Max Out playlist
A few months ago I asked our newsletter subscribers for their best “max out” songs. The songs they would want playing when going for a heavy lift in the gym. There were wonderful suggestions, but this playlist is not a reflection of their music choices. This is mine. This is a playlist I put together, that reflects how I approach lifting heavy and is filled with songs that work on me. As the architect of Core Blend, I think about what will be best for our members and please our base. This is not that. With this playlist, I am an auteur. I invite you to use this playlist, but I make no guarantee that it will be right for you.
The songs on this playlist are loud. Even if played at the same volume as other songs you’ll feel that they’re louder. The lyrics have strong, angry emotions behind them. There is no place for pensive reflection on lost love on max out day. The instruments need to be strong too. Guitars? Yes. Triumphant horns? Yes, you’re lifting royalty and deserve to be heralded as such. Violins? No. Unless like the 1812 Overture they’re paired with cannons. This is important. When lifting heavy you must walk a fine line of excitement and control. You must execute all of your cues correctly while also getting your body to execute with maximum intensity.
I’ve put these songs into a specific order, but outside of the first three songs and the last song, I’m fine with whatever order you would like to use. You should definitely have your favorite going for your big set and you should have your next favorite cued up for your final warm-up.
The Playlist is titled Corey’s RPE 9-10 Playlist. It is available on Spotify.
The first three songs are to set the stage for your heavy lifting. In your car, on your way to the gym, you need to knock out the first two (so start about 8 minutes out) and then have the last one playing as you walk in. These songs serve as your initial hype, transforming you from day job you to the warrior you’ll be long enough to lift heavy. You turn on the playlist as Bruce Banner and enter the gym as Hulk. Turn it on as Clark Kent and walk into the gym as Superman. Turn the playlist on as Mike Tyson in The Hangover and walk into the gym as Mike Tyson in 1988 (if you don’t get the reference, take 8 minutes (or skip to the :30 long fight) out of your day and WATCH the Tyson and Spinks fight of that year. Spinks was 31-0 with 21 KO’s and Tyson knocks him out in the first round. There is a terror on Spinks’ face that the barbell should feel when you come in to lift heavy).
Killing in the Name, Rage Against The Machine. I don’t know what you do for a living, but this is the song that gets you from who you were to who you need to be. It starts off with a few long slow guitar strums, moves into a deep bass guitar that’s almost too deep to register, adds in a couple more instruments then hits. You’re 40 seconds into the song before lyrics begin and they start with “Killing in the Name of”. This song works. By the time these 5 minutes are over, you should be ready to fight.
Forgot About Dre, Dr Dre, Eminem. If you’re listening to this playlist instead of doing TikTok dances throughout your workout then you probably feel like your best days are behind you. You look around at your peers and see them slipping or already slipped. They probably think you aren’t the person you were in high school or college, maybe you think that yourself. But they’re wrong. And you’re wrong. Forgot About Dre is Dr. Dre’s comeback song from his comeback album 2001. At that point, it seemed like he was on the backside of his career and the upstart DeathRow Records came after him with a series of insulting songs. Killing in the Name should have woken you up. Forgot About Dre is here to remind you that you’re still you. Dre brought Eminem onto this song and they used each other to reach new heights. You are Dr. Dre and I am your Eminem and your next workout is where you remember who you are.
X Gon’ Give It To Ya, DMX. RIP DMX. DMX gave an interview a couple of years before he died where he talked about how much he disliked Drake. When asked to elaborate he explained that he didn’t like Drake’s voice, he didn’t like what he sang about, and thought he was soft. DMX is right. Let the horns from X Gon’ Give It To Ya herald your arrival into the gym. DMX’s growls and barks might seem cheesy if you don’t remember how badass DMX is. For a refresher, look at this clip from Woodstock ‘99 HERE. You’re ready to lift.
DNA, Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick rocks. This is his best lifting song. The thesis of DNA is that Kendrick was born for greatness and nothing could stop his trek to success. Difficult life circumstances were nothing when faced with the inevitability of his genetics. You are the same. Your success is an inevitability and you should approach your lifts that way.
Wild for the Night, A$AP Rocky and others. The intro to this song is about 45 seconds long. That’s about perfect for me to get chalk on my hands, tighten my belt, and focus on what I’m about to do. Cool synthesizer sounds, anger, a mashup of rap and dubstep, this song is undefeated against heavy weights.
Don’t Like.1, Kanye West, Chief Keef, Pusha T. This song is a list of things that the artists don’t like. It starts off with a few Ric Flair “Woos” and somehow gets better from then on. I don’t know about you, but I can’t lift heavy while thinking about a bunch of good things. I’m pretty blessed. I have great friends, a supportive family, a beautiful wife, and a successful business with great employees. This song helps me forget about all of that and gets me focused on the task at hand.
Toxicity. System Of A Down. Don’t let the intro of this song fool you. It starts off a little light. The vocals come in and they seem subdued. This isn’t what you came for, is it? Sure there’s a little guitar riff that seems fitting, but then it slows back down. Then System of a Down does what they do best and they go back to yelling the lyrics. I’ve heard this song a hundred times and the only lyric I know is “Toxicity”. Even knowing one word is overkill. Don’t listen to this song, just hear it.
