20 Motivational Tracks for Your Gym Session

What are the best songs to use for intense gym workouts? Everyone has their own preference in music that gets their muscles moving, but there are three things that all good workout songs have: a great beat with a quick pace and an engaging hook. From sugary pop bangers to slick hip-hop hits, we’ve picked what we think are the best workout songs of the last few decades to listen to when hitting the gym.

While you’re reading, listen to our Home Workout playlist here.

20: Nelly Furtado – Promiscuous

When Loose was released in 2006, the album quickly became Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado’s biggest success to date, and “Promiscuous” her first US No.1 single. As one half of a pair engaged in a passionate back-and-forth, Timbaland, a superstar producer, guest sings. The track is fast and danceable, making it a great workout track.

19: Avicii, Wake Me Up

This 2013 single by Swedish DJ Avicii, which was released as the first album of his debut, took the world by storm. True. With rich, sonorous vocals from American soul singer Aloe Blacc, “Wake Me Up” was a No.1 hit in 22 countries. The track’s idiosyncratic mix of house music, dance-pop, and folk music helped make it a nightclub staple, and earns it a place among the best workout songs.

18: blink-182 All The Small Things

A list of the best songs for working out? You shouldn’t dismiss it until you have tried it. It’s rare that a band can so clearly inhabit this particular turn-of the-century musical landscape. blink-182, and their 1999 hit “All The Small Things,” from their breakthrough album, Enema Of The StateIt is still very popular today. The catchy pop-punk song was written by Tom DeLonge, along with Mark Hoppus, singer and bassist. It also features lyrics about Jenna Jenkins, his ex-wife.

17: Maroon5: Moves like Jagger

These dance moves are sexually charged and charismatic. The Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger, inspired the lyrics to this infectious dance-pop hit. California-based pop band. Maroon 5, with additional vocals by none other than Christina Aguilera, “Moves Like Jagger” was performed for the first time on TV talent show The Voice It was released in June 2011, and has since been one of the best-selling singles. Maroon 5’s 2010 studio album, Hands All Over, which included the track, was reissued in 2011.

16:50 Cents: In Da Club

50 Cent’s snappy hip-hop banger appeared on his debut studio album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. Genre maestro’s effortlessly amazing production. Dr. Dre, paired with 50 Cent’s lyrics, “In Da Club” is a timeless track that became the rapper’s first single to peak at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

15: Spice Girls: Wannabe

Epitomizing the concept of “girl power” which came to define the image of English pop sensation Spice Girls, “Wannabe” was the group’s dynamic first single. The top spot was Billboard Hot 100 was the number-one single in dance-pop for four weeks straight. girl group In history, it remains a beloved pop song for many generations. Its high-energy beat makes this one of our favorite workout songs.

14: Iggy Azalea: Fancy

After the 2014 release of this single featuring CharliXCX singing the chorus, Australian star Iggy Azalea was named one of the most influential female rappers. Many famous covers of the track have been made, including one by The KillersEd Sheeran, Kasabian, & Kasabian. None quite compare to the stylishly produced original, however, which was included on Azalea’s debut album, The New Classic.

13: Miley Cyrus: Party In The USA

Back when Miley Cyrus released “Party In the USA” (described by the singer as an “all-American” song), she was still best known for her leading role in The Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. The upbeat and brightly colored single made Cyrus a pop star. It is still one of her most loved tracks. It even inspired a parody by popular comedy singer “Weird Al” Yankovic, entitled “Party In The CIA.”

12. Taio Cruz: Dynamite

With straightforward, repetitive lyrics (“I came to dance, dance, dance, dance”), the appeal of this best-selling single lies in its emphatic, danceable production, impeccably catchy chorus, and slickly Auto-Tuned vocals. Produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke, “Dynamite” is credited to five different songwriters – Cruz, singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee, Swedish hitmaker Max Martin, plus its two producers.

11: Backstreet Boys: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)

Backstreet Boys released their debut international album with great success. Now they are back with this uptempo number. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” was included on their sophomore record and was penned by the Swedish songwriters Max Martin and Denniz PoP. Backstreet Boys are the world’s best-selling boy group, and this track has become their signature song.

10: Far East Movement: Akin to a G6

Far East Movement broke new ground in American Asian music (they were the first group of this kind to reach No.1), and teamed up with California-based hip hop producers The Cataracs, as well as singer Dev, for this energetic electro-house track. With undeniably simple, repetitive lyrics, the lasting popularity of “Like A G6” hinges on its central riff – a real earworm.

