OK, I just got back from the gym. Today I decided to do a simple cycling workout. I set the resistance at 4 and then fired up my trusty old iPod (I still have the original 2005 iPod Nano) and started peddling. This was the first time I have listened to my music choice at the gym for a while, I was inspired by our article What Is The Best Music To Workout To? which was written after Dr Costas Karageorghis announced his latest findings about how music impacts your workout.
Why did I chose Guns n’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction? I love rock music, for many years it was one of my favorite albums (about 25 years ago) and it has a good combination of slow and fast tracks and it evokes many personal memories and emotions for me. It seemed to tick all the boxes, and I can report that I had a great workout.
I have used songbpm.com to get the beats per minute of each song, so that we can analyze the workout a little. Some songs vary in tempo – Paradise City being a good example, the final minute increase to a Slash fueled frenzy.
| No. | Title | BPM | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Welcome to the Jungle“ | 127 | 4:34 | |
| 2. | “It’s So Easy“ | 156 | 3:23 | |
| 3. | “Nightrain“ | 77 | 4:29 | |
| 4. | “Out ta Get Me“ | 143 | 4:25 | |
| 5. | “Mr. Brownstone“ | 106 | 3:49 | |
| 6. | “Paradise City“ | 100 | 6:46 | |
| 7. | “My Michelle“ | 103 | 3:40 | |
| 8. | “Think About You“ | 85 | 3:52 | |
| 9. | “Sweet Child o’ Mine“ | 134 | 5:55 | |
| 10. | “You’re Crazy“ | 122 | 3:17 | |
| 11. | “Anything Goes“ | 76 | 3:26 | |
| 12. | “Rocket Queen“ | 112 | 6:13 | |
| Workout Time: | 53:52 | |||
The album starts at a nice pace for a warm-up, using a lower resistance. At 127 BPM there is no risk of burning out too early! Then, we have the first higher tempo song, It’s So Easy, at 156 BPM. Time to start pushing harder to get the body working. As the song progresses increase to a full sprint, having now done around 6 minutes of warm-up.
The sprint is then followed by a recovery at a leisurely 77 BPM, and then followed by a fast Out ta Get Me at 143 BPM. The album slows down after this song, moving from the “Guns” (crime, fighting, angst, tension) half into the “Roses” half of the album (peace, women, love, sex). However, as mentioned Paradise City has a great final section which is fast – ideal for a big sprint.
From My Michelle onwards I focused on a steady but fast pace (trying to stay at just over 100 RPM on the bike). You’re Crazy then got me to speed up for one final time, and I used the final 2 songs as a cool down.
So a 50ish minute workout, in which I covered 24 km (15 miles) and burned just short of 400 Calories. It felt good, in fact, it felt easy – much easier than normal, and I usually only do 15 minute on the bike before hitting the weights.
Yes those big hair bands from the eighties cranked out some great workout songs and Motley Crue or Guns and Roses were right up there with the best. My favorite workout song though is Turn Me Loose by Loverboy which is not exactly hard rock but a great motivating tune. Check it out!