According to Science, listening to music while you workout actually makes you better at it. With the right soundtrack, you can actually lift more, run faster, and work out longer. If you’ve got the right beats per minute, the right pace and the right song, you’re going to get huge.
Jog.fm, a clever new website, helps you build the perfect playlist for your workout, whether you’re a runner, walker or biker. What it does is figure out the perfect number of beats per minute for your mile time, builds a playlist full of songs with the right beat and pace, and then if you run at the pace of the song, you’ll be right on track.
I put eight minutes in as my mile time, and got back a playlist that ranged from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” to Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister.” Every song in the playlist has a steady, thumping beat that should keep me energized, occupied, and on pace.
You can customize the playlist as much as you want, even building your own from Jog.fm’s suggestions and your favorite songs. There’s also a way to browse other people’s playlists, which I liked – people create things like “My Epic 5K playlist” and “Half-Marathon Training,” which is a great way to get yourself into the mode that someone else already has.
Once you’ve got a playlist you’re ready to run to, the site makes it easy to buy one or all the songs you need through iTunes, with a single click. Or, you can play all your songs through Grooveshark, which Jog.fm embeds into the site in widget form. You can only save playlists if you have a Jog.fm account, but that’s free to get and easy to sign up for.
You can also map out your runs, before or after the fact, to figure out exactly how far you went.
Having the right music can help you run better, and Jog.fm can help you figure out the right music. Then it’ll show you how far you ran, for how long, and might even help you run better next time. I highly recommend poking around the app if you’re bored with your gym playlist, or find yourself not motivated by your workout music anymore.
Speaking of which, I’m bored with my workout playlist. Any suggestions for what I should listen to?
