[Zurg]

I've decided I've got to do something about my lard ass, so I've been going to the spinning class at my gym. I also have an excercise bike at home I would like to start using. At the gym they play music that has a variety of tempos and it really seems to help keep me motivated. I am completely ignorant of the latest electronica subgenres (Trance, House, Trip-hop etc.) and I was hoping to tap into the head-fi collective music conciousness and get some good recommendations for my purpose. The best music will have a tempo that accelerates to a driving beat and then occasionally lets off to a slower (resting) pace.

I would like either specific tracks or albums and, of course, the artist name.

Thanks, -Z

 

[Vosper]

What length rest do you need?

 

[Zurg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vosper What length rest do you need?

What do you have?

Seriously, anything from 20 seconds to a minute is good. The driving part doesn't necessarily have to be real fast. A good portion of the workout is endurance training. I will be mixing the tracks onto a custom CD of course.

-Z

 

[Asr]

Two of The Crystal Method's three studio albums are good for exercise - Vegas and Tweekend. Legion of Boom, not so much. Their mix CD "Community Service" is a good one though. I recommend TCM, about the only American electronic artist worth mentioning.

For generic electronica/techno, most people dig Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Prodigy, etc, but I personally don't. The Chem Bros don't know how to make an interesting song (I do admit they have sampling skills though), Underworld produces "lifeless" tracks that lack attitude and energy, and Prodigy has a way too aggressive style for me.

 

[GirgleMirt]

This thread, like many others, I find very disturbing...

You should just worry about doing your excercises correctly... Trying to find music with fast part so you can 'work hard' and slow parts so you can rest, well, seems like a very twisted idea...

What are the odds that you find the exact music which will be timed with your exercises... Not only that, even if you managed to find such a tune/album, how long is that going to last? In a few weeks you should need less rest, so that tune/album won't be usable anymore.. Or are you going to be constantly switching tracks to fit your workout?

IMHO, any piece of music which will keep you from thinking about something other than your aching muscles and dying heart will do the trick..

And why do you need a piece of music to play 'fast' while you're exercising and another slower for when you're catching your breath... Are you like a robot which only works when a certain type of music is playing? Have you no will?!

But since you asked... Just get a bunch of soundtracks from action movies for the exercise part. Mortal Kombat, Rocky, Blade, Fast&Frious, Matrix, etc.. Strangely, Rocky would probably the one with the best soundtrack!

So I would definetely suggest Rocky...

Plus, with the Rocky OST, you'll really feel like a champ when doing your exercises!

 

[Zurg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirgleMirt This thread, like many others, I find very disturbing...

Perhaps you are easily disturbed?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirgleMirt What are the odds that you find the exact music which will be timed with your exercises... Not only that, even if you managed to find such a tune/album, how long is that going to last? In a few weeks you should need less rest, so that tune/album won't be usable anymore.. Or are you going to be constantly switching tracks to fit your workout?

Perhaps you haven't done much cycling. It turns out that there is a limited cadence range in which you typically want to pedal. When you get stronger you simply increase the resistance and keep the same cadence. Thus you can continue to use the same music and alter the workout to give the desired level of difficulty.


Quote:

Originally Posted by GirgleMirt And why do you need a piece of music to play 'fast' while you're exercising and another slower for when you're catching your breath... Are you like a robot which only works when a certain type of music is playing? Have you no will?!

I, like millions of other aerobic exercisers, find the workout to be MUCH more enjoyable when accompanied with appropriate music. If I enjoy it, I am more likely to continue with it. My lack of will has little to do with it!

Thanks for the suggestions!

-Z

 

[GirgleMirt]

1) Not really.. Its just all these threads "music for studying", "music for sleeping" (I kid you not!), "music for walking on the street", "music for the metro", "music for exercises", "music while taking a shower" makes me wonder what kind of people sit there thinking what is the best music to [insert banal activity (like say taking a crap!)]...

2) Well you said yourself: "The best music will have a tempo that accelerates to a driving beat and then occasionally lets off to a slower (resting) pace". Seemed like you wanted the music to give direction to your workout... Plus I didn't know you were only going to do cycling, I read 'gym' and was assuming that you would use different cardio machines, most of which have programs that don't have you working out at the same level, a lot have 'wave' patterns (intensity) workout, allowing you to take resting periods during the exercise itself... (those are usually better for the beginners & fat burning) As for my cycling I usually do it outside during the summer

3) My gym plays the crappiest of musics, I'm tired, am having a ****** day at work, heh, but my point was, my gym plays a radio station which has the pop and some energetic music, its annoying as hell and has almost no impact on your exercises performance. If a song does get you pumped up for a reason, it usually loses its effects after a few times, and its not like that little energy boost from a tune can't come from somewhere else.. (usually your will and determination! If you rely on music for that ur doomed!)

