Intro to Build a Workout Mix

The idea for the “Build a Workout” concept came from a couple different places and I thought it would be helpful to elaborate on it here first.

One of the requests I get most often from people is to create workout mixes for them. I’m not really a weight lifter and so while I will be calling this a workout mix, what I really mean is a runners mix. My problem with attempting this for others is that motivational music is relative. Yes there are some songs that may be universal but while Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” might be the perfect workout inspiration for one person, Metallica’s “Master of Puppets may be equally inspiring to someone else. This makes it virtually impossible for me to create a mix unless I construct them person by person based on their personality. Even then, it may be a certain instrument that motivates an individual such as the power and beat of the drums or the technical nature of the guitar solo. Further complicating this is running style. One person may do mostly walking interlaced with brief power sprints for thirty minutes while another may go for a 10 miles endurance run.

With that in mind, I decided it would be best if I could find a way to share the tools for people to create their own mixes and include my personal input. Build a Workout Mix is designed around this idea. I will break down inspring songs into one of 4 categories I will describe below and then anyone can pick and choose their own personal styles and time adjustments to create something that works for them!

The other reason I decided to start this project is that my gut growth shows no signs of stopping. Working all the time in Michigan does not provide much opportunity for exercise. The last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is go for a run. My hope is that combining my passion for music (Something I love) with exercise (Something I don’t) will help cultivate an environment that will encourage me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and share my passion at the same time.

So… How will it work? For starters, I will be posting an initial playlist. I’ll start with a half hour run.  I will try to discuss my experience listening to the mix on my run, documenting why it does or doesn’t work for me in a free form fashion. Then, over the coming weeks(months, years?) I will tweak and adjust it, pulling out what works and adding it to a permanent Ranked category for anyone to starting building their own mixes. While I plan to have an ever changing mix, I will also try to upload some permanent mixes that I feel comfortable with for specific situations.

I highly encourage participation in the form of song suggestions and your own mix variations!

The categories will be divided as follows:

The Warm Up – The warm up is exactly what it sounds like. The song is designed to start your run and usually focuses on some type of build starting slow and increasing in intensity to build up your mind for the task ahead. A warm up may also be used in a segmented run in which there are multiple points of origin over an extended period of time. Variety in this category will usually focuses on the speed of the build up and the overall final intensity at the end of the song.

The Stride – The Stride focuses on keeping you going. Think of it as a cruise control. It is simply designed to keep you going at a relatively steady pace. These’s songs tend to have the longest length since you typically want to stay at a healthy pace for most of your workout. Variety will come in the speed of a rhythm. Some songs may keep you comfortably at 4 mph while others may encourage you to stay at 7 mph.

The Burnout – My personal favorite, burnouts are designed to produce adrenaline. You know that moment where you’re about to give up because your body cant take another second of running? A burnout is meant to push you that extra mile! A song so intense you just cant afford to slow down when you hear it! Variety here will usually focus on length. Do you need a last minute burst or 4 minutes of encouragement?

The Cool Down – The cool down gives you the most freedom of choice in song genre. This is meant usually after a burnout and is in place specifically to keep you going just a little bit farther at a relaxed pace. As long as the song keeps you calm and focused, it can really come from anywhere. These can also be placed in the middle of a run that includes sprints and breaks.

The Monster – The monster is a newer category that focuses specifically on songs of a longer length. These songs, with a loose rule being over 6 minutes in length, tend to stretch the bounds of a single definition. They are long enough that they may contain warm ups, strides, burnouts, and cool downs, at various times during the song. These songs are usually used for ultimate motivation.