the first half of this weightlifting playlist is perfect. what would you add?

i've been working on this weightlifting playlist for like a year. it's gone through several iterations. i'm trying to keep it revving for a solid 80 minutes with some variety but nothing that kills the momentum. generally going for exhilarating / high on life / massive vibes. hard rock, metal and adjacent.

1. aerosmith - sweet emotion
2. zz top - gimme all your lovin
3. ac/dc - it's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock n roll)
4. corrosion of conformity - albatross
5. soundgarden - spoonman
6. black sabbath - supernaut
7. led zeppelin - ramble on
8. tom petty - runnin down a dream

9-20: ?

i have some tracks in mind (bob seger "feel like a number", a thin lizzy song, "roots bloody roots" by sepultura, maybe boc "godzilla" and judas priest "breaking the law") but i need new suggestions to try and make it all fit. your service is valued. sickos beware: russian or chinese propaganda of any kind will not be tolerated.

GPF x Unicorn On Ketamine - Greazy Unicorn

lord knows i have many joke answers in my past to answer for, so i forgive you, but please

hard rock, metal and adjacent.

thanks in advance

High On Fire, "10,000 Years"
Rollins Band, "Starve" (can't have a weightlifting playlist without Henry Rollins!)

oh good shout on rollins

high on fire, definitely.

Manowar - All Men Play on Ten
Thor - Thunder on the Tundra (gotta have Thor)
Montrose - Rock the Nation
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation

lots more butt rock

my hof pick was gonna be "madness of an architect" but "10,000 years" has a similarly monster groove, i haven't listened to it near as much, and that riff that makes everything look like a lisa frank painting, not dissimilar from the way everything looks after a heavy deadlift.

xp that's what i'm talking about, thank you

oh god that manowar track rules haha

awww that montrose track, definitely. i thought "jump" might sound good on this playlist but i always felt like it was kinda turgid. "rock the nation" gives hagar action but keeps it snappy. i might like "rock candy" even more.

Megadeth - Angry Again: Dave at his most rock-iest

Accept - Midnight Mover

Laidback - Sunshine Reggae

Saxon - Wheels of Steel

Georgia Satellites - Battleship Chains

can I do another joke one? please?

Free "All Right Now"??

Van Halen "Running With The Devil"?

Rise of the Northstar - Again And Again -> gym music

Queen "Dragon Attack"??

i like the saxon track. i had not heard them at all! 45 albums, the last one released last year, a 5-page wikipedia history, and they inspired spinal tap?

i had to listen to "the eagle has landed" and i think i like that one even more.

then checked out "hell, fire and damnation" from 2024 - totally rips, they still have it.

Free "All Right Now"??

― Serfin' USA (sleeve), Monday, July 6, 2026 8:11 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

probably yeah haha

this playlist needs some queen, i will check out "dragon attack"

my fave Queen deep cut fwiw

Queen - Stone Cold Crazy or Modern Times Rock'n'Roll
Bad Company - Good Lovin' Gone Bad
Duke Jupiter - Little Lady

Ram Jam - Black Betty

Rise of the Northstar - Again And Again -> gym music

this rules! the kind of perfect track that only ilm posters can bring to the party.

Ghost - Square Hammer
Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark

this rules! the kind of perfect track that only ilm posters can bring to the party.

yes! it's a tricky balance

re: Queen, I mean you can always go with "We Will Rock You" but I personally swear by "Dragon Attack"

"dragon attack" is excellent but i am far from above a big, dumb appearance of "we will rock you" in the middle of a weightlifting sesh - it helps that queen was never overplayed for me.

i love that kind of hyped up mook groove metal sound (in "again and again") which reminded me that i've been meaning to check out slipknot. i tried "psychosocial". i like the aggro part but the more tuneful section is kind of a stretch for me. is alice in chains responsible for that? i like alice in chains a lot, and i tried "grind" for this playlist, which was pretty good but a little too bummer-y.

You could have 'We Will Rock You' and 'Take On The World' by Judas Priest as a drum-led twofer

Some of these push the boundaries on the stated parameters but I think they would work depending on the sequencing:

Walt Mink - Twinkle & Shine
Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills
Ultra Vivid Scene - Blood and Thunder (single mix)
The Cure - Fight
Lush - Baby Talk
The Runaways - Cherry Bomb
Ministry - Burning Inside
GOD - Fucked
All-American Rejects - Move Along
Big Black - Kerosene
Fishbone - Freddy’s Dead
Bad Brains - Re-Ignition

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation

god i love thin lizzy so much but i listen to new things at a turtle's pace so i HAD NOT HEARD THIS MASTERPIECE until this thread! wowwwiiiee!

