Three Flexing Bicep Emojis

Making Spotify playlists is an absurd, minor passion of mine. I have a playlist for every season, every mood, "best of" compilations of my favorite artists, as well as various activities such as painting, getting ready in the morning, hooking up, and of course, working out.

Being active has been kind of a struggle for most of my life. Up until a few years ago, I was more or less a couch potato. Being active just wasn't my jam. I had tried yoga (yawn), aerobics (ugh), running (no thank you), and the thought of doing group exercises made me nearly break out in hives. I knew I had to do something, because my body image has never been that great. Enter my last boyfriend, who is ex-navy, super buff, and a total gym rat. He was the one that convinced me to go to the gym with him, sign up, and start lifting weights. I fell in love instantly, which of course meant curating the perfect playlist to go with my new favorite activity.

What I love most about lifting weights is how strong it makes me feel. All the years prior, my focus was about losing weight and feeling thinner, but lifting weights made me feel like I wanted to take up space. I want my power to fill the whole room. So I packed my playlist with songs that ignited a fire in me and filled me with energy - and the songs that do that the most effectively are the same songs that make me want to headbang and mosh.

I know I sound like a typical gym bro, but hear me out - okay, maybe you're right. But still. There is a special kind of rush once that pre-sup hits at the same time as your favorite breakdown and a surge of energy comes from - where did that come from? - and you're super-setting your way to another personal best. You're positive people can feel your power radiating to the next zipcode over. The best part? The aggression you may have experienced that day or week has a chance to be released, and you find yourself bitch-facing through your sets and no one wants to talk to you. Perfect.

A lot of heavy metal songs have really motivating lyrics, too - take "Bow Down" by I Prevail, for example: "Have you ever had a dream?/Would you fight for it?/Would you go to war?/Would you die for it?" Pair that with intense, almost desperate screaming vocals and a dramatic drum build-up, and it's enough to get any alternative music lover up and moving. It's nothing short of exhilarating. Most of the songs I have collected are by bands who have effectively created a "brand" in their music - A Day to Remember, He Is Legend, and Veil of Maya are the most repeated bands on the list. What that means for me is that I have an arsenal of songs that can keep me going from set to set. Of course, there are a few favorites on the list - when I need to dive deep to the very core of my being to finish those last few reps, I blast "Pool Spray" by Veil of Maya. I'm no musician, but I can appreciate a nasty drop D riff and the sharp, rhythmic crash of a china cymbal when I hear one. That song could revive every dying cell in my body.

There is an important distinction that I must make here. I have many "alt" playlists, but my workout playlist isn't just alternative or heavy songs that make me feel hyped. These songs do have a bit of a moody edge, but ultimately, the distinction is they make me feel powerful. He Is Legend's Suck Out The Poison is represented almost in its entirety, and it's not necessarily a "hype" kind of sound - but the brutal, driving guitars, relentless drumming, and vocals that swing from aggressive bellows to soft melodies is the perfect recipe for my ideal gym song. For example, "(((louds" features over eight minutes of all the above, as well as wordless vocalizations from a female singer that organically de-escalates the song from the heavy, driving force to its conclusion, which is perfectly paired with a cool-down exercise or post-workout stretch. The power aspect is very important to me because proper form and mind-to-muscle connection are both unequivocally necessary for an effective weight lifting session and to reap the benefits long term. Songs that are fast but lack power may excite me, but they have the potential of speeding up my movement, which could be detrimental to my joints and may even cause injury.

I'm not trying to convert anyone to be a metal fan, and I wouldn't recommend this playlist to someone who likes Top 40 or EDM when they hit the gym. But if you're more inclined to opt for a darker, acquired taste, if you're a music fan of all kinds, or if you're looking for some really empowering tracks and don't mind occasional demon shrieks in lieu of vocals, I would definitely give this playlist a listen. Or, you could hit that like button to bookmark it on your saved playlist page to refer back to when you find yourself at the gym and have just one more set to do, but your strength is waning - the turbo boost is there, I promise.