Spread the love

Curious about which songs pump people up the most during a workout? Or which exercise type may be on the rise? With 43.5 million workout-themed playlists on Spotify, we get a kick out of checking in annually to see which songs are surfacing as the top motivators for our listeners, as well as where in the globe people are most active.

Perhaps due to the intensely motivational lyrics of Eminem’s “Till I Collapse,” that track is, for the third year in a row, the top global song of all time for getting through that run or spin cycling class. While the song is the go-to for men, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” is the top choice for women in workout playlists. And speaking of the ladies, we’ve learned that women over the age of 30 stream more workout music than men on Spotify.

An area where we saw growth in 2018 was in the number of cryotherapy/ice bath-themed playlists. It seems people are getting into the chill of this practice, which involves exposure to very cold temperatures in an effort to heal tissue. And the top songs in these playlists are—surprise!—Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and Foreigner’s “Cold As Ice.” Also of note, aerobics seems to be making a comeback – it’s the 5th biggest growth workout trend.

While Finland is the most active country in terms of the amount of workout music it streams, Sweden is the most “zen,” based on the Swedes’ enthusiasm for yoga-themed playlists.

You’ll find a complete breakdown of Spotify’s workout data below. And check out our For The Record blog post where you’ll find a downloadable infographic.

Top workout songs globally of all time:

  1. “’Till I Collapse” – Eminem
  2. “Lose Yourself” (From “8 Mile” Soundtrack) – Eminem
  3. “Stronger” – Kanye West
  4. “POWER” – Kanye West
  5. “Can’t Hold Us” (feat. Ray Dalton) – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Top workout songs globally of 2018:

  1. “God’s Plan” – Drake
  2. “I Like It” – Cardi B
  3. “‘Till I Collapse” – Eminem
  4. “Nice For What” – Drake
  5. “One Kiss” – Dua Lipa 

Hong Kong top workout songs of 2018:

  1. “’Till I Collapse” – Eminem
  2. “Lose Yourself” – Eminem
  3. “Stronger” – Kanye West
  4. “Bang Bang” – Jessie J
  5. “Remember The Name” – Fort Minor

Age groups that stream the most workout music:

  1. Female, 35-44
  2. Female, 45-54
  3. Female, 30-34
  4. Male, 30-34
  5. Male, 35-44

Most zen country (top countries for yoga music)

  1. Sweden
  2. Switzerland
  3. Iceland
  4. Czech Republic
  5. Spain

Most active country (top countries for workout music)

  1. Finland
  2. Sweden
  3. Ireland
  4. United Kingdom
  5. New Zealand

Top workout song by age:

13-34: “Till I Collapse” – Eminem

35-54: “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor

55+: “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor

Top workout song by gender:

Men: “Till I Collapse” – Eminem

Women: “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars

Most active month in 2018 (when workout playlists streamed the most): July

Least active month in 2018 (when workout playlists streamed the least): November

Total number of workout playlists on Spotify: 43.5 million

Workout-related trends that grew the most in 2018:

  1. Cryotherapy/ice bath
  2. Interval training
  3. Yoga
  4. Jumprope
  5. Aerobics

Top songs in Cryotherapy/ice bath-themed playlists:

  1. Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby”
  2. Foreigner – “Cold As Ice”
  3. Xolo – “Ice Bath”
  4. Major Lazer – “Cold Water” (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ)
  5. Idina Menzel – “Let It Go” – From Frozen

Check out some of Spotify’s top workout playlists like Beast Mode, Motivation Mix and Hype. Happy sweating!