Quiet Riot 'Metal Health'

Scorpions - Here I Am (Rock You Like A Hurricane)

djp that is a very promising-looking list. the ministry track is perfect.

iron maiden definitely belong, but i have the entirety of powerslave queued up after this in case i just need a maiden fix.

Rainbow 'Stargazer'

i love that kind of hyped up mook groove metal sound (in "again and again") which reminded me that i've been meaning to check out slipknot.

iron maiden definitely belong, but i have the entirety of powerslave queued up after this in case i just need a maiden fix.

Ha I was originally going to say “Aces High” or “Losfer Words” originally

Let me say originally a few more times, apparently I like that word

originally

djp that is a very promising-looking list. the ministry track is perfect.

i've had versions of this with alice cooper's "feed my frankenstein" on it, which is a lot of fun but i kinda wore it out.

i wonder if anyone has a hot cooper tip? every time i do a quick google i get served up "poison" which i don't like at all.

Ha I was originally going to say “Aces High” or “Losfer Words” originally

― Whatwhawhawhaehawhahwawhawwww (DJP), Monday, July 6, 2026 8:59 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

undying love for both of these.

Some fistpumping black 'n roll may work too:
Samael - Mask of the Red Death
Satyricon - K.I.N.G.

oh i've also had a version of this playlist that got kinda industrial with that white zombie track and "closer" by nin which somehow i'm not sick of and sounds amazing during physical exertion.

I would have gone for “Heresy” or “Hand That Feeds” as my NIN pick, I think

Machine Head - Davidian

hahaha this is so so fucking stupid, it's perfect.

Best Alice Cooper = Halo of Flies

Some fistpumping black 'n roll may work too:

yeah i've wanted to add some black metal! but so much of it is not exactly uptempo. K.I.N.G is really cool!

Rainbow 'Stargazer'

― Maresn3st, Monday, July 6, 2026 8:52 PM (twenty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

love this

I mean it *is* Kashmir cosplay, but that drum intro alone.

Zeromancer - Doctor Online

Golden Earring - When The Lady Smiles

haha respect but a little too eurovision for me. (xp - zeromancer)

i've also gone kinda emo with this with a converge track ("make me forget you") - fun to make cry face and mouth along to.

ok "Doppelgänger I Love You" came on after this and i like it a little bit more, can't really deal with that guy's voice though.

"when the lady smiles" is nice!

for fans of industrial and groove metal, i have very much enjoyed last year's sanguisugabogg album, hideous aftermath, mostly while lifting weights.

"repulsive demise"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utecPDdPSQw

The Mars Volta - Goliath

i am glad the mars volta exist but i never could hang with em tbh

Deep Purple, maybe "Highway Star"?

What’s yr take on tricot?

Prong - Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck

On a Japanese tip, how about 'School Of Fuck' by Gezan

Deep Purple, maybe "Highway Star"?

― Serfin' USA (sleeve), Monday, July 6, 2026 9:57 PM (forty seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is cool and maybe the first deep purple i've heard tbh. generally i don't know about prog rock for this playlist. someone like iron maiden is pretty prog, but they make it all sound so urgent and badass.

i tried a molly hatchet track for this, "flirtin with disaster," but concluded after hearing it in full this morning that it's way too cookie cutter. i wonder if i should try an allman brothers track? i don't think i've heard any to be totally honest.

I love the Allmans but I don't think they have anything that fits this specific vibe. I am so pleased you got to hear Highway Star, it rules.

ps Molly Hatchet was my first concert at age 13, Rick Danko from The Band opened. so I will always love them but yeah that track doesn't quite cut it.

H.E.A.T. - Eye For An Eye

Sabaton - Carolus Rex

the prong track is cool, great chorus. that dry as fuck guitar sound makes me feel a little itchy though.

