“So what’s your workout jam?” “What’s on your workout playlist for leg day?” “What do you listen to when you jog your daily 5K?”

All familiar questions if you follow any semblance of a regular workout routine. From cardio freaks to marathon runner wannabes and gym rats, music helps you take your workout au choix to the next level. It pumps up your heart rate and boosts your mental motivation during a training session. It also distracts you from pain and fatigue, and helps reduce the amount of energy you perceive yourself exerting. In fact, a 2012 study claims that music is like a legal performance-enhancing drug.

Which music works best, though?

While there’s no one right answer, we take a look at a few of the tunes that dominate core-engaging, sweat-inducing and motivation-boosting playlists of fitness enthusiasts.

Track #1: ‘Till I Collapse’ by Eminem

The rapper who gave us the quintessential ‘underdog rising’ theme, complete with sweaty palms and bomb dropping, gave us another motivational gym in this powerful track.

‘Till I Collapse’ might be bad advice if you take it literally, but it can certainly help when you’re pushing through negative motivation on your early morning jog. It’s also great for when you’re dragging your sleepy body to the gym, spurring you into a high-intensity workout.

Once dubbed the “ultimate workout song” by gym going experts, “Till I Collapse” has aged gracefully. It’s still popular in gym playlists, motivating people to give it every last drop of effort they can.

Track #2: “Energy” by Drake

If you’ve ever started a fitness routine and sustained it, you’ll know that the key is winning the mental battle against complacency, tired limbs and plain laziness.

That’s where Drake’s ‘Energy’ can help you out. The Canadian singer/actor/rapper may be most known for smoothly crooned tunes like Hotline Bling, but the aptly named ‘Energy’ is gym and running soundtrack gold.

If Drake’s lyrics don’t offend you, they’re sure to get your blood pumping. If lyrics boost your workout more than “trivial” details like bass thumping and BPM do, ‘Started From The Bottom’ is the track for you.

Track #3: “Don’t Stop The Music” by Rihanna

Trust Ri-Ri to deliver the high energy goods.

‘Don’t Stop The Music’ is sort of like an energy shake for your mental motivation. It is an up tempo, synth-heavy track that justifies its ‘heavy’ tag, and then some. Sample embellishments from Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” are a great fit for this Euroclub-inspired workout banger.

It doesn’t matter if you’re on a walk, a jog, a weight-training session, or a cycling trip: it’s all about the energy, and this track delivers the goods.

Agree with this list? Disagree? Have some suggestions? Let us know in the comments section!

References:

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/04/eminems_till_i_collapse_dubbed.html

http://www.complex.com/music/the-best-drake-songs/look-what-youve-done