The Perfect Workout Partner

Before you hit a hard workout you need to make sure you are mentally and physically ready to roll. Hopefully you have enough calories in you but not a full stomach.  Bust out the light weight trainers and hit the 5hr energy and you will be ready.  That all is great advice but the one missing piece from a successful workout is the perfect Ipod song playlist. Running purists will scoff at this but do not dismiss it without trying it. You may even set a workout PR because that is the power of music.

My favorite workout Ipod line of all time was by Willy Kaul an 11 time All-American and former D3 National 5k & 10k champ. Before a workout where we were looking to do 3 miles at 4:55-5:00 mile pace, 2 miles at 4:45-4:50 pace and 1 mile at 4:35 pace all on 2 laps jogging rest was..... "You know I am going to have my Ipod on during the workout...right?"  I guess that meant do not talk to me until the cooldown.  Then I knew Willy was as serious as I was, there were never any outside distractions or games when I worked out with Willy. Just before each interval he would reach down and tap the volume one time and right then I knew there was no fooling around on pace or effort. It had to be there.

For setting your playlist you need to factor in about a 15-20 minute jog warmup followed by 15-20 minutes of stretching and strides. Basically you have to fill 45 minutes with around 10 songs pre-workout with some music that is going to be just enough to pump you up but is still holding you back just a bit because you want to save the pump music for the 45-60 minutes while you are doing the workout.  Those raging 12 workout songs are going to help you hit workout splits. For your Ipod or Mp3 player make sure to title the playlists accordingly for each workout so you know what works.

Here are some pre-workout warmup suggestions soft enough but setting the table to fire you up.
Cinderella - Gypsy Road
Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
ZZ Top - La Grange
Nirvana- In Bloom
The Offspring - Self Esteem
Sponge - Plowed
Monster Magnet - Powertrip

For the Workout the Playlist has to work as hard as you do.
Judas Priest - Living After Midnight
Slipknot - Psychosocial
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Buckcherry -  Lit Up
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Alice in Chains - Man in the Box
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
Sum 41 - Fat Lip
Black Label Society - Overlord or Fire it Up

If you had (1) song to listen to before the Biggest workout/race of your life.....what would it be?  If your initials are A.N. or R.M. I will not be debating this topic with you. Go out and get a music player.

Pre - Workout/Race Playlist

Every runner has a pre-workout/race routine that gets them ready to roll. The usual routine of the 20 minute warm-up jog, some stretching and strides. That is a great plan but what about the music? A perfectly laid out playlist leading right up to five minutes before you toe the race line is what you may be missing. Sometimes the adrenaline rush and the thought of racing is not enough so what is a good substitute? How about a hand picked playlist on your Ipod that sets the tone and mood one hour to the last five minutes out from the race.

This is more important than you think. Just ask 2:10 marathoner Brian Sell who represented the United States in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing.  Before the 2007 USA Olympic marathon trials held in Central Park in NYC, Sell, who was a huge underdog, pumped two last songs before he lined it up with hopes of finishing in the top 3 to earn a spot on the US Olympic Team. Any guesses what artists or songs they were??  Hints--one group is the most outspoken political rock group of all-time (no longer together) & the other artist played a concert at the Milwaukee Zoo seven years ago and is an ex-NYC cop. Anyone that can guess the artists or songs wins a ThunderDome Running t-shirt. Post your guesses. You might be surprised by the answers.

So here are your weekly top 5 songs to add to your pre-workout and then eventually race playlist. The key is to work the songs into your workout routine to give them a little test to see if they will work on race day.

1. Ace of Spades - Motorhead
2. Shipping up to Boston - The Dropkick Murphys
3. My Wave - Soundgarden
4. Joker & the Thief - Wolfmother
5. Baba O' Riley - The Who