On a Japanese tip, how about 'School Of Fuck' by Gezan

― Maresn3st, Monday, July 6, 2026 10:00 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is fun but i got a hard limit on zaniness while lifting. in general i'm looking to turn my brain off and anchor. big dumb grooves and big feelings. i think this playlist is also about letting some good crackling songcraft carry me through. i think the first track, "sweet emotion" is a good example of all of that. of course i had heard it before but i'd never really listened to the full studio version. that thing is a studio masterpiece, ahead of its time imo. love those opening lyrics too: "talk about things that nobody cares / wearing out things that nobody wears." i get such a rush from that, i'm not sure why.

i'm not above well-crafted energetic mor for this - my current version has "dancing in the dark" on it. i made the mistake of putting dylan's "i believe in you" at the end because i had just discovered the song and really loved it, but it was way too still and quiet.

can't wait to get home from work, in front of my itunes and work on this again. thanks everyone a million for sharing your tracks. you made spending my birthday in the office a lot more fun than it would have otherwise been. cheers and if you ever think about trying out some weightlifting, do it, you won't regret it.

hbd map. need some creedence on there i think.

thanks! my last version had "looking out my back door" on it which works as a nice refresher between the harder tracks, but i might have to do "up around the bend" instead.

or "Keep On Choogling" for that last push

The Stooges - Down on the Street

wild there is no QOTSA in this thread, "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" is fantastic to move iron to assuming you're on none of the lyrics

I think you would like this playlist done by Domino records that may or may have not been done by Royal Trux or is just a 'records we think have this hazy + heavy vibe just like neil and jennifer'

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jb7E3JVxHrJ6dygKsbw7o?si=ea86fb1f7550441a

Dropout Boogie – Captain Beefheart
Shake Your Hips – Rolling Stones
Little Doll - Stooges
Gimme Shelter – Grand Funk Railroad (would suggest a mod and change it for the Locomotion version)
La Grange – ZZ Top
Jet Boy – NY Dolls
O My Soul – Big Star
Aqua Boogie - Parliament
Opera Star – Neil Young
Thunder and Lightning – Thin Lizzy
Never Say Die – Black Sabbath
Don't Ever Say Goodbye – Rick Derringer
Arrival – King Diamond
Kracked – Dino Jr
Kool Thing – Sonic Youth (would trade with maybe Washing Machine, boogie vibes)
Harnessed in Slums – Archers of Loaf
In the Mouth a Desert – Pavement (trade w their royal trux jam, Half a Canyon)
Falling Man - Blonde Redhead
Pull a U – The Kills
L Mansion – Sic Alps

Gilla Band - Why They Hide The Bodies Under My Garage

Helmet - "In The Meantime"

Mercyful Fate - A Dangerous Meeting
RTX - Heavy Gator
Catherine Wheel - I Confess

Helmet - "In The Meantime"

― brimstead, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 2:27 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

oh yeah, perfect!

I think I posted this before but when I was a teenage heavyweight JV wrestler, my 'Vision Quest' psych out tune on the walkman before hitting the mat was Aldo Nova's "Fantasy".

I still think it holds.

For something newer, I would use Devil to Pay's "Shake Hands with Death".

Fudge Tunnel - Grey, Pailhead - I Will Refuse, Bummed - I Want to Punch Bruce Springsteen In the Dick.

Motorhead - Shoot You In The Back

Pink Fairies - Do It

Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection

Avenger - The Birth of Muse finds its way onto all of my lifting playlists.

Ex Hex - Rainbow Shiner
Shok Paris - On Your Feet

Catherine Wheel - I Confess

love this. i didn't expect a romantic, uplifting powerful vibe from catherine wheel somehow. this thread is great for me because i get entry points into things i've been meaning to listen to.

also reminds me that i think i need sugar's 'jc auto' somewhere on this, if it fits. right now i'm taking it up to 2 hours / 30 tracks.

Pink Fairies - Do It

― Angine de Postecogloutrine (NickB), Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7:24 AM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

haha fantastic

Avenger - The Birth of Muse finds its way onto all of my lifting playlists.

― beard papa, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7:34 AM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

is this a song? i couldn't find anything!

Shok Paris - On Your Feet

great energy in this one

is this a song? i couldn't find anything!

Yeah, I couldn't even find it in search and had to pull it from my playlist. Here's the Apple music link. I'm almost sure it's still on Spotify as well. It's from the album Feast of Anger, Joy of Despair.

