Creating a safe, quality workout is my number one priority, but I also pour a lot of time into the playlists I create for my classes because I know a motivating workout playlist can make a huge difference in the level of enjoyment many people get out of a class. I love selecting upbeat music that makes you instantly want to hop off the bike and dance, but I also get a lot of joy out of choosing songs for the climbs I incorporate into my spin classes.
For a climb, I like music that is slower and just a little more intense. I prefer music that makes you want to dig deep for climbs and below I am sharing some of my all-time favorite songs that I’ve used in my classes that seem to go over well with my class participants.
Best Spinning Climb Songs
- Kiesza – Hideaway
Such a cool song! It’s a great one because there are a lot of moments where the music kicks out which oddly seems to help increase intensity and gives me the perfect moment to encourage class participants to push a little harder. The more I’ve used this song for climbs, the more I love it!
- Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
This is my all time favorite song to use for a climb! For this song, I guide the class through the first half of the climb in position one and have everyone come up out of the saddle when the beat drops at 3:40 and finish the climb in position three. It’s a slow song to start, but when the beat hits, I love seeing everyone dig deep to finish strong! My classes love this one!
- Fort Minor – Remember the Name
It’s hard not to feel motivated when you’re climbing to a song with these lyrics:
This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name
The original version of this song has some curse words, so be sure to look for the clean version if you use it to teach!
- 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up
If you teach a class that always seems to get into music from the ‘90s, this one is a great one to include. It’s an easy one to get lost in and I’ve even had people scream, “What’s Going On!?” aloud along with the song a time or two which makes things a little more fun! At almost five minutes long, this song allows you to get a little creative and the last 20 seconds slow down significantly, transitioning perfectly into a cool down or active recovery.
- Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go – Cinema (Skrillex Remix)
This definitely is not a song everyone enjoys, so knowing your audience is important, but I’ll use “Cinema” for a crowd that seems to get into dubstep/EDM music. It’s gritty and intense!
- Ella Henderson – Ghost
This song is just pretty. Though it’s a newer song, it’s a good one to use in classes where you get a wide variety of ages because it seems to appeal to most people. I’ve had a number of some of my older participants come up to me after class and request the name and artist of this one.
- Foreigner – Juke Box Hero
As a big-time fan of classic rock, I may be a little biased toward this song! About 30 seconds in, it really picks up but it continues to ebb and flow through the nearly four and a half minutes, which I love. It’s another one that tends to cross generations and appeals to a variety of class participants.
- Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
“Bring Me To Life” is another song that isn’t a hit with everyone. It’s slow and intense but those who enjoy this song really seem to get into it. I am a big-time fan!
More Spinning-Related Posts
- Spinning Instructor Certification Overview
- Tips For First Time Indoor Cycling Instructors
- Energizing Spinning Playlist
- 55 Minute Spinning Playlist
- Spinning Group Exercise Playlist
Question of the Afternoon
- Fellow indoor cycling lovers: What are some of your favorite songs to hear during a climb that always make you want to dig a little deeper?
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Have you ever looked for remixes on SoundCloud? They have some great options for spin class (I went through training a while back and we used it). They remix oldies but goodies.
Yes!! They’re awesome!
I absolutely LOVE Soundcloud remixes! Unfortunately, they introduced commercials, so can’t really use them in my spin classes anymore, womp womp 🙁 Hoping they come up with a subscription plan…
Cut Copy – Hearts on Fire
Twin Shadow – To the Top
Generationals – Ten-Twenty-Ten
Empire of the Sun – Alive
Calvin Harris ft. Haim – Pray to God
Spoon – I Turn My Camera On
Parov Stelar – Booty Swing
I’m not an avid spinner but that’s not to say I don’t want to try it when I get back into the whole gym routine! Thanks for the songs, half of these I haven’t heard of yet!
These are some great climb songs – I love that Ella Henderson song! Here are a couple that I’ve had instructors use that I really liked:
Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
Show Me How To Live – Audioslave
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
Heck yes to both Audioslave and White Stripes!
Cheesy but I love The Climb by Miley Cyrus!
How great is that Kiesza video? The fact that it was all done in one take blows my mind.
My Blood – Ellie Goulding
The Monster – Eminem ft. Rhianna
Howl – Florence + The Machine
Love the Phil Colins one! Does that make me old? I like Come With Me Now by Congos for climbs.
When I teach spin for Climb songs I like to use eye of tiger foreigner and goyte somebody that I used to know.
I could not agree more that the right instructor and music can make a HUGE difference! I am so, so happy that I recently discovered the best instructor ever. She is super energetic, funny, and makes the whole class feel like a dance party in the best possible way.
My favorite climb song from a spin class had to be a Dolly Parton (love her) remake of Stairway to Heaven. So random and so perfectly amazing!
This really shocked me. spinning, boring? never 🙂
I am the first to admit I despise cardio (love yoga & gymnastics) but you will never ever see me running unless it’s to save my life. Since my gym offered SPIN for my membership I put on some brave pants and gave it a go. I literally fell off my bike my first class and have the scar on my shin to show for it.
I must have had an AMAZING instructor because I fell in love! of all the gym classes offered, spin is my top class. I have come to believe that the presence you bring with you as an instructor will make or break the class (and yes the music helps).
I also love that with a group the time passes talking to one another. The other reason spin is great is that so many different people can workout together. We all have different capabilities, injury histories, ages etc and don’t have to worry about ‘keeping up’ because it’s a stationary bike!
After my first son was born I took him with me. He loved when my instructor played Rolling Stones (haha!)