If you're going to dance like those cute little girls in their tight suits, sure, an aerobic style music is required.. But, if you're going to be using a stationnary bike, step machine, skiing, lifting weights or whatnot, any music will do as long as you like it...

Whats spinning class btw?! I don't think its what I'm thinking it is...

Oh, and go for Rocky music though, real champs go for it

Even Rocky, the greatest champ ever, listened to that music when working out, if you don't believe me, you can even see it in the movie 'Rocky', like when he runs up the stairs, "I, of the tiger!!", woa so kewl, even u could do that, there wouldn't be a statue of you or people running and cheering you, and the music would only be playing in your headphones, but still.. You could still do it! Probably not as good as Rocky though.. coz he's liek the champ, but it would still be sumthin! Well I guess...

 

[zowie]

Chicken Fat -- Robert Preston

a classic

 

[Zurg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirgleMirt Whats spinning class btw?! I don't think its what I'm thinking it is...

My apologies for not explaining this up front. Spinning, as I have experienced it, is done on a stationary bike. It has no electronic parts. It has a large flywheel and a manual tension adjustment for a padded brake that is pushed against the flywheel. The class is led by an instructor who uses a microphone to be heard above the music and the fans. The instructor, (usually a buff female), rides her own bike, jockeys the music tracks, and spends most of her time shouting out words of "encouragement". There are about 20 people in most classes and the class is held in a separate room from the rest of the gym. The group setting, the driving music, and the instructor's comments really encourage people to "go for it". The class alternates between strength (out of the saddle simulated hill climbing), endurance (seated sustained speed pedaling), and brief sections of rest where you release most of the tension, but you keep pedaling while you towel off and take a sip of water. It is quite intense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GirgleMirt 1) Not really.. Its just all these threads "music for studying", "music for sleeping" (I kid you not!), "music for walking on the street", "music for the metro", "music for exercises", "music while taking a shower" makes me wonder what kind of people sit there thinking what is the best music to [insert banal activity (like say taking a crap!)]...

IMO there is nothing wrong with your somewhat purist point of view that music independant of the activities that people perform. On the other hand, since most of the time of most peoples lives is, by definition, banal, doesn't it make sense that they would like to spice things up with the addition of music. In this particular case, I for example, had at most a passing interest in popular electronica. Now that I am spinning, I can see more of a use for it, I hoped to shorten my search for appropriate music by taking advantage of other people's experiences. Seems fairly rational to me. I only learned to like swing music when I started swing dancing. Now when I hear a swing tune, my foot starts tapping, and I start imagining all the moves I could be doing with my sweetie...on the dance floor. I agree that some of the examples you cited may be a bit contrived and puerile, but I believe that there many valid cases for considering activity specific music.

Quote:

Adrian : Einstein flunked out of school, twice. Paulie : Is that so? Adrian : Yeah. Beethoven was deaf. Helen Keller was blind. I think Rocky's got a good chance.

-Z

 

[Xevion]

Quote:

"music for sleeping" (I kid you not!)

AIR AIR AIR AIR AIR!!!

I sleep to Air quite a bit. I keep the volume very, very low.



If you are looking for some trance to exercise to, I'd recommend Astral Projection and Hallucinogen, both are goa for the most part (straight forward trancey trance), although that can get a bit boring after a while. Doof is decent too, check out "Let's Turn On". Ceiba, if you can find it, is quite alright. Green Nuns of the Revolution is also good, and Transwave is okay. Note that this stuff isn't "progressive" trance, for the most part it doesn't have breakdowns and buildups - so making your own mix is ideal (and not very difficult). All of the above are pretty consistent, as long as you know the kind of trance you want to hear.

Trip-hop is very, very low key, and is not something that will cause you to feel energetic. Avoid it for this purpose.

 

[AuroraProject]

Since you mention wanting albums that wind up, mellow out, and then wind up again you should look into Paul Oakenfolds "Great Wall" & "Creamfields".