This thread also got me listening to Kvelertak for the first time in a few years, whose songs have peppered various gym playlists over the years.

Queens of the Stone Age “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar but I Feel Like a Millionaire”
Ministry “Filthpig”
The Jesus and Mary Chain “Who Do You Love”
Massive Attack “Inertia Creeps”

Saw an old dude in rural IL wearing a Scorpions ‘Blackout’ t shirt today in a store. And that’s my addition suggestion today.

This thread also got me listening to Kvelertak for the first time in a few years, whose songs have peppered various gym playlists over the years.

― beard papa, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 12:09 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

speaking of, i'm submitting kvelertak "1985"

Cheesy '80s Songs About Heart and Soul and Overcoming and Winning and Givin' it All That You Got (RIYL Action Movies and Training Montages and Cocaine)

The Go - Meet Me At The Movies

This thread also got me listening to Kvelertak for the first time in a few years, whose songs have peppered various gym playlists over the years.

― beard papa, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 12:09 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

speaking of, i'm submitting kvelertak "1985"

― ivy., Tuesday, July 7, 2026 8:23 PM (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

ok i had never heard of kvelertak. this is fantastic. video is is incredible. hits all my sexy/silly homoerotic buttons. what a gem. salute!

related: i think i need some andrew wk on this.

Hammerfall - Hearts on Fire

some andrew wk

Hand On the Place is pretty compelling.

ok i had never heard of kvelertak. this is fantastic. video is is incredible. hits all my sexy/silly homoerotic buttons. what a gem. salute!

Awesome, glad you like it! One of my favorites of theirs is Ordsmedar av Rang from their first album. Mixture of headbanging-in-car type metal and some sublime Zippos-in-the-air guitar lines. Was obsessed with this song for a long time and still sometimes out of nowhere I remember it and just have to listen to it.

I worked for Roadrunner Records when Kvelertak's second album came out. This was the first video; I still love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974E6IU_4I0

alice n chains - dam that river
qotsa - first it giveth
system of a down - hypnotize

some andrew wk

Hand On the Place is pretty compelling.

― mick signals, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 10:28 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

i just fell in love with "music is worth living for". where has that song been all my life

and i found my alice cooper track: "is it my body"

alice n chains - dam that river
qotsa - first it giveth
system of a down - hypnotize

― Spottie, Wednesday, July 8, 2026 1:59 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

these are all excellent. more entry points! the first qotsa track i've really loved. had no idea system of a down sounded like that. makes me think i might have to add 'bulls on parade' to this.

bonzo dog band - the strain

(this is kind of a joke answer but kind of not, in a sense it would be perfect)

De Staat - Witch Doctor

"Runnin' Down A Dream" just came on at the cafe where I'm working and I immediately thought of this thread

hell yeah! i finally realized it's my platonic ideal petty song.

this playlist is up to 2 hours and 45 minutes now lol. i'll be trying it out again later today.

Mournful Serenade - Ablaze My Sorrow

Mother's Finest — "Fire"

system of a down - hypnotize

this song is amazing

ok i still have to check out several recommendations people have posted, which i am looking forward to doing when i have some time, but i just wanted to share my favorite discoveries so far:

saxon "the eagle has landed"

someone recommended "wheels of steel" and i listened on youtube, thought it was ok maybe a little pedestrian, then this tune came on next. what can i say, it just drew me in. it's very slow and the first like 3 minutes is guitar soloing over the main riff. once the vox come in there are backwards-masked tape delay effects over everything. there's a real epic feel to it, the playing isn't jaw-dropping or anything but really soulful and not phoned in at all. lyrics are strange, something about peace reigning supreme. pretty cosmic feel overall. i thought it might sound slow and plodding at the gym but it passed the feel test today with flying colors.

alice in chains - "dam that river"

i hadn't heard this. love the lyrics about freedom basically. their songwriting was so unique and tight, god they were good.

kvelertak - 1985

undeniable joy, been in my head all day, the kind of vibe that sets the tone for the day. rip-roaring positivity.

catherine wheel - i confess

just gorgeous. i've always loved loveless, always seen these guys highly recommended, never really given them a go. a little bit of sensitivity mixed in with the roaring guitars is very welcome in my headphones while working out.

satyricon - k.i.n.g.

just a nice blast of evil!

how has neon knights not been thrown on here