  148. around the world - daft punk
  149. fools gold - the stone roses
  150. bittersweet symphony - the verve
  151. voodoo people - prodigy
  152. i like the way - bodyrockers
  153. somebody to love - boogie pimps
  154. don’t call me baby - madison avenue
  155. unbelievable - EMF
  156. don’t cha - the pussycat dolls
  157. release - timbaland
  158. madder - groove armada
  159. the distance - cake
  160. sweet home alabama - lynyrd skynyrd
  161. baba o’riley - the who
  162. the race - yellow
  163. sunshine of your love - cream
  164. i feel love - donna summer
  165. promiscuous - nelly furtado
  166. flaunt it - tv rock
  167. watching you - rogue traders
  168. elevation - U2
  169. hot in herre - nelly
  170. yeah - usher
  171. poison - alice cooper
  172. hung up - madonna
  173. nothing but a good time - poison
  174. speed of sound - coldplay
  175. i don’t feel like dancin - scissor sisters
  176. are you gonna be my girl - jet
  177. i’m a believer - the monkees
  178. catch my disease - ben lee
  179. mickey - tony basil
  180. six days - dj shadow
  181. rock lobster - the b52s
  182. panama - van halen
  183. switch - will smith
  184. holding out for a hero - bonnie tyler
  185. rock and roll all night - kiss
  186. love me or hate me - lady sovereign
  187. love stoned - justin timberlake
  188. deja vu - beyonce
  189. ooh la la - goldfrapp
  190. sos - rihanna
  191. smack my bitch up - prodigy
  192. trick me - kelis
  193. galvanize - the chemical brothers
  194. dare - gorillaz
  195. don’t believe the hype - public enemy
  196. mr brightside - the killers
  197. the nosebleed section - hilltop hoods
  198. get ready for this - 2 unlimited
  199. midnight blue - lou gramm
  200. can’t get you out of my head - kylie minogue
  201. my love - justin timberlake
  202. crazy - seal
  203. ironic - alanis morissette
  204. setting sun - the chemical brothers
  205. take me back to your house - basement jaxx
  206. smooth criminal - michael jackson
  207. right here, right now - fatboy slim
  208. need you tonight - inxs
  209. come into my world - kylie minogue
  210. say it right - nelly furtado
  211. burning up - madonna
  212. sexyback - justin timberlake
  213. born to be wild - steppenwolf
  214. highway to hell - acdc
  215. let’s get it started - black eyed peas
  216. u can’t touch this - mc hammer
  217. breathe - prodigy
  218. ice ice baby - vanilla ice
  219. from paris to berlin - infernal
  220. crazy in love - beyonce
  221. hot stuff - donna summer
  222. tribal dance - 2 unlimited
  223. foxy lady - jimi hendrix
  224. enter sandman - metallica
  225. wild thing - tone loc
  226. smoke on the water - deep purple
  227. oh yeah - yello

You might be thinking that the list is a little long, but that is why my body looks like it has been chiseled from marble – workout to this entire list every day and you too will look like a Greek God. OK, the only Greek thing my body resembles is souvlaki, but whatever. Honestly, once I got started making the list I couldn’t stop (and it sure beats exercising). I know I could add another 100 songs without much trouble.

Note: this list is now a few years old and is in desperate need of an update. I know what you’re thinking: “No Ke$ha, is this guy kidding??!?!”

Contact: Dean Jackson
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