15 Songs You’ll Be Training To This Summer

Not every workout needs to be soundtracked by your own heavy breathing and the tortured wails of those getting tangled inside the cable crossover machine across the gym.

This summer, prepare your ears for a training playlist so charged with rep-inducing beats and PB-creating anthems that your muscles won’t know what hit them. Here are 15 of the best new tracks to work up a sweat to during 2016’s sunny months.

Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”

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We’re starting strong. Everyone’s used classic Calvin tracks to get pumped up on the treadmill and his new summer banger is no different. Sure, the drop might not be quite as boisterous as some of his previous efforts, but the beat is more than sweet enough to pump your legs to. Buy on iTunes

Skepta – “Man”

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Skepta is 2016’s golden boy and he’s also your man if you need to build up some rage before hitting the weights. Beast mode, here we come. Buy on iTunes

Chance The Rapper ft. Saba – “Angels”

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Not all rap needs to be mad at the world, though. This quickfire feel-good tune from the 23-year-old Chicagoan has some outta-the-blue steel drum action that makes it ideal for a jog under the hazy sun. Buy on iTunes

SWMRS – “Figuring It Out”

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Get a load of the gang vocals in this happy-as-heck lo-fi indie rock anthem. It’s like they’re all spurring you on! G’wan, son! You can do it! Run like the wind! Buy on iTunes

Biffy Clyro – “Wolves Of Winter”

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If this doesn’t make you want to move, you need your ears clearing out. We’ll be using this latest awe-inspiring anthem from the Scottish stadium rockers to psych ourselves up for the rowing machine, no doubt. Buy on iTunes

Baauer ft. MIA and G-Dragon – “Temple”

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Bring the mood down a peg or two, pull some focus out from deep inside your soul and unleash some serious power on the gym for three minutes with this Asian-inflected stealth banger. Buy on iTunes

Gone Is Gone – “Violescent”

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We can’t help but picture strongman Hafthór Julíus Björnsson (AKA “The Mountain” off Game Of Thrones) lifting tankers, icebergs, blue whales and other massive stuff over his head when we turn this up to ten. Cor, it’s heavy. No surprise really, given it’s from a metal supergroup featuring members of Mastodon, At The Drive-In and Queens Of The Stone Age. One for the weights room. Buy on iTunes

DIIV – “Is The Is Are”

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Even if you’re jogging along murky grey canals under a dreary miserable sky, you’ll get some serious Californian summer vibes if you crank up this upbeat modern psychedelia. Buy on iTunes

Royal Blood – “Where Are You Now?”

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That beat! Stomp the running machine to this insistent blues-rock and smell the rubber burning off your trainer soles. Buy on iTunes

Spring King – “Rectifier”

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If you put as much effort into your training as the guy in this Manchester post-punk band does into smacking his drums, then you’re doing all right. Buy on iTunes

Digitalism – “Open Waters”

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We struggled to find a genuinely epic dance track released this year that was good enough for our shortlist. That is, until we came across this utter beauty that’s a bit trancey, a bit jagged and 100% inspiring. Straight to the top of our running playlist it goes. Buy on iTunes

SBTRKT ft. The-Dream – “Good Morning”

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With lines like “If you don’t make it, that’ll be tragic”, you’ll have your very own personal trainer egging you on from inside your iPod. Buy on iTunes

Blonde and Craig David – “Nothing Like This”

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We did not see it coming, but the Craig David renaissance has officially happened. His collaborative effort with this Bristolian deep house duo is legitimately ace. This one’s going to be up on those gym TV screens all through the summer. Buy on iTunes

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Gamma Knife”

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Not only the greatest band name ever, but a scream-rock track that’s so rapid and bonkers you won’t have time to even think about your heart preparing to explode out of your chest. Buy on iTunes

James Blake – “Meet You In The Maze”

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Now for the warm-down. Treat yourself to 60 seconds of total chill before hitting the showers, slapping on some fresh kecks and taking on the world with that post-workout burn still fresh in your muscles. Buy on iTunes

By Chris Sayer