For me, lifting weights goes hand-in-hand with music that your mother wouldn’t like. I know some people who can lift weights in silence or listening to the news on the radio but that just doesn’t work for me.
I’m not a music afficianado (like Aaron Friday) and I don’t confess to having a particularly wide knowledge of the heavy metal genre but I do enjoy listening to it while lifting. In fact, if you know the genre well (like Mike T Nelson) then please feel free to leave me some suggestions in the comments!
These are my random thoughts on music that I have enjoyed in the past and songs I hope to enjoy in the future…
Songs I have enjoyed in the past
Rage Against the Machine (RATM): Killing in the Name. I grew up with this music so it feels comfortable to me. Most of the RATM albums are great because they don’t take long for people to get into. So they make a good compromise if there are people squabbling over the CD-player in the gym. Obviously that doesn’t work if you’re into techno, like Tony Gentilcore, however…
Disturbed: Shout. This is possibly my favourite track for squatting to. It has a unique, driving beat to it that really focuses my mind in the right place and psychs me up.
Slayer: Reign in blood. This has to be the best track to turn on when you walk into the gym and need to switch from “work mode” to “lifting mode”. The monster riff at the beginning really draws you into the right mindset and then the drums kick off and it’s all in.
Metallica: Enter sandman. Another track famous for its opening riff. As a guitarist, I have to confess that I do have a preference for riff-based songs. Anyway, it’s a great track to get you in the mood while you’re setting up or doing assistance work. I find it a bit tame for really hammering out big lifts, though.
Audioslave: Shadow on the Sun. Audioslave combines the frontman from Soundgarden with the instrumentalists from Rage Against the Machine (RATM). It’s not as angry and in-your-face as RATM but there is more attention to melody and how the songs develop. I have to confess I don’t listen to it all that much. I suppose Audioslave is my back up option, if someone objects to RATM.
Evanescence: Going under. This is far and away my favourite track for deadlifting to (and the rest of the album would be runner-up). It captures that moment of quiet before the storm. That moment where everything is still and you take a moment of calm before unleashing everything you’ve got to rip the weight off the floor and grind it up to waist height.
Motorhead: Ace of spades. If I haven’t got my trusty Slayer album to hand then Motorhead does as a secondary choice for getting me in the right mood after I’ve been “polite” to people all day.
Rammstein: Du hast (or du hasst?). I was in two minds about whether to confess to listening to Rammstein. as they tend to get quite a mixed reception. The beat in this song really flicks a switch for me, though, when I’ve got a big lift coming up. Having some German helps, too…
Songs I hope to enjoy in the future
Disturbed: Asylum. I can’t wait until the new Disturbed album comes out later this year. Then I can fill up my three-CD changer in the garage just with Disturbed CDs and that will really wind Anna up…
KoRn: III Remember who you are. I blow hot and cold with KoRn. Sometimes I really gel with it and sometimes I get bored quite quickly. If this track is representative of the album and represents a movement back to their earlier stuff then I will be happy.
Parkway Drive: Deep blue. This isn’t a band that I know at all well but having listened to some of the demos of this upcoming album, it sounds like it could be a great training album!
And if you’re interested in keeping up to date with similar music as it comes out, check out Metal Hammer (and in particular this review of ten great albums coming this summer).
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Tags: Audioslave · Disturbed · Evanescance · heavy metal · Metallica · Motorhead · Music · Rage Against the Machine · Rammstein · Slayer4 Comments
My training ‘tape’ line up as of 1 June 2010:
In da Club – 50 Cent
Yeah! – Usher (Fantastic for working the heavy bag to
Sweetest Victory (From Rocky 4)
It’s a Fight (Rocky Balboa)
Eye of the Tiger (Rocky 3)
Chasing Cars – Snow patrol
Keep it Up (Rocky 5)
Gimme Shelter – Rolling Stones
Orange Crush – REM
Trouble Man – Marvin Gaye (Ali trained to this)
The Boss – James Brown
Art of Dying – The best James Bond theme that never was by George Harrision
Lose Yourself – Emienm (Final pick me by in teh last stages of a workout)
Somewhat different to yours Chris, but all would have been disliked by my Mother! I have had Metalica before now, but it was “Unforgiven” from the same album.
Would also give an honourable mention to:
Hotel California
House of the Rising Sun
Marblehead Johnson
Leave
Thunder Road
Paint it Black
Born in the USA
Heart Shaped Box (Nivarna were my growing up band)
Supersonic
Numb
Sex on Fire
Cheers for that, Rob. I guess I like music that really bounces off the walls when I’m lifting. I used to listen to more mainstream rock when I rowed more. At that point, my iPod would have definitely had Springsteen, Rolling Stones and REM on.
Interesting that Nirvana was your growing up band. They never really grabbed me at the time (!) but my brother was really into them and he’s three years younger than me…
“I know some people who can lift weights in silence or listening to the news on the radio”
…including the person you live with and have to share a gym with! I know you struggle to comprehend when you walk in and find me listening to a radio adaptation of Agatha Christie or Dracula. Sorry!
I knew I should have turned comments off for this post