Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 2

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This is a reworking of Successful Mix 1 which you can read about HERE.

Here is the new tracklist:

1. Lose Yourself – Eminem

2. I Get Around – The Beach Boys

3. Prayer of the Refugee – Rise Against

4. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

5. Toreador – Apocalyptica

6. Misirlou – Dick Dale

7. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

8. … To Die For – Hanz Zimmer

9. Una Pistola Per Ringo – Ennio Morricone

I’m happy to announce that another successful mix has been made though today, my body tried to give out on me at multiple points. I cant wait until my legs become accustomed to running and theres less pain and ache for the rest of the day after a run.

“Lose Yourself” turned out to be PERFECT as a warm up! The soft piano eases you in and then once the beat starts to build, there is no stopping this engine. Even Eminem’s flow and lyrics are dead set on getting your body pumped up and ready. I think the song really proves the effect of mood on a work out. Starting out a running mix with this song adds a layer of context to your run. It gets your brain thinking seriously about making things happen. The run becomes more important and that sense of duty moves your body along effortlessly. 

Unfortunately the mood created bu “Lose Yourself” was pretty much killed by “I Get Around“. It wasn’t bad enough to ruin my mix and I did keep moving through the whole song but it does point out the importance of constructing a mix with a theme for it to be perfect. At some point I do plan on putting out some much more calculated mixes that come with high recommendation. These will definitely focus on setting a mood that stays steady through out. It may be serious like “Lose Yourself” or all for fun like “I Get Around” but blending them can cause a hiccup if not done correctly.

“Prayer of the Refuge” brought the mood back down to a more serious place and it still kept me going as a good burn out. I must also again point out that the combination of “Seventeen Years” followed by “Toreador” works extremely well together and will definitely be combined again in an advanced mix.

You’ll notice that I finally switched out “Liberi Fatali” for the new burnout “Misirlou” which you may recognize from the amazing Pulp Fiction! The Beach Boys surf rock encouraged me to try again and Dick Dale does not disappoint with this fast paced guitar party with horn accompaniment. Crazy that I can no longer think of this song without hearing The Black Eyed Peas “Pump It”

The stride staple “Ringa Ringa” helped ease me through a tough cramp during this run and I was thankful that it allows you to keep the beat at a slower pace if need be.

Anyone who didnt think the stampede song was going to end up here as a burnout really doesnt know me very well. One of Hanz Zimmer’s masterworks, this emotional and powerful song accompanies one of the saddest deaths in all of movie history. I seriously cant hear this song without getting crazy emotional. Thankfully it also works to make me run like theres a herd of wildebeests chasing me! Now there’s two ways to go with this one. The second half of this song is clearly a cool down so you can either skip ahead to the next song once the intense part ends or you can do what I did here and place it near a cool down to give you a bit of extra time to rest your body and mourn the death of Mufasa.

Ennio Morricone is a soundtrack king mostly because all of his songs make you feel like the coolest person on the planet. Even his slower music can be used on runs because a good cool down should always make you feel like the hero at the end of a movie.

Overall I didnt think the ruined mood was enough to mark this as a failed mix but it did teach me about the importance of mood for creating the best running mixes so be sure to keep that in mind when you make your own.

 

Build a Workout Burnout: Rise Against – Prayer for the Refuge

I first used “Prayer for the Reduge” as a stride but the jump in energy from the verse to the chorus didnt really help my body maintain a consistent pace. The songs hardcore punk sound definitely works well to get my blood pumping for another 4 minutes as a burnout at the end of a 6 minute stride. The song is definitely lighter than some of my other burnouts as the slower verse sections allow a bit of leeway in terms of pacing while still providing the all out fire necessary for a burnout during the choruses and the excellent guitar solo and final rush!

Build a Workout: Successful Mix 1

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix was built off of Failed Mix 3 which you can read about HERE

This mix isnt perfect but it definitely got the job done without any hiccups! Let’s start with the playlist.

1. Akatsuki – Takanashi Yasuhara

2. I Get Around – The Beach Boys

3. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

4. Prayer for the Refuge – Rise Against

5. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

6. Toreador – Apocalyptica

7. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

8. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

9. Forever Young – Alphaville

I changed a couple things around for this one. I removed the second warm up at the beginning of the mix for a stride, in this case “I Get Around” and then coupled that with a second stride to keep me going longer. I moved up “Bloody Mary” to keep a familiar song at the beginning of my run. “Prayer for the Refuge” was moved to the burnout position followed by newcomer stride “Seventeen Years” and warm up “Toreador” replacing “Americano”. I put my burnout staple “Liberi Fatali” towards the end of my mix followed by the comfortable “Ringa Ringa” and closed out the mix with a new cool down: “Forever Young”

Lets start at the beginning. “Akatsuki” has been doing a great job as a warm up and today was no exception.

I was a little nervous about using “I Get Around” as a stride but the songs happy-go-lucky nature helped get me in the mood to run and its simple straightforward pacing provided excellent motivation for a steady continued run. I guess surf rock can be used for running too.

