Although we all know that exercise is good for us we often struggle to work out properly in the gym and find ourselves slacking off or stopping early as we begin to find it hard going.

But instead of suffering in silence why not get your iPod brimming with tunes and work out to your heart’s content. Music is a great motivational tool for your work out and according to research at Brunel University can help you to keep pace with your schedule whilst also cutting your perceived exertion by 10% giving you that extra boost of effort.

Using different types of music for different styles of workout can be a great idea and help you to perform your exercise routines better the next time you head to your health club and gym; here are some ideas for music playlists that you could take into your own gym session.

Stretching – Why not start your stretching with some slower atmospheric music, allowing you to relax into your stretches and make sure that they are held long enough that you are properly warmed up and ready to go for it when you get on the treadmill or get to lifting weights.

Weights – If you are looking to pump some iron it is also important to pump out the tunes. In order to have the right attitude to really go for it why not try listening to some tracks with a bit of swagger to help you to get into a good rhythm when lifting, some hip-hop or maybe even some heavy rock if you’re looking to push your muscle endurance.

Endurance – You might be planning on spending a substantial amount of time on the treadmill or bike and need something to keep you going at a steady pace and send you into a fitness fuelled trance so the time goes quicker. Well why not try a bit of trance to do just that, or get some house music on the go to keep up your intensity as you settle in for the long haul.

Interval training – As this type of training requires you to work at different speeds and raise and drop your heart rate a variety of tracks at different speeds placed to work alongside your intervals could make for a great gym session. A good idea would be to put together a mix of some drum and bass and dubstep. The two styles fit well together and the change from 180bpm for drum and bass followed by the drop to 140bpm for dubstep would work perfectly as you change the speed and intensity of your training.

So why not make a music soundtrack to your gym session, or even a few for different workout routines that can keep you following your fitness plan. You might even make some that you like so much you find yourself taking extra sessions at the gym or even prolonging your gruelling endurance session to hear the next track, and before you know it you could be an advocate of music as a fitness motivator.