Health & Fitness
Top 7 Albums For A Perfect 45-Minute Workout
The right album can turn a workout from something you have to get through into something you actually look forward to. These seven records bring the momentum, energy and sheer musical pleasure to make a 45-minute session fly by. Some are almost purpose-built for exercise; others are simply brilliant albums that happen to make you want to move. Press play, keep going and let the music do its thing.
This is the most literal choice on the list. James Murphy created 45:33 as part of Nike’s Original Run series, composing a continuous piece of music specifically designed to accompany exercise. Rather than simply stringing together dance tracks, it builds and changes pace over the course of the workout, with the kind of restless, propulsive energy that makes the minutes disappear. It is an unusually clever piece of music with an unusually useful purpose.
There are few albums better suited to making exercise feel like a night out. Released in 2001, Fever is a brilliantly economical collection of dance-pop, built around immaculate production, irresistible hooks and a near-constant sense of forward motion. From Can’t Get You Out of My Head to Love at First Sight, it barely gives you a moment to consider stopping. Sometimes the best workout soundtrack is simply an album that makes standing still impossible.
Hot Fuss is practically engineered for running, cycling or any workout that benefits from a little theatrical intensity. The opening run of Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Mr Brightside and Smile Like You Mean It is an extraordinary burst of momentum, and the album rarely loses its grip after that. Brandon Flowers delivers every chorus as though the fate of the world depends on it. It is big, dramatic, relentlessly catchy rock music that makes a difficult final stretch feel considerably more manageable.
Recorded entirely on analogue tape in Dave Grohl’s garage, Wasting Light has the raw, muscular sound of a band playing with everything they have. Bridge Burning launches straight into the action, White Limo brings a welcome burst of aggression, and Walk provides one of the great late-workout payoffs. The album is full of huge riffs, pounding drums and choruses that seem to demand a little more effort from you. It is an excellent choice when subtlety is not what the session requires.
For those workouts that need a more extreme soundtrack, The Prodigy’s third album remains a formidable piece of work. Released in 1997, The Fat of the Land fused breakbeats, rave culture, punk aggression and electronic noise into something that sounded like nothing else at the time. Firestarter and Breathe are obvious adrenaline injections, but the relentless intensity runs much deeper than its singles. It is longer than the other records here, but if you want an album that makes you feel indestructible, this is a serious contender.
Kala is a wonderfully unpredictable workout companion. M.I.A. pulls together electronic beats, hip-hop, dancehall, global rhythms and samples into a record that is constantly shifting beneath your feet. Bamboo Banga, Bird Flu and Boyz make for an explosive opening stretch, while Paper Planes provides one of the most instantly recognisable hooks of the 2000s. Its restless, boundary-crossing energy makes it particularly good for workouts that benefit from a change of pace and a little unpredictability.
Dirty Computer brings a different kind of energy to the list: playful, futuristic, funky and full of personality. Janelle Monáe moves effortlessly between pop, R&B, funk and electronic music, with a sequence of songs that feels both ambitious and immediately accessible. Make Me Feel is an obvious highlight, but the album is much more than a collection of singles, with a strong sense of flow and a succession of tracks that keep the momentum alive. It is the kind of record that can make exercise feel less like a chore and more like a celebration.
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