After 14 years as a certified trainer and leading fitness programs at Results Fitness, I've finded that mixing high-energy tracks with strategic tempo drops creates the perfect workout flow. My go-to approach combines driving electronic beats during strength circuits with slightly slower, steady rhythms during form-focused movements. For Les Mills SPRINT classes, I rely heavily on electronic dance music with consistent 128-140 BPM - tracks like anything from Swedish House Mafia keep that bike intensity locked in. During BodyPump sessions, I switch between aggressive rock for the heavy lifting phases and more controlled beats during setup time between tracks. What I absolutely avoid is anything with sudden tempo shifts or lyrics that distract from form cues. I learned this lesson during CXWORX classes where members would lose their plank holds when songs had unexpected breaks or tempo changes. The game-changer for our Results Fitness members has been creating "workout architecture" playlists - front-loading with moderate energy for warm-ups, peaking during the main strength work, then tapering to steady rhythms for cool-down. This systematic approach helps members naturally flow through intensity levels without fighting against the music.
My go-to playlist to work out to is something upbeat and fast-paced. This type of music gives me the motivation I need to get through a hard workout full of cardio or heavy weights. Fit Radio is my favorite music source; they offer a vast array of genres depending on your mood, but I especially like the remixes they have. They take the songs you regularly listen to and either elevate or speed them up, so you can jam out to them during your workout.
I'm excited to share that my workout playlist is heavily influenced by high-energy EDM and hip-hop remixes, which actually inspire some of our video-to-video AI transitions at Magic Hour. Just yesterday, I was doing HIIT to The Weeknd's remix collection, and it sparked some creative ideas for our sports edits transitions!
I've learned that podcasts mixed with ambient background music keep me both mentally and physically engaged during my morning runs, which is when I brainstorm my best business ideas. During strength training, I switch to upbeat rock music like Foo Fighters, which helps me maintain the same intense focus I bring to growing franchise businesses.