I enjoy spinning to:
Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger for the climb
One Direction is nice and peppy if you aren’t embarrassed to say you enjoy listening to them 😉
Anything from Family Force 5 albums: Dance or Die, Business Up Front [Party in the Back]
Metro Station as long as you have a safe crowd (since it sounds just a tad dirty) I have friends who spin with their preteen daughters and do not approve this music for their parenting.
Great list- thanks for sharing. Havent heard of some of these but will definitely check them out.
My go to climbing songs when teaching are:
Eye of the Toger- Survivor
Lose My Breath- Destinys Child
More- Usher
Beat It- Michael Jackson
love these!
The playlist MAKES the class! I had an instructor once, and she NEVER updated the playlist for a whole quarter… other than maybe a few song switches…but she was still great.
I’ve become a big fan of EDM for my spin music. My current favorites are:
What A Feeling (Flashdance) – Progressive Album Mix by Global Deejays
Real- Tobok Remix by Years & Years and Tobok
Love Me Again – Sound Remedy Remix by John Newman
LOVE Love Me Again, too!!
I love posts like these with playlists. I mostly listen to rock, which isn’t very good for workouts. I have no idea what the current pop music is.
Truth be told, I took a quick glance at the name of this post and thought, “there’s no such thing!” But touché, “Remember My Name” is a rowdy tune to push a class (or non-instructor me) to the next level. 🙂
my absolute favorite is Take me to Church
My favorite spin instructor used to kill us on hills with Janie’s Got a Gun by Aerosmith. Every time there was a big “beat” sound, we had to turn up the tension 1/4 of a turn. It was my favorite and least favorite at the same time!
LOVE that!!!!
I really love “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” by Robert Randolph and the Family Band!
Good songs really do make such a huge difference! I notice it all the time – if I’m not feeling the music, the workout just feels harder, and I’m way less motivated to try my very best.
Pink immediately comes to mind. She has a lot of songs that I find empowering. Plus her voice is really dynamic.
Been doing this almost 10 years, and had yet to find the perfect song, but… *my* perfect: Personal Jesus, Depeche Mode. Intense, but lots of percussion, and lots of drive.
I don’t spin but these are great for running too! I’ve become obsessed with the apple music streaming service since it launched last week and they have awesome playlists that can you search by activity and genre.. I’ve found sooo many new running songs!
You’ve just inspired me to make a new spin list!!!!
I had an awesome instructor in my former town, but she would make us do 13 min climbs that were BRUTAL! She would always give us a song like Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) that would we could adopt the beat, but she would also throw in a fun song you find yourself singing along to like Drunk on a Plane (Dierks Bentley).
To this day, I find myself throwing these songs into my rotation because I know they’re good climb songs 🙂
I could probably write a huge list on this, so i’ll try to limit myself. To me, music is a HUGE part of the class experience. While I want something that the members will love, I also need to love it because when I do, my energy is contagious.
Here are a few and yes, they’re definitely good for other cardio as well:
The pretender or Walk – foo fighters
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark – Fall Out Boy
Derp – Bassjackers
Chandelier – Sia (I have a love/hate with this one)
Till I Collapse – Nate Dog/Eminem
Battle Scars – Lupe Fiasco
Like A Stone – Audioslave
Dirty Diana – Michael Jackson
Bodies – System of a Down
OK, think that’s enough for now 🙂
I use “Dirty Diana” for climbs all the time, too!! Great one!
Another good one is “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters. It’s good for a mix for climbs at the slow times, and then it picks up so you can sort of ” shake out your legs” as well!
I like “The Distance” by Cake 🙂
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THAT SONG!!! I totally forgot about it… Off to download it immediately!
Undiscovered – Laura Welsh (Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack)… a number of the instructors I have taken have used it.
Thanks for the ideas, I always need ideas for climb songs. Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera have some good ones. Also, Jay-Z for a change of pace. And I love Ghost by Ella Henderson.
Run This Town- Jay Z and Rhiana
Stronger-Kanye
Dog Days are Over- Florence and the Machine
Nice list Julie! Definitely some songs that are out of my comfort zone for spin, but then again, pushing our own as well as our participants’ boundaries is half the point, right?
Some of my current and all time climb favorites are:
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Crazy in Love – Beyonce
Sexy and I know it – LMFAO (Haha, why not!)
Hella Good – No Doubt
Keep It Moving – Empire Cast
Verge – Owl City
Moan – Trentemoller
Thunderstruck is also great for jumps! Everytime they say thunder, you are out of the saddle.
Other favourites of mine are
Freedom (from Django unchained)
zombie by the Cranberries
And for a classical track Carl Orff – O Fortuna – Carmina Burana – great for resistance loading
Bring me to life is one of my favorite songs for a climb during spin class! I really think any of their songs would be great for a climb.
SI joint pain – sounds like spondyloarthritis. Axial spondylitis. often starts during pregnancy
Halo by Beyonce builds a bit and is something different. I find it weirdly motivating!
Man in the Mirror – MJ!!!
My favorite all time to teach a heavy climb to 🙂
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I love Sail by Awolnation for a climb!
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE “Code Name Vivaldi” by the Piano guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RUuTAM2H0&nohtml5=False
I ALWAYS get asked about this song at the end of the class
I do like Seven Nations Army by White Strips as well
Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
If you’ve got a crowd that will get into the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
“not afraid” and “Lose yourself” by Eminem (just make sure you get the Clean versions;)
Breathe Carolina – BLACKOUT. I use it on the treadmill when I run. Also, Eminem’s TIL I COLLAPSE (but you’ll probably want the sanitized version).
I always loved using LA Woman by the Doors. Lots of tie for grinding big gears and some really good opportunities to get out of the seat and attack.