Listen Here: Deadshirt Workout Plan

Listen Here is a monthly playlist picked and curated by members of the Deadshirt staff around a certain theme. This month’s theme is “Workout,” with a playlist selected by several Deadshirt staffers and curated by music editor Julian Ames.

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March is here, which means that soon the weather will be warm, the snow will melt, and it will be Spring. A lot of people take this time to start working out and exercising to get their bodies out of Winter hibernation mode. Feeling the call to the gym, several Deadshirt staffers decided to put together a playlist of songs they like to exercise to.The playlist that follows follows is 10 great workout songs picked by Joe Stando, Mike Duquette, Max Robinson, Haley Winters, David Lebovitz, and Julian Ames. We hope that whether you’re walking, running, jumping, swimming, lifting, crunching, or yoga-ing, this list will get you through your workout pumped up and feeling good.

“Tusk” – Fleetwood Mac
This song is musical equivalent of watching Dwayne Johnson kick a guy’s ass while wearing a Three Wolf Moon t-shirt. The heavy drums, the *live* marching band accompaniment, the “JUST SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME!” If Hell had a college and that college had a Division I football team, this would be their fight song. “Tusk” makes you wanna run through the streets and howl, it makes you feel invincible. Listen to this next time you’re on the stationary bike and try not to accidentally break lightspeed and travel through time. – Max Robinson

“Here It Goes Again” – OK Go
Hey remember the treadmill song!? Not only is this song great for a workout playlist because of its association with gym equipment, but OK Go’s upbeat power pop tune is great to amp you up or actually run on a treadmil to. – Julian Ames

“Good Vibrations” – Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch
It’s got a good beat, there are lines about sweat and being healthy, and it was rapped by a young Dirk Diggler. That’s good enough for any workout routine, but I’d be lying if I said the song’s gym-heavy music video didn’t influence me. I’m still pretty convinced that Pain & Gain is a gritty reboot of that video. – David Lebovitz

“Harder Better Faster Stronger” – Daft Punk
One of the reasons we work out is to get our bodies harder, better, faster, and stronger, so this song is perfect. You can match your workout rhythm to this song’s mechanical pace, and you can even pretend like you’re a robot lifting heavy machinery, you know, if it helps. – Julian Ames

“Air Force Ones” – Nelly
A camp counselor taught me an ab workout to this song in middle school, and it’s still pretty much the only workout I ever do. (I still have it scrawled out in 13-year-old handwriting somewhere, if you want a copy.) The slow-pump rap tempo is perfect for gettin’ that good crunch on. Thanks Casey! – Haley Winters

“Hell of a Life” –Kanye West
When I’m not writing for Deadshirt, I’m employed as a door guy at a popular bar downtown. As you can imagine, I need to be at my physical best, so in order to be able to throw U of M frat bros through plate glass windows, I spend a decent amount of free time working out. The key to a good workout song or playlist, I think, is strong beats that you can use to pace your running, lifting, etc. This whole Kanye album (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) is a great workout playlist on its own, but I think this track has the right level of intensity and pacing without being totally nuts (like “Power”). It is the lord of all Kanye workout jams, and it’s been my friend through many dangers. – “Swole” Stando

“The Queen and I” – Gym Class Heroes
A great workout song should have more than just the right rhythm, it should be fun! Because God knows, working out sure isn’t (to me, at least). I love kicking off to “The Queen and I” because it’s just a blast to listen to, and its snarky sarcastic attitude toward its alcoholic subject is exactly how I feel about moving my body. – Haley Winters

“How You Like Me Now” –The Heavy
The other half of a good workout song, which is just as important as a strong beat, is swag. When you’re at the gym, you should listen to songs that make you feel cool as hell. Because you are! You’re working out! You’re at the gym! Millions of people choose to catch up on The Walking Dead or whatever instead of pushing themselves to their physical limits, but not you. You took time out of your busy schedule for the betterment of your health, and that makes you a Cool Person. As overexposed as this song got in car and candy bar commercials, there’s still an undeniable rush when you listen to it, and couple that with the adrenaline and endorphins your body is releasing? That’s the best drug of all, my friend. That’s Working Out. – Joe Stando

“Hearts On Fire” – John Cafferty
There’s a gym barely around the corner from my apartment, a perfect place to test albums to accompany my journey on the elliptical. Unsurprisingly, the best example may be the soundtrack to 1985’s Rocky IV, the film in which Sylvester Stallone’s titular boxer ended the Cold War with brute strength. I love the hits—Survivor’s underrated “Eye of the Tiger” follow-up “Burning Heart,” James Brown’s lovably goofy “Living in America,” and Vince DiCola’s synth-happy score cues—but my favorite might be “Hearts on Fire,” the inspirational, dexterous synth jam from John Cafferty. I won’t knock out Ivan Drago any time soon, but this song makes me feel like I have a chance, which is probably why we listen to music while working out in the first place. – Mike Duquette

“Hooked On A Feeling” – Blue Swede
Because sometimes you need to feel like Star-Lord. I’m absolutely convinced that Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is what convinced Chris Pratt to turn from Andy Dwyer into Peter Quill. – David Lebovitz

That’s Deadshirt’s hand-picked Workout playlist – now, you tell us what songs you like to listen to during your workout. Comment below or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter!

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