According to new research, Queen, Survivor and Guns ‘n’ Roses classics top the charts of the best workout songs of all time. We Will Rock You, Eye of the Tiger and Welcome to the Jungle make up the top 3 of the survey.
The survey identified the top 50 songs that 2,000 Americans use as the soundtrack to their workouts and the rock classics topped the list. When asked to choose one song to workout to for the rest of their lives, respondents named a variety of acts. ABBA, AC/DC, Billy Idol, The Black-Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, DJ Khaled, Eminem, Michael Jackson, Queen, Rihanna, the Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift were among those mentioned.
Commissioned by RockMyRun, OnePoll conducted the survey to examine the role music plays in motivation to exercise. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would have “no motivation” for workouts, without their music of choice.
More than 7/10 respondents said faster music motivates them more than slow music. This is a finding RockMyRun’s Chief Operating Officer Katie Addison says is consistent with findings from users of the app.
“We often say that music ‘moves us,’ but when it comes to workout playlists, that influence can be quite literal,” said Addison. “Music not only sets the tone for the workout, but according to our user data, it can actually set the pace for runners – with the speed for 65% of our users increasing with the BPM of their music.
7% of respondents select their own songs during their workout, while 39% prefer to listen to a premade playlist created specifically for exercise.
“When it comes to keeping yourself musically motivated for a workout, personalization is key, but the effort required to create that ‘perfect workout playlist’ can take away from precious exercise time,” added Addison. Luckily, choice algorithms and AI can help with that, adding new tunes to your mix based on the ones you already love to help your workout fly by.”
With the fast-paced beats of classic rock songs, it is easy to see how they made the top 3 of the best workout songs ever. Check out the rest of the list below.
THE 50 BEST WORKOUT SONGS OF ALL TIME
- We Will Rock You – Queen (24%)
- Eye of the Tiger – Survivor (24%)
- Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses (21%)
- Lose Yourself – Eminem (20%)
- Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson (19%)
- All I Do Is Win – DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross (19%)
- Turn Down for What – DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon (13%)
- I Love It – Icona Pop (13%)
- Shake It Off – Taylor Swift (12%)
- Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore (10%)
- Work B*tch – Britney Spears (9%)
- Lose Control – Missy Elliot ft. Ciara (7%)
- Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey (7%)
- I Gotta Feeling – Black-Eyed Peas (7%)
- Back in Black – AC/DC (7%)
- Let’s Get It Started – Black-Eyed Peas (6%)
- Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes (6%)
- Thunderstruck – AC/DC (6%)
- SexyBack – Justin Timberlake ft. Timbaland (5%)
- Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones (5%)
- Good Vibrations – Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (5%)
- Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen (5%)
- Level Up – Ciara (5%)
- Gonna Make You Sweat – C+C Music Factory (5%)
- Titanium – David Guetta ft. Sia (5%)
- Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins (4%)
- Rebel Yell – Billy Idol (4%)
- Bring ‘Em Out – T.I. (4%)
- Hey Ya! – Outkast (4%)
- The Distance – Cake (4%)
- Move – Ludacris (4%)
- Jump Around – House of Pain (4%)
- All the Small Things – Blink-182 (4%)
- Party Up – DMX (3%)
- 2 Legit 2 Quit – MC Hammer (3%)
- The Pretender – Foo Fighters (3%)
- Come Out and Play – The Offspring (3%)
- ‘Till I Collapse – Eminem ft. Nate Dog (3%)
- Kickstart My Heart – Motley Crue (3%)
- Harder Better Faster Stronger – Daft Punk (3%)
- One More Time – Daft Punk (3%)
- My Own Worst Enemy – Lit (3%)
- Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz (3%)
- Lust for Life – Iggy Pop (3%)
- Numb/Encore – Jay-Z/Linkin Park (3%)
- High Hopes – Panic! at the Disco (3%)
- My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark – Fall Out Boy (2%)
- Song 2 – Blur (2%)
- The Power – Snap (2%)
- It’s Tricky – Run DMC (2%)