“Bloody Mary” worked well as a second stride as its beat continues to keep my legs pumping.

I first used “Prayer for the Reduge” as a stride but the jump in energy from the verse to the chorus didnt really help my body maintain a consistent pace. The songs hardcore punk sound definitely work well to get my blood pumping for another 4 minutes as a burnout at the end of a 6 minute stride. The song is definitely lighter than some of my other burnouts as the slower verse sections allow a bit of leeway in terms of pacing while still providing the all out fire necessary for a burnout during the choruses and the excellent guitar solo and final rush!

Ratatat’s “Seventeen Years” turned out to be a perfect stride! It bursts out in full on electric guitar pop beats and drums early on and keeps things fresh with some fun guitar solos. The longer a stride song is, the more you want there to be a bit of variety so your brain doesnt grow board from hearing the same basic beats. Here this is accomplished by the sheer variety of guitar riffs as well as a subtle shift in the energy of the song about halfway through. This “taking it down a notch” affect allows for your body to adjust accordingly either remaining at higher speeds or slowing down with the music to save some breathe. I can definitely see “Seventeen Years” used to anchor the center of a workout allowing for a quick cool down embedded in the stride before the next warm up.

Apocolyptica doesnt seem like the ideal work out music since it is performed by a band of all Cello’s with absolutely no drums. Thankfully the power of said cellos is more than enough to both keep the beat and encourages those muscles to build some adrenaline. Im a huge fan of stringed instruments and they always make me feel like I’m in some epic fantasy land. “Toreador” is actually a perfect warm up! It starts off very slow and deliberate. With each minute, layer upon layer is added to the song as it starts to grow a bit faster with each minute. By the two minute mark, your feet will be moving and the cello solos will keep you on your toes. This warm up  is great if you want a bit more of a gradual build that still leaves you sweating by the end of it.

At this point, you’ll notice the familiar “Liberi Fatali” and “Ringa Ringa” combination. I did this because it’s important that the songs near the end of your run are the most solid. When you’re tired and ready to quit, you’ll want to make sure you have songs guaranteed to rescue you from that place. Thats why I’ll always faze songs towards the back of my mix and add new songs towards the front.

I guess it all depends on how you feel about the genre but 80’s pop ballads are almost guaranteed to work as cool downs! Something about their cheesy synth pop nature and addictive over the top choruses just really works to make you feel like you had a successful run. “Forever Young” is no exception and it was the perfect endcap to a great run.

Overall I’m happy with my mix and my run today! I took a couple days off to visit my brother in Ann Arbor and celebrate Memorial Day with my family. It’s always tough to get back into a running mood after you’ve had a few days off. Unfortunately your body can also give up earlier due to lack of practice. I’d like to say it was partially due to this mix that I made it through todays run and still kept my time and distance up. Cant wait to run again!

Build A Workout: Failed Mix 3

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix was developed off of Failed Mix 2 which you can read about HERE.

Alright! I got to go for another run and while I didnt think the mix flowed well enough to be successful, I am definitely getting more fit! When I started this project I was putting in 2 miles over 30 minutes. Today I put in 3 miles in 34 minutes! Lets start with the track list.

1. Akatsuki – Takahashi Yasunara

2. In for the Kill (Skrillex Remix) – La Roux

3. Prayer for the Refuge – Rise Against

4. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

5. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

6. Americano – Lady Gaga

7. The Decisive Battle – Powerglove

8. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

9. Viva Rock – Orange Range

The first thing you’ll notice is that I’ve increased the length of my run. After the last mix came up short, I increased the length to about 34 minutes. The two new song additions were added at the beginning to extend my initial warm up period and replace a failed stride. That failed stride which also failed as a warm up (“Viva Rock”) was moved to the cool down position in a last ditch effort to make it work.

How’d it go? The weakness in this mix was definitely the new additions. “Akatsuki” was an excellent warm up.

I mentioned last time that it can be a bit short so I added a second  warm up in the form of “In for the Kill”. Unfortunately I just couldnt get into the build. It starts off perfectly which is why I chose it. Right up to the first Skrillex dubstep drop at the minute and half mark it works great. The drop just didnt propel me forward the way I thought it would. The other problem is that the song then kind of stalls out before going back to its original momentum. Warm up‘s really require a more consistent build to motivate you to get faster and faster. This one just left my body confused wanting to accelerate when the pace of the song wasnt allowing it to.

I had a similar pacing problem with “Prayer for the Refugee”. While the song is pretty frickin amazing, I just felt that it didnt have the steadiness required for the stride positon. The song has this ebb and flow between its verses and chorus that just doesnt translate to the consistency necessary. Still, I love the song and I’ll definitely be trying it out as a burnout in my next workout.

Speaking of burnouts “Liberi Fatali” continues to be an amazing one! Actually from this point forward I have no complaints until the end of the mix as the rest works as well as it did in my previous mix.

