If you’ve been keeping up with this series, you know two things:
why you should run (get better in bed!), and how to plan your run (get you a goal!).
THE THIRD (AND FINAL) THING I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT RUNNING IS, it’s so much better when you’re doing it to Kanye.
…
That’s what she said!
Make a kick-ass mix.
Best part of running? Looking better? Nope. Feeling Better? Nope. Making a fitness mix for your pretty little mp3 player? Oooh yeah.
The only rule of fitness mix is: there is no rule. Whether you’re into hip hop, death metal, disco, or all three, if it gets your blood pumping and your feet moving, it goes in the mix.
I have a couple mixes on my iPod. The 27-song master playlist is great to shuffle through when I’m feeling random; with the master mix I never know what will play next—could be Technotronic telling me to pump up the jam, Jay-Z saying I should brush the dirt off my shoulder, or Black Eyed Peas singing about my humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps.
Sometimes—when I want to run for minutes and not distance—I put a towel over the treadmill computer and turn on my 30-minute mix, which looks something like this:
Let’s Get It Started—Black Eyed Peas
The New Workout Plan–Kanye West
Glass Danse–The Faint
Stronger–Kanye West
Firestarter–Prodigy
Volcano Girls–Veruca Salt
Hips Don’t Lie–Shakira
Welcome To The Black Parade–My Chemical Romance (for the cool down)
Want to give it a listen? Click on my mixtape!
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Need some inspiration to create your playlist? Hänni recommends you:
• Rock out like an Olympian with the US Summer Olympics Athletes Playlist
• Check out this huge and awesome list of workout songs from peertainer.com
• Skim through the official workout playlists thread at bodybuilding.com
• Get stoked on the Art of Manliness 52 songs to help you get bigger, stronger, and faster
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Hey hannihaus readers, what are your favorite tunes to rock your run to? Leave them in comments.
And with that, our How To Run Your Ass Off (Literally!) series concludes. I hope you are inspired to dust off your sneaks or kick up your routine. With a little motivation, a plan, and a good mix, you’ll be harder, better, faster, stronger in no time.
May your next run be your best run,
xoxoh
the last five on my list were…
Mastodon – Blood and Thunder
Ween – Voodoo Lady
Queens of the Stoneage – Quick and to the Pointless
Disturbed – Meaning of Life
Wu-Tang Clan – Reunited
i tend to keep a couple hundred songs on my master list though so that i don’t have to change it up as often.
I think you forgot the Wrex-n-Effect.
Oooh, YES. Kick-ass mixes are ESSENTIAL to the best of all workouts. I heartily concur. And now I’m excited to add yours to mine. Playlists, UNITE.
Holy shit! Call me the Ostrich of Doom, but I have had my head buried somewhere for way to long! Drama here at Casa de Stampy, but that’s no excuse for missing your major life change. Sorry to hear about the divorce; happy to see you’re kicking ass and taking no names. E-mail me soon and plan a trip to SoCal.
well, I have to agree on the kanye, but I completely forgot about prodigy! I’m so adding that to my list.
Kanye and BEP have the most playtime on my workout mix, but I like to add in a little TOOL, Sublime, White Stripes and Fort Minor. I also have this love for LL Cool J – Doin it. It reminds me of all of the dirty reasons why I want to look hot.
Hi Hänni! Love the mix tape! I definitely agree that certain songs get me in the mood to exercise, and your picks are right on. Now do I have to actually go exercise? Because it’s kinda hot outside. Maybe I’ll just exercise in my mind. I’ll do Sudoku! Woo hoo!
BTW, I started blogging again – two short years after I left the blogosphere. Stop by some time if you want to!
It’s been forever ago since I stopped by your thoughts in blog form. I read this one entry and felt I had to mention the type music that gets me pumped for running, or in my case biking.
I found a nice nook in Portland Oregon where the bicycle still rules the streets. When I’m late for class or work and need to peddle extra fast I slip in a mix of bluegrass music.
I know what you’re thinking, but it’s like I have my own personal get away music. Nothing makes you move faster than a mad man drunk on white lighting picking a banjo.
I have to add that I’m not much for country music at all, but find bluegrass can really get one moving.
I love Stronger by Kanye too, although I am a little sick of it. don’t laugh, but the theme to the Biggest Loser is great too, if you set it to start a minute into it (skipping the slow intro). I like a mix of a lot of different things, as long as it’s not too repetitious and the beat is fast, fast, fast. Turn the Beat Around by Gloria Estefan is good, as are most songs by Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas (Pump It, Fergalicious, etc.). I have a hard, hard time running w/o good tunes.
How cool is that mix tape!?
I just ran a hlaf and my iPod music was terrible! I agree good music makes running better!