Music For Exercise

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
right, so, I realize that many Dissensus regulars are may be aghast at the very idea of exercise.

and there is also an old general exercise thread but as the title states this is what music, if any, you fancy while you work out, what works best for you, etc.

when I'm running sometimes I prefer silence. when I do listen to music it's almost always something w/a 4x4 pulse - depending on my mood anything from full-on vocal garage house to the most sparse minimal techno (DBX-style tho, not mnml), so long as there's that steady kick which doubles a metronome to keep pace. often when I sprint the last few hundred yards I kick in some nutty '92 hands in the air piano anthem as like a sugar rush.

the main time I listen to music is when I'm in the gym lifting weights or rowing or whatever (I've been into Crossfit - which got a mention in the exercise thread - for a while) it's almost exclusively jungle, mostly the harder end of the '94-96 stuff (never anything 2-step, it's too sluggish). sometimes a bit of 4x4 speed garage or if it's a really crazy workout Jeff Mills - Waveform Transmissions or something like that. most gyms I've been too play terrible music at ridiculous volumes so it's necessary to drown it out.

anyway I dunno if this will interest anyone but the thought struck me when I was out running on my lunch break today.

so, preferences? suggestions? exercise is a waste of time?
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
oh, also, I wanted to say - it seems to me that there is some kind of relation w/music & these two different forms of physical movement, dancing & exercise. I guess the biggest difference is that exercise is intensely personal, being about one's own body, & even if you were working out with a group a people & listening to music it would never be communal in the same sense that a dancefloor massive is. but, still, physical activity, music, I guess I don't really have a point.

carry on then.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
True - but only if you're talking about exercise for its own sake, like jogging, working out etc.; on the other hand there are team sports where listening to music on a personal stereo would probably be rather counterproductive.
 

Leo

Well-known member
i've also used jeff mills for the rowing machine, the repetitive pumping works well. but most of the time, i go with no music. there's something about connecting with the zen of it, clearing the mind via the repetition for 30 minutes.

then when i'm done, i relax with a cigarette and some french fries.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
True - but only if you're talking about exercise for its own sake, like jogging, working out etc.; on the other hand there are team sports where listening to music on a personal stereo would probably be rather counterproductive.

right but that's not what I was talking about.

my point was more the connection between movement & music. in a way people aren't used to thinking about. or maybe they are, I dunno. personally I've never been much for dancing but I've listened to music while working out a million times. how music makes people move - as dance music critics seem to be always complaining that no one ever talks about how the music interacts w/the dancers.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
there's something about connecting with the zen of it, clearing the mind via the repetition for 30 minutes.

fully understand what you mean. if i'm in a place where there aren't any serious distractions I often forego music. unfortunately there are usually are distractions & I resort to headphones to drown them out.
 

tartablanca

capped
unfortunately there are usually are distractions & I resort to headphones to drown them out.

I remember reading somewhere that one's hearing is more sensitive when doing cardio/weightlifting, due to increased blood-flow. So hopefully you don't turn them up too loud. ;)

As for myself, I never do. I'm too busy paying attention to what I'm doing when doing weights or too busy zoning out when running. Genuinely interesting music would only distract me.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
right but that's not what I was talking about.

Yeah, sorry, I was just blathering.

If you played a team sport though, you could have a team theme song that you all listened to or even sang along to after practice. Something like Eye Of The Tiger or We Are The Champions, possibly. :D
 

hucks

Your Message Here
It took me ages to figure out that running was miles better with music. All that 130-140 bpm stuff is pretty much perfect for my running pace, so plenty of dubstep, funky and garage for me. And Tour de France by Kraftwerk. Yesmate
 

shaolinsoul

Well-known member
haha this is an awesome thread.

Ive been bulking and doing lots of lifting for three years now. Dont think I could last a minute without the proper "pump-it jam" on the pod. Tho it was mission impossible today when my i-pod died and all i had for company was soulja boy electro house remix blaring out at full blast. Fck that, worst workout ever.

For intensive lifting, ive usually gone for lots of 2003 Uk grime. Roll deep, Slk, Black Ops, D-Double E sets. Gets me really amped especially when then the shouting bits come on followed by a massive rewind and lots of background brappage.

But recently its been dark agressive techno thats done it. Theres nothing like connecting with your raw animal self while listening to pumping drowned out raw uncompromising techno. (Jeff Mills, Ancient methods, Regis, Mugon, Ostia etc.). Its almost a form of meditation in itself.

For the cardio its got to be long, expansive and constantly morphing. Primarily some Manuel Gottsching, Bvdub or Echospace, Rhythm & sound etc. You just get lost in the sounds man and before you know it 20 minutes have passed by..awesome.
 
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martin

----
In theory, I'd say something like pre-87 Conflict, Black Flag or Ripcord - it's what I get in my head anyway - but never actually bothered bringing tunes down to the gym. I have learned to hate R&B even more than before, though...and that fucking Alicia Keys video where her lunkhead boyfriend dies.
 

Client Eastwood

Well-known member
It took me ages to figure out that running was miles better with music. All that 130-140 bpm stuff is pretty much perfect for my running pace, so plenty of dubstep, funky and garage for me. And Tour de France by Kraftwerk. Yesmate

Ive only ever ran in silence.

What headphones do you/anyone use when running ? Something that would let some ambient/traffic noise in but not fall out my ear.

So called sports headphones with the band around the back are painfull and chaff. Any rec pls . . .
 

petergunn

plywood violin
black flag, cro-mags, sepultura, metallica, angry samoans, ssd, slaptshot, minor threat, jerry's kids... also grime...........
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
i want to get back into working out.

last time i was a gym member was when stageshow riddim was big (only mentioning this as grime used to be my workout music of choice, funny that lethal b did that workout song recently cos his stuff was prob the best for treadmills etc).

how long does it take to get properly buff? will i have to drink protein shakes? ive been wondering what it might be like to get ripped.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Depends what you mean by ripped: huge and muscular, or svelte and sinewy.

Either way the main thing is diet.

Building muscle is actually pretty easy to do (if you're prepared for the boredom, the sweat, the endless Calvin Harris blaring over the speakers). The genuinely hard part is keeping your body fat down. In order to do this quickly it would be best to look into High Intensity routines (e.g. 30 second exercises, with 10 second rest periods in between, for around seven minutes). Bonus of these is you don't need to go to a gym to do them. Much more efficient and effective way of losing weight than, e.g., long distance running. The downside to it is its bloody hard work, and will make you want to be sick/die the first few times especially.

But this won't beef you up, if that's your goal. For that you'll need to lift weights. Free weights ideally, cos they're better for your joints. (Speaking of which: http://time.com/4349628/marijuana-pot-gym-california/)

I'm trying out bouldering this week cos I'd like to do exercise that is actually fun, and I've never really found weight lifting much fun. Any sort of exercise is going to make you feel good though, so whatever works for you.

Musically, I find techno good for running and aggressive rap music good for weight lifting.
 
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