What do DMX, Mozart and Black Sabbath have in common?
What’s tickling the eardrums of your favorite CrossFit athletes and trainers while they yank on the Concept2 for 5,000 meters or smash through Fran?
What does Chris Spealler want to hear when it gets heavy? What does Lindy Wall listen to when she needs to get in the zone? Does Dan Bailey listen to acoustic guitar when he’s training? Does Lucas Parker prefer DMX or Shania Twain?
From Heather Bergeron’s top-40 selections that would make a teenager blush to Adrian Bozman’s widely-varied deep cuts, there’s a soundtrack for everyone. And if there isn’t, let us know what’s missing.
Heather Bergeron, CrossFit New England/CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff
“I’m going to regret owning up to this.”
1. Can't Hold Us (Featuring Ray Dalton)—Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
2. Shake Your Pom Pom—Missy Elliot
3. Work Bi**h—Britney Spears
4. Where's Your Head At (Klaas Radio Mix)—Jean Elan
5. E.T. (Tiësto Remix/Club Edit)—Katy Perry
6. I'm Getting Stoned (Live)—Eric Church
7. Roar—Katy Perry
8. Brokenhearted—Karmin
9. Call Me Maybe—Carly Rae Jepsen
10. It's A New Day, Pt. 1—James Brown
11. Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water On 'Em)—Busta Rhymes
Chris Spealler, CrossFit Park City / CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff
“For me I just enjoy the music because it helps to remind me to have fun. I can't stand the death-metal stuff that gets people overly amped up. I also can't stand working out to country music."
Top playlist: Young MC Radio or MGMT Radio on Pandora
Lindy Wall, CrossFit The Ville / CrossFit Louisville East
“I used to be a drummer, so I am all about the beats ... When I played soccer, I would be wearing headphones during our warm-ups. It really just helps me to block out anything else that is going on in my world and puts the focus on just me and the task in front of me.”
1. Can't Hold Us (Featuring Ray Dalton)—Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
2. Hungry—Rob Bailey and The Hustle Standard
3. Pursuit of Happiness (Steve Aoki Dance Remix)—Kid Cudi
4. The Monster (Featuring Rihanna)—Eminem
5. Survival—Eminem
6. Get Up (Rattle) (Featuring Far East Movement)—Bingo Players
7. Y.U. Mad (Featuring Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne)—Birdman
8. Knockout—Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj
9. We Run the Night (Featuring Pitbull)—Havana Brown
10. Higher Ground—TNGHT
Dan Bailey, 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Eighth-Place Finisher
“I do listen to some secular music ... but for a lot of it, if I don't agree with the message it sends, I’ll avoid it.”
1. Don't Waste Your Life (Featuring Cam and Dwayne Tryumf)—Lecrae
2. Work—Tedashii
3. After All (Holy)—David Crowder Band
4. Manifesto—City Harmonic
5. Shadows—Red
Lucas Parker, 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games 19th-Place Finisher
“I understand that there is a lot of supporting research that indicates certain beats and rhythms in music can impact performance. However, at Regionals and the Games, you don't get to choose what they play. So, it's best not to develop a dependency on a particular tune to get you through a workout.
"I think really what you want is some old-fashioned bagpipe and flute music that foot soldiers used to play while they walked into battle to fucking murder people with swords. That shit should get you pumped."
1. Knee Deep (Featuring Jimmy Buffet)—Zac Brown Band
2. Man! I Feel Like a Woman—Shania Twain
3. Anything by Will Smith Da Butta, Miami, Wild Wild West, etc.
4. X Gon' Give It To Ya—DMX
5. Luv Me, Luv Me—Shaggy and Samantha Cole
6. Minuet in G—Beethoven
7. Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (from Solomon)—Handel
8. Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, Rondo Alla Turca—Mozart
9. Rosamunde, Ballet in G—Schubert
10. The Nutcracker, Op. 71: No. 13 Waltz of the Flowers—Tchaikovsky
Stacie Tovar, 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games 20th-Place Finisher
“Bush has always been my favorite band. Why? I have a huge crush on Gavin Rossdale. Oh my God, he is so pretty!”
1. Super Bass—Nicki Minaj
2. V. 3005—Childish Gambino
3. Shabba (Featuring A$AP Rocky)—A$AP Ferg
4. Work—A$AP Ferg
5. Wild for the Night (Featuring Skrillex and Birdy Nam Nam)—A$AP Ferg
6. She Knows (Featuring Amber Coffman and The Cults)—J. Cole
7. Racks (Featuring Future)—Y.C.
8. Afraid—The Neighbourhood
9. R.I.P. (Featuring 2 Chainz)—Young Jeezy
10. Pound Cake (Featuring Jay-Z)—Drake
11. Little Things—Bush
Adrian Bozman, CrossFit Games Head Judge / CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff
“The ol’ standby, when you just want to turn it up and tune everything out is the album Dopesmoker by Sleep. An hour of awesome. Good for warm-up, workout and cooldown.”
