This Workout Playlist Can Actually Make Your Sweat Seshes More Effective

Step one: Pick out a cute workout ‘fit. Step 2: Lace up

sneaks. Step 3: Pump up the playlist. In a world where so much emphasis is placed on what you’re doing for your workouts, let’s take a step back and take a deeper dive into just how you plan on getting through those workouts.

I’m talking about the tunes, beats, bops. High-tempo music (the kind that’s around 170 heartbeats per minute) makes a workout feel easier, ups your mood, and helps you run farther and faster. Science says so, per a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology. Music may change the way that you respond to fatigue—and even boost your endurance, per research published in the Journal of Sports Exercise Psychology.

Meet the expert: Jordan Metzl, MD, is a sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

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Plus, tunes can make you feel more powerful, per research from Sage Journal, and people who listen to music they deemed “pleasing” had higher levels of serotonin, also known as the “feel-good” hormone, according to findings published in the book Progress in Brain Research.

That’s reason enough for me to pump up the beats before I kick off any workout.

“We know about the mental and physical benefits of exercise for the brain, and that it aids with sleep,” says Jordan Metzl, MD, a sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City previously told WH. “When people are ruminating about something, exercise helps.”

But let’s face it – not just any music will do. When I trained for the NYC Half Marathon I curated the perfect playlist that had fast beats to keep me moving and empowering lyrics to get me hyped and drown out the muscle pain.

Looking for the perfect soundtrack for your next sweat? Check out these playlists below broken down into overall workout songs, and then into categories made just for running, cycling, lifting, yoga, and more. Scroll to the bottom for a Spotify playlist of all our picks. Are you ready to rock out and rock your workout?

50 Best Workout Songs

1. “Juice” by Lizzo
2. “Yummy by Justin Bieber
3. “The Box” by Roddy Rich
4. “Toast” by Koffee
5. “Countdown” by Beyonce
6. “Girl on Fire (Inferno Version)” by Alicia Keys
7. “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas
8. “Energy (Wellman Remix)” by Drake
9. “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco
10. “Back to Delilah (Remix)” by Florence + the Machine and Drake
11. “Finest Hour” by Cash Cash featuring Abir
12. “A Thousand Miles (Scooter Hype White Girl Surprise Intro)” by Vanessa Carlton
13. “Run This Town” by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna
14. “Burn” by Ellie Goulding
15. “Apeshit” by The Carters
16. “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande
17. “Genius (Lil Wayne Remix)” by LSD featuring Lil Wayne, Sia, Diplo, and Labrinth
18. “If I Can’t Have You” by Shawn Mendes
19. “Pony (Jump On It)” by Ginuwine
20. “DJ Turn It Up” by Yellow Claw
21. “No Diggity (Fare Solid Remix)” by Blackstreet
22. “Stay (Scooter Mix)” by Alessia Cara
23. “I Like It (Dillon Francis Remix)” by Cardi B
24. “Good Old Days” by Macklemore feat. Kesha
25. “New Level (Meaux Green Remix)” by A$AP Ferg
26. “Indian Summer” by Jai Wolf
27. “Bounce” by Logic
28. “Innerbloom” by Rufus Du Sol
29. “Field Below” by Regina Spektor
30. “Focus” by H.E.R.
31. “True Colors” by Jules Larson
32. “Like A Star” by Corrine Bailey Rae
33. “Free Fallin’” by John Mayer
34. “Brooklyn In the Summer” by Aloe Black
35. “I Was Made for Loving You” by Tori Kelly
36. “Mirror” by Madison Ryann Ward
37. “Beyond” by Leon Bridges
38. “Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka
39. “Missin’ You Crazy” by Russ
40. “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Son
41. Nonstop” by Drake
42. “Drip” by Cardi B feat. Migos
43. “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I
44. “No Problem” by Chance the Rapper
45. “Wish Wish” by DJ Khaled featuring Cardi B
46. “Bo$$” by Fifth Harmony
47. “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott featuring Drake
48. “Humble.” by Kendrick Lamar
49. “Bulletproof” by La Roux
50. “I Can” by Nas

Best Workout Songs For Running

These upbeat songs will keep you motivated while on the trails or the treadmill. And many of these tracks hover around the standard BPM (beats per minute) cadence for logging miles, which is roughly between 170 and 180.