9: Katy Perry: A Girl I Kissed

The 2008 hit single by Katy Perry sits among the best workout songs thanks to its thumpingly catchy chorus and slick pop production – but there’s more to it than that. The lyrics are responsible for instigating a romance between same-sex men. a greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ themes in mainstream pop music. “I Kissed A Girl” paved the way for a generation of contemporary artists to celebrate sexual diversity through song.

8: Gwen Stefani: Hollaback Girl

Gwen Stefani’s best-selling 2005 single “Hollaback Girl,” from her debut solo album, Love.Angel.Music.Baby.This is not your average pop song. The track mimics the cheerleader style and features a simple production with a memorable chorus and drum beat. It was written as a retort to comments made by Courtney Love: “I’m not interested in being Gwen Stefani. She’s the cheerleader, and I’m out in the smoker’s shed.”

7: Flo Rida (featuring T-Pain): Low

Mail on SundayFlo Rida’s debut album contained this single. It features T-Pain’s (Auto-Tuned), impressive vocals and club-friendly hip-hop beats. The single, which was released in 2007, was the most downloaded of the 00s. It was later remixed and added by many other artists. Enrique Iglesias collaborator Pitbull.

6: The Black Eyed Peas – Pump It

One of the singles The Black Eyed Peas’ 2005 album, Monkey Business, “Pump It” incorporates the memorable riff from Dick Dale’s 1962 recording of the Ottoman-rooted folk song “Misirlou” (also famously used near the beginning of Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 movie, Pulp Fiction). The resultant mashup was produced by will.i.amFor high-octane exercise, the best soundtrack is…

5: Lady Gaga: Just Dance

Stefani Gerotta, AKA, has been in business for more than ten years. Lady GagaShe has grown from an unknown pop star to a full-fledged pop icon with nine Grammys, more than 27 million albums sold, and an Academy Award. Her debut single, appropriately titled, co-written by Akon, gave everyone an idea of what was ahead when it was released in 2008. It featured a infectious dance-pop beat that filled dance floors around the world.

4: Rihanna: Pon De Replay

Rihanna’s debut single, “Pon De Replay,” was a fresh, fluid mixture of stylistic influences, from reggae to pop and R&B, with elements of dancehall. It is one of the most popular workout songs. Barbados native, the singer included this track on her debut album. Music Of The SunShe was a household name when she won the prestigious. The title translates to “play it again” in Bajan, one of the official Barbadian languages.

3: Nicki Minaj: Starships

With “Starships,” Nicki Minaj Her crossover was solidified from underground mixtape star to fully-fledged mainstream hitmaker. The high energy, catchy track, produced by RedOne, Carl Falk, and Rami Yacoub, was included on Minaj’s 2012 album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The accompanying music video was widely acclaimed and sees the rapper partying on a beach, perfectly capturing the song’s free-spirited vibes.

2: Kanye West: Stronger

Kanye West is no bad rapper by any means, but it’s his prowess as an innovative producer that made him the stuff of legend. “Stronger,” one of the hit singles included on his third album, Graduation, is a pop masterpiece: a brilliant, pulsating reworking of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Its influence on the direction of both pop and hip-hop music in subsequent years cannot be understated.

1: Eminem: Lose Yourself

Written for the Eminem-Starring movie 8 Mile, “Lose Yourself” quickly became an anthem, and one of the most successful hip-hop tracks of all time. Its churning, energizing beat is elevated by Eminem’s lyrical dexterity – the track is a perfect showcase for the linguistic mastery and potent vocal delivery that earned pop provocateur Marshall Mathers his place in rap history. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also the perfect workout song to get your blood and muscles pumping.

Honorable Mentions

The Best Metal Workout Songs

There’s nothing like a great guitar riff to get your blood pumping. These are just a few of the best cardio workout songs.

Foo Fighters – Times Like These
Nirvana – Smells like Teen Spirit
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Imagine Dragons- Believer
Linkin Park feat. Jay-Z – Numb/Encore
AC/DC – Thunderstruck
Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger

Best Pop / R&B / EDM Workout Songs

Are you more into electronic sounds? You can blast these classic and new school songs that will keep the beat going.

Snoop Dogg & David Guetta – Sweat
Drake – Nice For What
Cardi B feat. J Balvin and Bad Bunny, I Like It
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch – Good Vibrations
C&C Music Factory – Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
Destiny’s Child – Survivor
Britney Spears – Work B*tch
Technotronic – Pump Up the Jam
Ciara – Level Up
Kygo feat. Whitney Houston – Higher Love
DMX – Party Up (Up In Here)
DJ Khaled feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross – All I Do Is Win
Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX – I Love It
Miley Cyrus feat. French Montana – FU
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande – Rain On Me
DJ Snake feat. Lil Jon – Turn Down For What

Did we miss one of the most popular workout songs? Leave us a comment below.

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