Editor’s note: The very eclectic Bozman submitted no less than six playlists grouped by everything from geography to genre. Here are the top cuts from each list.
1. Con El Cuete—Brownout
2. Let's Start—Fela Kuti
3. Horn Snake Horns—Eagle Twin
4. It Came to Pass the Snakes Became Mighty Antlers—Eagle Twin
5. Forever My Queen—Pentagram
6. Review Your Choices—Pentagram
7. Robber Barons—Thee Oh Sees
8. The Black Code—Wo Fat
9. Trouble Everywhere I Go—Mississippi Fred McDowell
10. Summertime Blues—Blue Cheer
Julie Foucher, 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Second-Place Finisher
“I like music that is uplifting and energetic, so a lot of electronic dance music. ... I've never really connected with music that is angry or has a lot of yelling to motivate me.
"Take Over Control by Afrojack is one song that always brings me back to the feeling of competing at the CrossFit Games. I remember hearing it walking out to an event in 2011 and it has stayed on my playlist ever since.”
1. Wake Me Up—Avicii
2. You Make Me—Avicii
3. Levels—Avicii
4. Hey Brother—Avicii
5. Under Control (Featuring Hurts)—Calvin Harris and Alesso
6. Stay the Night (Featuring Hayley Williams)—Zedd
7. Clarity (Featuring Foxes)—Zedd
8. Titanium (Featuring Sia)—David Guetta
9. Animals—Martin Garrix
10. Take Over Control—Afrojack
11. Take Me Home (Featuring Bebe Rexha)—Cash Cash
Austin Malleolo, Reebok CrossFit One / CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff
"It's more pre-WOD for me, like a pre-WOD supplement. It's mostly mental, and the key is to be in the right state of mind."
1. Started From the Bottom—Drake
2. Blackball (Featuring Future, Plies and Ace)—DJ Khaled
3. All Me (Featuring 2 Chainz and Big Sean,)—Drake
4. You Don't Want These Problems—DJ Khaled
5. 23 (Featuring Miley Cyrus, Whiz Khalifa and Juicy J)—Mike Will Made-It
6. Rap God—Eminem
7. I Do It (Featuring Drake and Lil Wayne)—2 Chainz
8. FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt (Featuring Rick Ross)—Jay Z
9. Headbandz (Featuring 2 Chainz)—B.o.B
10. Bitches and Bottles (Let's Get it Started) (Featuring Lil Wayne, T.I. and Future)—DJ Khaled
Christy (Phillips) Adkins, 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Seventh-Place Finisher
"Going Back to Cali reminds me of the moment I got into my rental car for the 2011 Games. I put on the radio and this song was on. I cruised out of LAX blasting it!”
1. The Time is Now—John Cena and Tha Trademarc
2. Diva—Beyoncé
3. Funky Cold Medina—Tone-Loc
4. Partition—Beyoncé
5. Drunk in love (Featuring Jay-Z)—Beyoncé
6. Pain—Three Days Grace
7. I'm Shipping up to Boston—Dropkick Murphys
8. All I do Is Win (Featuring T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross)—DJ Kahled
9. Going Back to Cali—LL Cool J
10. Firework—Katie Perry
Tommy Hackenbruck, Ute CrossFit
“My PR music is Taylor Swift on shuffle. Works every time. Music I would never, ever listen to during a WOD: Nickleback.”
Sean Woodland, CrossFit Games Media Anchor / Commentator
“World Painted Blood is probably the one song I can't do without and Becoming makes me feel like I could run through a wall.”
1. World Painted Blood—Slayer
2. What Doesn't Die—Anthrax
3. Welcome 2 Detroit—Trick Trick and Eminem
4. The Rich, the Strong and the Poor—Flatfoot 56
5. Creeping Death (Live)—Metallica
6. Ratamahatta—Sepultura
7. Courage—Flatfoot 56
8. Worker's Song—Dropkick Murphys
9. Becoming—Pantera
10. 72 Hookers—NOFX
Anthony Bainbridge, CrossFit Fredericton
“It’s background music between sets or before a met-con, but once work is being performed the only thing I’m focused on is the work.”
1. N.W.O.—Ministry
2. March of the Pigs—Nine Inch Nails
3. Walk—Pantera
4. Wollt Ihr Das Bett In Flammen Sehen?—Rammstein
5. Chaos B.C.—Sepultura
6. Animal Instinct—Six Feet Under
7. Bind, Torture, Kill—Suicide Commando
8. Psycho—System of a Down
9. Ænema—Tool
10. Evelyn—Volbeat
Photo courtesy of Keith Rose
Jeff Barnett, CrossFit Impulse