1. “Juice” by Lizzo
2. “Toast” by Koffee
3. “Countdown” by Beyonce
4. “Girl on Fire (Inferno Version)” by Alicia Keys
5. “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I
6. “Energy (Wellman Remix)” by Drake
7. “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco
8. “Back to Delilah (Remix)” by Florence + the Machine and Drake
9. “Finest Hour” by Cash Cash featuring Abir
10. “A Thousand Miles (Scooter Hype White Girl Surprise Intro)” by Vanessa Carlton
11. “Run This Town” by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna
12. “Burn” by Ellie Goulding
13. “Apeshit” by The Carters
14. “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande
15. “Genius (Lil Wayne Remix)” by LSD featuring Lil Wayne, Sia, Diplo, and Labrinth

Best Workout Songs For Spin

Perfect for everything from sprints to slow climbs, these songs have a good range of BPM to bring you through a 45–minute session.

1. “Yummy” by Justin Bieber
2. “If I Can’t Have You” by Shawn Mendes
3. “Pony (Jump On It)” by Ginuwine
4. “DJ Turn It Up” by Yellow Claw
5. “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas
6. “No Diggity (Fare Solid Remix)” by Blackstreet
7. “Stay (Scooter Mix)” by Alessia Cara
8. “I Like It (Dillon Francis Remix)” by Cardi B
9. “Good Old Days” by Macklemore feat. Kesha
10. “New Level (Meaux Green Remix)” by A$AP Ferg
11. “Indian Summer” by Jai Wolf
12. “Bounce” by Logic
13. “Innerbloom” by Rufus Du Sol

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Best Workout Songs For Yoga

It’s time to turn down, just a little bit. These slower, soulful beats are the perfect tracks to take you through your next sun salutation.

1. “Focus” by H.E.R.
2. “Like A Star” by Corrine Bailey Rae
3. “Field Below” by Regina Spektor
4. “True Colors” by Jules Larson
5. “Free Fallin’” by John Mayer
6. “Brooklyn In the Summer” by Aloe Blacc
7. “I Was Made for Loving You” by Tori Kelly
8. “Mirror” by Madison Ryann Ward
9. “Beyond” by Leon Bridges
10. “Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka
11. “Missin’ You Crazy” by Russ
12. “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons

Best Workout Songs For Lifting

Consisting of mostly hip-hop, these bass-heavy tracks are just the right groove to be picking things up and putting them down.

1. “The Box” by Roddy Rich
2. “Drip” by Cardi B feat. Migos
3. “Nonstop” by Drake
4. “No Problem” by Chance the Rapper
5. “Wish Wish” by DJ Khaled featuring Cardi B
6. Bo$$ by Fifth Harmony
7. “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott featuring Drake
8. “Humble.” by Kendrick Lamar
9. “Bulletproof” by La Roux
10. “I Can” by Nas

The Best Rock Workout Songs

1. “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers
2. “How You Like Me Now” by The Heavy
3. “Beggin” by Madcon
4. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
5. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
6. “Original Prankster” by The Offspring ft. Redman
7. “Feel It Still” by Portugal The Man
8. “City of Angels” by 24kGoldn
9. “Smooth” by Carlos Santana ft. Rob Thomas
10. “Mas” by Kinky

The Best Country Workout Songs

1. “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home) by Elle King and Miranda Lambert
2. “Lil Bit” by Nelly and Florida Georgia Line
3. “Drop Top” by Keith Urban ft. Kassi Ashton
4. “Cruise Remix” by Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly
5. “Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt
6. “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain
7. “Honey, I’m Good” by Andy Grammer
8. “Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King
9. “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock
10. “Life Is A Highway” by Rascal Flatts

The Most Motivating Workout Songs

1. “Woman” by Kesha
2. “Nightmare” by Halsey
3. “Confident” by Demi Lovato
4. “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez
5. “Worship” by Lizzo
6. “Everybody’s Got Their Something” by Nikka Costa
7. “I’ve Got The Magic In Me” by B.o.B.
8. “Alien Superstar” by Beyoncé
9. “Level Up” by Ciara
10. “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha

The Best Dance Workout Songs

1. “Sweetest Pie” by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa
2. “What You Need” by Britney Spears
3. “Take You Dancing” by Jason Derulo
4. “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William ft. Beyoncé
5. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys
6. “Twerk” by City Girls ft. Cardi B
7. “Exhale” by Kenzie ft. Sia
8. “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott ft. Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
9. “Come to Me” by P. Diddy ft. Nicole Scherzinger
10. “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado

Ready to put the master playlist to the test? Try it out below:

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Alexis Jones is an assistant editor at Women’s Health where she writes across several verticals on WomensHealthmag.com, including life, health, sex and love, relationships and fitness, while also contributing to the print magazine. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University, lives in Brooklyn, and proudly detests avocados.