Fresh from the Vault: The Best Workout Playlist for Your Videos

Spurred by the pandemic, the number of Americans working out at home has reached epic new heights. Since going to the gym was suddenly off the table for several months in a row—and even now, risks remain for working out in public spaces—at-home fitness took a huge leap up. For some athletes, working out with videos and in the privacy or comfort of their own home has always been the move. For others, the ease of cutting a commute and a gym membership out of the picture made the decision a permanent one. This shift in the industry has created another shift: A gap in the market when it comes to remote fitness content.

The influx of new users skipping the gym and seeking guidance at home means the market for workout videos and films has increased exponentially too. All the personal trainers, yoga teachers, and spin teachers, who thought they’d never need to turn their coaching skills into content, are now creating resources for remote attendees. Working as a trainer, structuring a workout, and teaching it in person requires a certain skillset while creating a video resource that can be reused over and over is another. It isn’t just a matter of filming what a trainer is already doing. Fitness videos require production value, planning, and legally licensed music that supports the pace of the class. 

Music is the one thing that matters more in a workout video than it might in other educational content.. Almost beyond the workout itself, the soundtrack is essential for setting the tone of the entire class. Music dictates the feeling and energy of the workout, and the right BPM can be essential to keeping up speed or pace when the pressure is on. Unfortunately, syncing up a playlist of popular workout songs isn’t going to be affordable for most fitness creators, no matter how much they might love working out to ‘90s hip-hop, mainstream pop hits, or classic rock. 

Popular artists rarely allow their music to be used in fitness productions, and using a hit song without permission could lead to content getting flagged, hit with a cease and desist, or even legal action. With that in mind, catalogs like APM aim to include offerings from less well-known artists that hit the same sweet spot for tempo, high-energy, inspiration, and BPM. These artists might not be hitting the Billboard charts, or getting played on the radio quite yet, but their music is designed to help fitness professionals and content creators strike the right balance between cueing and cranking up the volume during 

Spin classes, which became extremely popular following the rise of the at-home Peleoton, can be make or break based on the music. Now, plenty of more affordable or stationary bikes are being launched, and unlike the Peleoton, these don’t come with built-in programming. Getting the right playlist to make a spin video functional for those pedaling along on the other side of the screen is an optimal component of the process for cycling instructors or any producers they’ve hired to help them create content. The offerings in APM’s fitness-geared catalog specify several different BPM categories for each stage of a workout, with a whole host of options inside each range. From “wild stadium EDM with klezmer horn riffs” to funky electropop and even dancehall Asian fusion, this extensive catalog has the music to set all kinds of moods.

Yoga classes are another example of an at-home workout that can really benefit from proper track selection. These classes tend to start off slow and peaceful, with tranquil music played during the initial time lying down on the mat and early stretches. The next phase, of slowly warming up the body, usually includes a shift toward more upbeat melodies, and by the middle of the class, a pump-up track might be welcome to soundtrack a chaturanga or two. Finally, the end of the class is a return to a calming soundtrack, maybe with a hint of victory embedded in the relaxation. Since every workout tends to have a cool-down section, not just yoga, APM has a whole category devoted to that style of music.

Whether you’re in the warm-up or cool-down phase of creating fitness content, there are plenty of APM offerings to help support the project. There’s even a whole section of Bollywood tunes for any aspiring dance video creators. 

LISTEN to this awesome workout playlist for your videos.