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How to Make the Perfect Playlist for Your Workouts

Choose three for your sprint:

  • Can't Hold Us, Macklemore (featuring Ray Dalton)
  • The House That Heaven Built, Japandroids
  • Everybody Talks, Neon Trees
  • Runaway Baby, Bruno Mars
  • Pump It, The Black Eyed Peas
  • Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good) Sugarland
  • Hey Ya! OutKast
  • Come and Get It, Selena Gomez
  • All I Do Is Win, DJ Khaled

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Recover

Now choose three slow jams to place between those all-out sprints to catch your breath. Keep these at 130 to 140 BPM. This is a strategic breather. When joggers listened to tracks at 140 BPM after a burst at top speed, they recovered more quickly and were able to take off again sooner than when they went music-free, a Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study indicates.

More: 7 Tools for a Quick Recovery

Choose three for your recovery:

  • Goin' In, Jennifer Lopez (featuring Flo Rida)
  • Closer, Tegan and Sara
  • Harlem Shake, Baauer
  • Let It Go, Dragonette
  • Blown Away, Carrie Underwood
  • 50 Ways to Say Goodbye, Train
  • Pour It Up, Rihanna
  • I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons
  • Feel This Moment, Pitbull

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Cool Down

The end is near! You've logged about 30 minutes of cardio. Cue two chill-out songs under 110 BPM to hit your 450-calorie-burn target. Research suggests that slower speeds like this are best for lowering blood pressure and heart rate. And Foster theorizes that this gradual dial-down is the key to enjoying exercise. You wrap up your session in a happy place that you'll actually want to revisit.

More: Best Cool-Down Exercises

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About the Author

Beth Janes

SELF gives you great advice on being healthy, happy, slimmer, fitter and less stressed.
SELF gives you great advice on being healthy, happy, slimmer, fitter and less stressed.

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