Finding the right workout songs

WILMINGTON — Motivating yourself to work out isn’t always easy. But it may be a bit easier if you have the right soundtrack.

Laura Bay rarely goes to the gym without her i-pod. She says the right music is almost as crucial to her workout as a good pair of running shoes.

“I’ve run two marathons, and in my first marathon I just wore out my iPod,” said Bay. “It just doesn’t work anymore.”

These days it seems almost everyone at the wilmington athletic club wears headphones. Studies have shown it actually improves results by motivating and distracting people from fatigue. Just ask fitness instructor Matthew Crambleet — who’s been teaching aerobics and weight lifting classes for years.

That’s what fitness is all about is finding what ties you to the music to your fitness. That keeps you moving along your path to better fitness,” Crambleet said.

Then there’s the challenge of finding the right music that will keep you moving. Scientific studies show that the best work songs are usually more upbeat. They have a distinguishable rhythm that you can move along to and coordinate your movements.

But some, like Laura Bay, prefer to run to their own beat.

“Sometimes it’s happy… I have different playlists for my mood,” Bay said.

Others, like Samuel Ramos, prefer to take it slow.

“I listen mostly to jazz music, smooth jazz, water colors from XM,” said Ramos.

“That’s for the yoga,” Crambleet said. He says he prefers his music match the rhythm of his workout.

Some of the more popular work out songs are hip hop tune “Push it” by Salt’ n Peppa and, of course, ‘Gonna fly now,’ which is more commonly known as the theme from Rocky.