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HOW TO MAKE A PERSONAL PLAYLIST FOR WORKING OUT ON
FITNESS EQUIPMENT AND IN A POOL

JogTunes.com is not just for jogging and running, just like iTunes is not only for tunes. On our cycling page we showed you how you can bike to the beat on exercise bikes. Here we discuss choosing tunes and making playlists for working out on fitness equipment (ellipical trainers, stair climbers/steppers, mini-trampolines, rebounders, and rowers) and in a pool (swimming and aquarunning). For more information on audio equipment for in-pool exercise check out H2OAudio.com. And for some info on aquajogging and aquarunning go to the MSN Aquabucks "About" page and Google's aquarunning search page.

Whatever method you use, there's always a pace involved that can be expressed in beats-per-minute. And there are always tunes out there with tempos that match your personal pace. Before we tell you more, please note the following:

One word of caution:

When we use the word "pace", we are not referring to your heart rate. Matching songs to your heart rate may be risky. We are talking about matching tempos of songs to your workout pace in beats per minute.

Moderate to fast tempos may motivate you to step, run, or row at unsafe paces for your health status and/or age. Please consult your physician if you have any medical concerns before working out exactly to the beat of moderate and fast tempo songs. Also, it's wise to know the recommended maximum heart rate for your age. If you're new to strenuous exercise, seriously consider wearing a pulse monitor while you work out.

Let's make a BPM fitness playlist:

First calculate your own workout pace in beats-per-minute (= steps per minute). We provide sample pace tracks with instructions to help you do this.

Once you know your workout pace, select your tunes from our Tunes list by browsing or using the search fields. The BPM field will help you the most. Click on the links to iTunes Music Store to listen, order, and download the tunes to your iTunes Library.

Next, make a new playlist file in the left column of your iTunes window. For example, you can call it "BPM stairstepset." Then drag the tunes from the Library to the new playlist and put them in a BPM and time sequence that matches your workout. Be sure there are BPM and Time columns in the playlist. If you don't see them, right-click (or control-click on a Mac) anyplace in the playlist header and then choose BPM and/or Time.

Alternatively, you can download our prepared playlists as iMixes from the iTunes Music Store. Just click here to see our playlists.

Finally, sync your player with the music store program and you're up and running. Below is a sample workout sequence to help you out. Please note that workout paces can vary considerably from person to person and from one fitness method and machine to another. The peak pace in the sample may be perfect for elliptical training but too slow for aquarunning.

Sample Workout Sequence

Running Down a Dream and More
Genre: Rock/Alternative
Duration: 00:29:30
Distance: (Approximate) 2.4 miles

See sampling and ordering details for this playlist here
and the iMix, featuring Hedda Layne, in iTunes.

Tune	Artist	Activity	Duration in Minutes	Running Pace in BPM
This Love	Maroon 5	Warm-up Walk	3:26	94
Everlong	Foo Fighters	Easy Jog	4:09	158
A World Goes Round	Hedda Layne	Easy Jog	5:14	159
Runnin' Down a Dream	Tom Petty	Fast Jog	4:24	170
Dancing With Myself	Billy Idol	Fast Jog	4:50	176
Flawless	Hedda Layne	Easy Jog	3:28	157
Leave (Get Out)	Jojo	Cool- Down Walk	4:04	88