Whether exercising is something you love or loathe, the perfect workout mix can help you burn off those calories while enjoying great music at the same time. With that in mind, here are the 20 best rock workout songs, tunes that are sure to get your adrenaline flowing and your feet moving.
20. Nickelback - "Something in Your Mouth"
Photo courtesy Roadrunner.
Lyrically, this Nickelback ode to a gold digger is pretty objectionable. Musically, the fast-paced rhythm makes this Dark Horse track an ideal workout song. Credit producer Mutt Lange for teaching this Canadian post-grunge band how to get their groove on.
19. Audioslave - "Show Me How to Live"
Photo courtesy Epic.
This Audioslave cut isn't intended for high-energy workouts. Instead, "Show Me How to Live" is a slow burner that keeps ratcheting up the tension, making it a track that's well-suited for long-distance runs when you need endurance not speed. Cheering you on is Chris Cornell and his powerful pipes.
18. Stone Temple Pilots - "Sex Type Thing"
Photo courtesy Atlantic.
Because of the aggressive guitars and drums on this Stone Temple Pilots track, it's easy just to move to the music without even thinking about the lyrics. But this great workout song has an edge to it -- singing from the perspective of a dangerous sexual predator, frontman Scott Weiland turns that aggression into a commentary on a dangerous mind.
17. Saving Abel - "New Tattoo"
Photo courtesy Virgin.
Saving Abel fluctuate between relationship ballads and Southern-fried rock. "New Tattoo" is definitely in the latter category, offering a sexy story about a road-tripper, a good-looking hitchhiker and the misadventures that follow. Subtlety isn't this band's strong suit, but they know how to get hips shaking.
16. Alice in Chains - "Dam That River"
Photo courtesy Columbia.
Few bands do snarling menace better than Alice in Chains, and on "Dam That River" they locked into a particularly epic groove. Frontman Layne Staley's demented vocals intertwine with Jerry Cantrell's fuzzed-up guitar, resulting in a song that plays like a clenched fist of unbridled rage.
15. Rev Theory - "Hell Yeah"
Photo courtesy Interscope.
The opening track to Rev Theory's Light It Up sets the tone for the rest of this high-octane record. "Hell Yeah" wants to do nothing more than tear down the road with a bunch of loud guitars and lead singer Rich Luzzi's frenzied hey hey heys. The song barely stops for breath.
14. Shinedown - "Devour"
Photo courtesy Atlantic.
From Barry Kerch's opening martial drums, this Shinedown song build and builds until the guitars explode at the start of the first verse. From there, "Devour" shows no mercy, definitely getting your heart rate up in short order. Though "Devour" is a staunch antiwar anthem, its vibrancy makes it a good tune for preparing for your next sporting event.
13. Velvet Revolver - "Slither"
Photo courtesy RCA.
At first, "Slither" doesn't seem like a good workout song, but the quiet opening quickly gives way to Slash's propulsive guitar solo and Scott Weiland's emphatic "Hey!" Moving from revved-up highs to slowed-down lows, the song feels like a burst of energy when you need to take it up a notch.
12. Slipknot - "Psychosocial"
Photo courtesy Roadrunner.
The guitars on All Hope Is Gone's lead single fly all over the place before settling into a pounding, energetic groove. Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor is a world-class screamer, which ought to get your pulse pounding in seconds flat.
11. Buckcherry - "Crazy B****"
Photo courtesy Eleven Seven.
Buckcherry craft a particular type of workout song known semi-affectionately as stripper-rock –- sexy tunes about bad girls that are full of lothario bravado. This crude, hooky number (about an unhealthy sex-not-love relationship) is absolutely not meant for kids but is a heart-pumping tune for adults.