I moved “Viva Rock” to the cool down position. Can you tell I really wanted this song to work? It was too fast paced for a warm up and too jumpy for a stride. I thought it might still be able to work as a cool down with its marching beat. Unfortunately, even here it left me feeling uneasy and confused trying to make my body work when it should have been time to rest. Maybe there is a place for this song in a workout mix somewhere but not for me. I think its time I retire this song after three failed attempts.

Lets hope I learn from these failures and eventually produce another great mix to run to. Good luck on your work outs!

86. Rise Against – The Sufferer and The Witness

Rise Against is my prime example of the importance of live music. I first heard about Rise Against when I got tickets to see Billy Talent and found out they were the headliner. I tried to listen to them a little before the show, specifically The Sufferer and the Witness, and nothing really wowed me. Straight forward rock music. I went to the show and was depressed to find out that Billy Talent went on first and then three other bands I didn’t care for. Billy Talent was absolutely amazing(GO SEE THEM LIVE!) but then the next two bands were these boring whiny emo bands who screamed a lot and acted like they were tough. It was really sad. Still a friend of mine liked Rise Against and convinced the rest of us to stay. What followed was something awesome. The band is dubbed Hardcore Punk and what I want to emphasize here is their punk nature. They carried such a rebellious and raucous sound on stage, and all I wanted to do was mosh! In contrast to these lame emo bands, Rise Against had this raw power and energy that in my mind, capture that rebellious energy of punk. The screaming is never ridiculous and singer Tim McIlrath has a rough dirty sounding voice that still somehow succeeds in being melodic. He has a way of transferring what he’s feeling into you. Rise Against’s song writing on The Sufferer and The Witness also happens to be great, with some cool bridges, and great melodic sing a long(yell along?) choruses that invite listeners to sing, dance, head bang and jump along to. Not that I’m OLD, but Rise Against has the ability to make me wish I was a raging high schooler again.

What does it make me feel like?

 

Some misunderstood punk high school kid in ripped skinny jeans and converse moshing away my life in the pit and having the time of my life doing it.

What to Listen for Track by Track

 

– The first of many big sing a long choruses, at about 2:20 into Chamber the Cartridge.

– Big Chorus sing a long at 1:51 of Injection

– The screaming in Ready to Fall. Oh and it’s big chorus number 3.

– How punky Bricks sounds.

– EVERYTHING about Prayer for the Refugee. The perfect example of everything that’s great about Rise Against. Especially the way the slow verses lead into the fast yelling choruses. I love the adrenaline rush you get that builds during the verse while you wait for that chorus to come back so you can jump around singing along to it all over again. The joy that comes from singing this song with a group of people who also know it is just… so cool. Oh and I love the guitar solo that mirrors the chorus and ushers in the final sing a long.

– I love McIlraths vocals in this song, especially in the verses even more than usual on Drones.

– The talking verses on The Approaching Curve and its sing a long chorus.

– The way that Worth Dying For starts off to let the listener know, they have no intention of slowing down.

– Oh Behind Closed Doors… Have I mentioned how much fun it is to sing along to this band yet?

– And then Roadside finally relaxes things a bit to give us a bit of rest.

– Another sing a long chorus in The Good Left Undone

– I was going through one of the toughest times in my life, and I was driving home late at night, and Survive came on randomly. Those intro guitars came in and I started to feel chills. I hadn’t heard the song in a long time and I just started listening to the lyrics (still some of my favorite lyrics in any song) and it single handedly picked me up out of a deep depression. I still went through a huge grieving process but this song lit that spark of hope in me. I like that he hardly curses the entire album, which makes his cursing in this song feel all the more necessary. At three minutes I finally started crying. The way he yells “All Smiles and Sunshine!” The way you can tell he doesn’t really believe it at the moment but its necessary in order to survive. This song always reminds me that life being painful and hard is normal. In this world we will have trouble. That encourages me because it reminds me that pain and suffering in life doesn’t mean you’re a failure, its how you react to pain and suffering that brings out who you are.

Example Track

Song of the Day 11/17/12: Rise Against – Survivor’s Guilt

Finally getting around to Rise Against’s End Game a year after release and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. While they aren’t doing things much different than on their previous works, it is definitely my favorite since The Sufferer and The Witness. Great guitar riffs and as usual, fast talking verses and the best sing-along punk choruses you could ask for.

Song of the Day 12/29/10: Rise Against – Survive

For some reason, this version has like a minute of silence at the end.  Sorry.

I first heard Rise Against at a Billy Talent show.  Most energetic show I ever went to!  I just moshed with my friend, Kenny, the whole time.  So awesome!  Anyways, I love “Survive” because after an extremely difficult break up a few years back, I was driving around one day and this came on.  And I just started laughing at how amazing it was.  First of all, it has a totally kickass intro.  Second of all, it has the best survival lyrics!  I started laughing as he yelled out:

All smiles and sunshine, a perfect world on a perfect day
Everything always works out, I have never felt so fucking great!

I love it because the tone of the lyrics does not hint, at all, that he believes this at the moment of singing it.  But it’s a drive to survive.  He gets it out, and I dont know if it made him feel better, but I know it made me feel better to sing along.  When life gets you down, listen to “Survive”, because how we survive is what makes us who we are.