What’s the best running music? The answer to that question may surprise you.
Music is an integral part of any workout, helping you stay on pace and keep your time. A recent study by Pour Moi revealed that certain artists create music that is better for running than others. They analyzed the running data of 60 runs, where runners were listening to a different artist for each run.
So, which artist came out on top for the best running music? Beyonce. The chilled out nature of Drake’s music makes him less suitable for runners. In fact, the study found that Drake can add 21 seconds per kilometer to runner’s times. Second on the list of artists who slow runners down? BTS and Doja Cat.
(All times below are in minutes and seconds.)
Best Running Music by Artist
| Artist | Time Improvement per km | Time Improvement 3-Mile Run | Time Improvement Marathon |
| 1. Beyonce | -00:33 | -02:45 | -23:12 |
| 2. Harry Styles | -00:31 | -02:35 | -21:42 |
| 3. Britney Spears | -00:28 | -02:20 | -19:36 |
| 4. Adele | -00:19 | -01:35 | -13:18 |
| 5. Taylor Swift | -00:17 | -01:22 | -11:32 |
| 6. Shawn Mendes | -00:16 | -01:20 | -11:12 |
| 7. Rihanna | -00:15 | -01:15 | -10:30 |
| 8. Ed Sheeran | -00.08 | -00:40 | -05:36 |
| 9. Olivia Rodrigo | -00:07 | -00:35 | -04:54 |
| 10. Justin Bieber | -00:05 | -00:25 | -03:30 |
What if you’re doing more than just running, though? What’s the best music for any workout?
Well, Digital Music News has some interesting data on that, too. Feed.fm powers some of the world’s leading fitness products, giving them a unique insight into the songs people are playing while exercising. Over the past year, Feed.fm has served 550 million songs to six million unique users. So here’s what we can learn from its data.
By and large, the most popular genre of workout music is pop with 78% of plays. Next is downtempo yoga music at 9%, followed by hip-hop at 6%, EDM at 4%, and rock at just 2% of the share of workout music. The characteristics for the most chosen workout songs include 120-125 BPM, female vocals, and feel good lyrics.
Top Workout Songs of 2021 – According to Feed.fm
- “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” – Mark Ronson | 2019
- “Don’t Feel Like Crying” – Sigrid | 2019
- “React” – The Pussycat Dolls | 2020
- “Midnight Sky” – Miley Cyrus | 2020
- “Hallucinate” – Dua Lipa | 2020
- “2 Hearts (ft. Gia Koka)” – Sam Feldt & Sigma | 2020
- “hot girl bummer” – Blackbear | 2020
- “Now That I Found You” – Carly Rae Jepsen | 2019
- “Malibu” – Kim Petras | 2020
- “Dance Again” – Selena Gomez | 2020
Top New Workout Songs of 2021
- “Love Me Land” – Zara Larsson
- “Test Drive” – Ariana Grande
- “Spaceman” – Nick Jonas
- “Feel Good” – Polo & Pan
- “Beautiful Mistakes” – Maroon 5 & Megan Thee Stallion
Most Skipped Songs During Workouts
- “Mama” – Clean Bandit
- “Daddy” – Blueface
- “Funkdafied” – Da Brat
- “All the Way Up” – Fat Joe, Remy Ma & JAY Z
- “FIND MY WAY” – DaBaby
Feed.fm says skips are important to those who use music to workout. Feed.fm’s curation team evaluates the monthly skip rates of music to refine music stations that are offered to those who prefer certain types of exercise.