This is a supplement to the magazine article here as well as additional posts here and here.

Almost as important as what to do and how to do it, is simply getting through it. Your workout, that is. How do you pass the time through the mundanity, boredom, and pain?

Some people like to watch television. Yeah, that’s okay. But inconsistencies in the pace make this distracting. Likewise with movies. Plus, there’s too strong an urge to leap off during commercials and grab a bag of Doritos.

Now, aside from the fact that you shouldn’t be eating Doritos in the first place, in all their greasy goodness, there’s the distraction of a bodily desire. Not good. The same goes for watching porn while working out. I don’t need to get into specifics here.

The point is, you want to sort of “zone out” during your workout. You want to be able to switch off your brain and tap into the shear animal physicality that is required to get the job done. You want to take pressure off your eyes, which is why the drastic light and color contrasts common in television and movies is not preferred. And you don’t want to have zero stimulus either as that just enhances your concentration on the muscular pain inherent in exercise. Pain is the only thing that rivals Doritos in preventing a good workout.

Thankfully, music usually does the job well. It gives us something else to think about without having to think. We can’t hear the auditory distractions from the air conditioner or furnace, or washing machine, or children. And we aren’t anxious from the vivid flash-osity of the TV. It’s perfect.

But be sure to pick the right music. The wrong music can be just as devastating as any of the other things that I’ve mentioned. The end music selection should be anything that allows you to get your workout done and to get it done right.

One strategy that I employ is to pick familiar music. This way I know what to expect; that there are no surprises. I know how it paces, where it slows and where it quickens. I know at what volume is most effective and how much it deviates from that. Also, mouthing the words helps regulate my breathing and gives something else to do that doesn’t require much attention.

Another strategy is picking music that has a faster pace. This subconsciously makes me move jus that much faster, thereby burning more calories or getting a little stronger. Sometimes it’s nice to have each of the songs vary in speed just a little to simulate interval training. Interval training is one of the best ways to burn the most calories by keeping your body in flux.

Here are my favorite bands and their corresponding albums I most enjoy listening to while getting sweaty and gross:

Audioslave

Not at all an overrated super-group, Chris Cornell and the former members of Rage Against the Machine, including Tom Morello, completed a short run and three fantastic studio albums for your workout pleasure. Audioslave, Out of Exile, or Revelations, any one of them is perfect for listening.

Metallica

Metallica is an obvious choice for a high-octane workout. But some discs are better than others. If it’s too early, the production quality is poor. If it’s too late, well, it’s too late. What makes Metallica so good for our purpose is it’s cohesiveness. The album plays, largely uninterruptedly in the whole. With the exception of The Black Album and Load. …And Justice for All and Master of Puppets are two of the best.

Flogging Molly

Anything Flogging Molly does is gold to me. I hate live albums completely. The only exception is Whiskey on a Sunday which includes great acoustical versions of some favorites. The best to listen to is Drunken Lullibies and Within a Mile of Home works as well.

Rage Against the Machine

Rage’s first album was groundbreaking and I’m sure that trotting along on your elliptical completely misses the intent of the music, but who cares. Once art is released into society, it no longer belongs to the artist*. Evil Empire is another fantastic piece of work and The Battle for Los Angeles has some good moments too.

*Legally it still belongs to the artist.