One of my favorite moments during a basketball game is the music they play when the team warms up, or takes the court, or huddles in a timeout. I mean, how can you NOT want to get out there and bust up some Badass when those beats bounce off the court? Same goes with football.
Music motivates. It pushes us. If it's powerful enough, it can make us feel stronger than our legs or our arms think they are. It can make a little 5-foot-2 fitness instructor see herself dunking a basketball or sacking the biggest NFL quarterback out there. Fortunately for my own sake, when I meet athletes like FSU quarterback Christian Ponder (#7, at right) or UF Heisman quarterback Tim Tebow (below left), I smile and hug them instead of trying to sack them...
When I need to muster my inner Badass and really push it (or my cycling students!), I turn to the music of athletes. The stuff that talks about falling and getting back up, about pushing through the pain to win, about focus and drive and skill. I don't know for sure if Ponder has this stuff on his iPod or if the L.A. Lakers blast this stuff in the locker room before a game, but I like to think so.
And when I'm pushing through a particularly tough class or weight routine, I think about how hard an athlete pushes. Which means this Badass isn't about to give up. If Lance Amstrong can push himself up those mountains of France on a bike, I can add more tension to my RealRyder bike and keep climbing for another song.
You can, too. So the next time you're tempted to quit -- or not even start that workout -- turn the volume up on this playlist. Betcha you feel like a 6-foot-7, 230-pound NCAA Badass! And by the way, is it football season yet?!
Shannon's Badass Inner Athlete Mix
- NCAA March Madness - Code Red
- Overtime (Gameday Remix) - Ace Hood, Akon, T-Pain & T.J. Houshmandzadeh
- Name of the Game - Crystal Method
- Remember the Name - Fort Minor
- Lose Yourself - Eminem
- Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
- Hit 'Em High - B-Real, Method Man, Busta Rhymes & Coolio
- Sopranos Theme Song (Woke up This Morning) - Alabama3
- Till I Collapse - Eminem
- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
- Get Up - 50 Cent
- Bring the Pain - ABstraXT
Coming tomorrow: I'm not sure yet, but it's Friday. So you know I'll be in a good mood!
