New Year’s Fitness Resolutions broken already? Spotify reveals the workout playlist scientifically proven to keep gym-goers on track

• Analysis of over 6.7 million ‘workout’ playlists globally on Spotify reveals the top tracks getting millions moving 
• Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton is the most popular song for working out 
• Data reveals that more women opt for a morning workout over men’s lunchtime trip to the gym
• Spotify has partnered with global expert on music for exercise and sport, Dr Costas Karageorghis, to create a playlist to make you sweat even harder

16 January 2014. Getting ready for Chinese New Year? Was hitting the gym part of your New Year's resolutions? Spotify, the music streaming service, has today revealed the tracks topping gym-goers’ playlists across the globe. Spotify has also unveiled an ultimate workout playlist based on the popularity of tracks coupled with scientific analysis of tracks that are proven to make you sweat harder in the gym, so you could tuck into those delicious cookies, sans guilt.

6.7 million workout playlists on Spotify have been analysed to find out what people are currently choosing to listen to in the gym with Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton being the most frequently featured track on workout playlists. Can’t Hold Us is followed by Wake Me Up by Avicii, ‘Till I Collapse by Eminem and Don’t You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin.

Spotify’s data also reveals that men are working out most frequently at lunch-times and later on during the week and feeling the burn to a range of music from classic tracks such as Eye of The Tiger by Survivor, with Eminem’s aptly named ‘Till I Collapse topping men’s playlists.

Women are choosing to sweat it out with pre-breakfast workouts at the beginning of the week, with modern classics such as Macklemore’s Can’t Hold Us and Rihanna’s We Found Love as their chosen tracks¹. Spotify’s data supports research² that shows women have a greater tendency than men to use music synchronously (i.e. to exercise in time to the beat). Pop and dance tracks from artists like Rihanna have regular rhythmic patterns that make them ideal for repetitive-type exercise tasks and supports why they feature so heavily in women’s workout playlists.

To help gym-goers perform even better this January, Spotify has teamed up with the Music in Exercise and Sport Group at Brunel University in London to create the ultimate workout playlist. The playlist is based on the global popularity of tracks together with tracks that are proven to make you work harder based on their tempo (bpm), style and lyrical content.

Dr Costas Karageorghis, Deputy Head (Research) of the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University, London and Reader in Sport Psychology³ said: “When synching your movements to the beat of the music, increase the intensity of your workout by raising the music tempo by one or two BPMs beyond your comfort zone – this will increase your workrate with the added benefit that the difference in effort will be almost imperceptible.”

The bespoke Spotify playlist has been developed to match your workout with popular tracks, kicking off with a warm up, leading into high intensity and strength training and ending with a warm down. It is also designed to keep you motivated to stay at the gym beyond the first couple of weeks in January.

The top ten Ultimate Workout playlist tracks are:
1. Roar – Katy Perry
2. Talk Dirty – Jason Derulo ft 2 Chainz
3. Skip To The Good Bit – Rizzle Kicks
4. Get Lucky – Daft Punk ft Pharrel Williams
5. Move – Little Mix
6. Need U 100% - Duke Dumont ft A*M*E
7. You Make Me – Avicii
8. Feel My Rhythm – Viralites
9. Timber – Pitbull ft Ke$ha
10. Applause – Lady Gaga

Dr Costas Karageorghis said: “A suitably motivational playlist can help to 'colour' the symptoms of exercise-related fatigue, like breathlessness and a beating heart, in such a way that they are interpreted in a more positive manner. This means that at the point when your body is shouting ‘STOP’, the music has the power to lift your mood and beckon you on. This is why your choice of music for exercise has important implications for how likely you are to stick to a New Year exercise regime.”

Joey Gonzalez, celebrity trainer, Partner & COO of Barry’s Bootcamp said: “During a Barry’s workout, an hour-long mix of strength training and treadmill-based cardio intervals, we try to match our runs and exercises to the beat of our music. For example, timing the treadmill sprints to the chorus of a track with a great hook, or playing a slower song with bass for incline jogs, and even matching steady consistent beats for long endurance runs are all part of our strategy.”

Angela Watts, VP of global communications for Spotify, commented: “It’s no surprise that everyone is hitting the gym hard after Christmas and New Year. Combining an analysis of Spotify’s 6.7 million workout playlists with Dr Costas’ research, we’ve created The Ultimate Workout playlist to help give you the best motivatation possible to keep that New Year’s workout resolution!”