Black Skinhead, Kanye West. I love Kanye, but he doesn’t have a lot of songs to lift weights to. This song is an exception in his library. The beat, the weird panting in the background, the sudden drops, it all comes together. You probably listen to Kanye’s Workout Plan when you lift and that’s why I lift more than you.
F*ck Up Some Commas, Future. I imagine this song is about getting money. But as a man, your lifting total should have a comma in it. Let Future help you get there.
Game Over, Lil’ Flip. I like video games and this samples a bunch of video game noises. I also went to HS in the mid 2000’s when Lil’ Flip and a few other Texas rappers had careers. This was a good time. I talked about Mike Tyson winning his fight against Spinks before it began. That’s the energy that flows throughout this song. Now, historically, Lil’ Flip was wrong, he really didn’t do much after this, but that’s okay, this song still rocks.
Throw It Up, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boys, Pastor Troy. It would be disrespectful to my graduating class to not include Lil Jon. Lil Jon was not good at much, but he was good at yelling a couple of things on songs. It samples the song Lux Aeterna from Requiem for a Dream, but somehow still kicks ass. I can’t explain it. I don’t seek to explain it. I’m just including it here.
Run the Jewels. Run the Jewels. Run the Jewels rocks. I could have made this playlsit as nothing but Run the Jewels songs, but I didn’t want to be lazy. This is their best song.
Bulls on Parade, Rage Against the Machine. RATM deserves to be on this list twice. Bulls on Parade deserves to be on your workout playlist. If this playlist is the reason you discover RATM then I’ve done you a great service.
Goldie, A$AP Rocky. I also really like F*uckin’ Problems by A$AP Rocky, but it includes Drake and that would break my strict “No Drake on maxout day” Rule. Goldie is a little quieter than some of the other entries on this playlist, but I want you to have a PR not a heart attack.
POWER, Kanye West. This one is almost so obvious that I didn’t include it. This song was designed in a laboratory to get you hyped up. Despite it almost pandering directly to be included on a workout playlist, it earns its spot. A choir clapping and singing while Kanye comes in with “I guess every superhero need his theme music, no one man should have all that power”? Inject it into my veins and let’s lift.
Savior, Rise Against. This song grabs you quickly and doesn’t let go. There’s a moment where it seems like it’s going to slow down, a common musical feint before coming in hard. Rise Against commits to this for about 15 seconds before coming in hard. It’s almost as if they include that 15-second interlude just because they knew they weren’t fit enough to perform this song live for 4 minutes straight and they’d need a moment to breathe.
March Madness, Future. Like Goldie a few minutes ago, this is a slight reprieve from the attack on your senses that is this playlist. March Madness has the right energy, but it’s toned down slightly. A little quieter, a little softer, but still the soundtrack of a winner. If there are more weights to be lifted, they won’t survive the rest of this playlist, but it’s important that you do survive.
Man of the Year, ScHoolboy Q. Listen to it. Look at the title. By now you’ve surely figured out that the formula that I respond to in a lifting song is a combination of energy and swagger. ScHoolboy Q proclaiming himself as the Man of the Year? That’s exactly what I’m looking for.
Ooh Killem, Meek Mill. Using a sample from the second song on this playlist? CHECK. Anger? CHECK. Paying homage to one of the great lifting songs but reengineering it to be a better lifting song? Perfect.
Who Gon Stop Me, JAY-Z, Kanye West. By this point, the gym should look like New York City at the end of the first Avengers movie. Weights should be strewn about the gym, PR’s should have been had, and everyone in the gym should know they witnessed greatness. But if there’s something left to do, Who Gon Stop Me is going to ensure it gets done. After all, who is going stop you? It should not be a surprise to you at this point, that the answer to ‘who gon stop me’ is no one. No one can.
Dirt off Your Shoulder, JAY-Z. This is a 20 song lifting playlist. Number 21 here is for your exit. You should have accomplished everything you needed to and now it’s time to get in your car and go home. But whereas before we used Rage Against the Machine to transform you from mild-mannered Clark Kent to Superman, you don’t need to go from Superman back to Clark. Superman went too far with Clark as his cover identity. As a human, I’m offended that Superman’s impression of a human is a soft nerd that couldn’t get Lois to love him. I don’t blame Lois for holding out for a Superman. You may have walked into the gym as Clark Kent, but you never need to be him again. Let someone less successful be Clark and let him stay on the sidelines of life while you’re out there living. Get the girl. Save the day. Turn on Dirt Off Your Shoulder to transition from Superman to Jay-Z. Jay-Z is an accomplished businessman (and a ‘business, man’), and Dirt Off Your Shoulder is a celebration of his confidence and swagger. The opening lyrics are “you’ve now tuned into the muh’fckin’ greatest” I might start every training session from here on out with “you’re now training with the muh’fcking greatest”. After what you just did in the gym, you should feel like a pimp. Don’t worry, ladies is pimps too, go and brush your shoulders off.
Enjoy. This playlist is designed for heavy lifting days, but you have my permission to use it before whatever event you need to get hyped up for. Need a boost in your church league softball game? Go for it. Schoolboard meeting? Sure. Disclaimer: Core Blend Training LLC will not be held liable for any fights you get in though, and we will not pay for counseling for your family members after you listen to this playlist on your way to Thanksgiving with the weird side of your family.