As I was getting ready to head for the locker room at my local fitness club, I stopped and looked around to survey the situation if for no other reason but to find a familiar face or better yet, an unfamiliar face who I’d like to get to know…

Through this quick observation period, I noticed something immediately. It seemed like everyone was listening to a personal music device (ie. IPod, MP3 player). A slew of questions raced through my head: What are they listening to? Hip-Hop, Rock, Dance, or maybe Country? Would someone have Celine Dion on there playlist? Am I the only one that left his IPod at home today?

So, for the rest of the week, I decided that I would conduct an informal survey of what people were listening to and find out what keeps people moving at the gym. Keep in mind, I tried to vary my workout times so that I would create a larger sample size of respondents by not running into the usual suspects.

The results of my very informal survey:

5. “Mama said knock you out” – LL Cool J

4. “B.O.B.” – OutKast

3. “Hot N’ Cold” – Katey Perry

2.”Live Your Life” – T.I. with Rihanna

Drum roll please….

1. “I Hate This Part” – Pussycat Dolls (PCD)

That’s a pretty interesting list of mostly new and a few old songs. You can see these selections evoke strong emotions which releases a positive by-product called intensity. The key to all good workouts always starts with intensity and I am a firm believer that music can play a important part in increasing your focus and training intensity. Other observations: Although over 60% of the respondents were female, I was still surprised to hear the Pussy Cat Dolls, or PCD pumping through the ear buds of the guys. On a related note, it was surprising that many people were very forthcoming with their playlists and secondly, it gave me a great opportunity to meet some new people along the way (if you’re ever in need of an ice breaker to start a conversation). Thanks to everyone who participated and for people reading, I’d love to know what you’re listening to at the gym…

For more information on the mental approach to fat loss as well as discussing dieting, cardio, and weight training, check out Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.

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