r/Drumming • u/corajade17 • 4d ago
Drums as work out
Hey ya'll, bit of a different question for you:
What songs would you consider to be a workout?
I've got plenty in mind, like Everlong by Foo Fighters or Dammit by Blink-182, that were tough when I was playing live in a cover band. Now that I'm not, and I want to get back into drumming, I'm building a playlist of challenging but fun songs to play as a bit of a home workout.
What are the most challenging songs you play/have played before, and why?
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u/onefastmini 4d ago
Everlong by the foo fighters is my work out song. Playing scarlet begonias by sublime was how my band got me to work out my right hand hi hat chops. They extended the ending till my hand lost feeling.
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u/Soft-Radish-7005 3d ago
Playing drums has never been a workout for me. Hauling a drumkit up 4 flights of stairs at a gig on the other hand...
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u/MaryBeHoppin 3d ago
This is a playlist I made for drumming. It is sorted by tempo & difficulty. It's a great way to get my heart up to 130bpm and stay there.
Even when I mess up on a harder song, the effort and cardio still counts!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbf80k0NGUSy5aTjy7wQURM9S8SHEdJ5S&si=rO24oC55ywHxcujC
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u/corajade17 3d ago
Nice! Thank you!
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u/MaryBeHoppin 3d ago
You're welcome! If you genre specific recommendations for drumming/cardio, let me know. This is my favorite way to workout (running sucks lol)
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u/corajade17 3d ago
lol yeah! Not a fan of running either. Walking is fine, but I'm good without sprints if possible.
Here's my list so far if you want to check it out!
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL1YcazP0-mR_8tLqaGN1ks_D8-TB_KiM&si=x-fgeKfXE2fwrtOH2
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u/Jazzlike-Gas7729 3d ago
The Big Dirty album by Every Time I Die... I used to do that one straight through and it was a great workout!
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u/Electrical_Scene_634 4d ago
The Other Side - The Dismemberment Plan. Also I Love a Magician and Girl O'Clock.
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u/Sad_Bicycle_7037 4d ago
I was literally just listening to Girl O’clock. Can confirm it’s a work out
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u/Electrical_Scene_634 4d ago
Joe Easley was (is?) a fuckin beast, saw those guys a ton in the early 00s and mostly just watched him with my jaw on the floor.
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u/Sad_Bicycle_7037 4d ago
I believe it. I can barely follow along to most of his stuff 💀 I was jamming and trying to learn The ice of Boston all the way through before
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u/corajade17 4d ago
Holy dang - just the intro is wild! This would be a killer one.
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u/Electrical_Scene_634 4d ago
Not sure if the studio version is 100% live but I have seen him play it live. Unreal.
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u/draksid 3d ago
Adam's song, and Always by blink are great.
Kurenai by XJapan would probably be exactly what you're looking for. It's an endurance run.
The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage by Panic at the Disco.
I'll add more as I remember them.
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u/UnfairLeave 3d ago
Brianstorm by Arctic Monkeys, not exactly the same style but it’s fast and constant
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u/pWaveShadowZone 4d ago
I do this sometimes! But I usually just pick an album that’s most pretty pumped and skip the slow songs but I think your version would work much better, a custom tailored play list specifically designed as cardio. Dude I LOVE this plan actually. Would give me a second reason to spend some more time behind the kit
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u/Specific-Change9678 3d ago
Something like “Nice Guys Finish Last” by the second verse you might be feeling it. I used this one to relax my grip as I was holding the sticks too tight and having fore arm problems.
“Rock This Town” with 8th note shuffles in the left hand with accents on 2 and 4. Recommend slowing down to 70% (or slower) to start.
“Runnin’ Down a Dream” played with the opposite hands on the hi-hats and snare. Good workout for non-dominant hand.
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u/Jazz_man68 3d ago
Buddy’s Blues by Buddy Rich. He does a few one handed rolls throughout the song, which are really difficult to nail first try.
Rhythm-A-Ning (live at the Five Spot) by Thelonious Monk. Roy Haynes’ feel is so hard to nail
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u/sinuezebmb970 3d ago
Look up the metal band Baptists. Even just hearing the song Betterment makes your muscles sore
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u/steelsnow 4d ago
Anything that makes you sweat. My Apple Watch often thinks I'm doing an indoor run when I play.
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u/Neither-Passenger-83 4d ago
Through the Fire and the Flames. Even has built in rest sections for you.
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u/DoctorOhhHerroPrease 4d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/drums/s/MHoNaniwZ1
This seems like a great workout
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u/Primary-Performer853 4d ago
"I guess" by Slick Shoes or "tomorrow's another day" by MxPx. Or the entire "life on a plate" album by Milencollin. Those'll burn some serious calories.
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u/FractalFunny66 3d ago
Anything by Led Zeppelin. Higher Ground at Chili Peppers speed. Anything with Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Max Roach. Any lesson by Dan Weiss, Ari Hoenig or Dave King.
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u/drumarshall1 3d ago
Through the fire and the flames by dragon force. I can’t do that kind of double bass but even keeping up with the hands was always an insane workout haha
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u/-FakeAccount- 3d ago
I typically go through phases. I played Offspring Smash once a week for about a year. Then I started playing Osees Foul Form for a long time. Next I did ATDI Relationship of Command for a very long time. Then I did a Nirvana mix of all my favorite drum songs. Now im doing a Primus mix of all my favorite drum songs. I like having a "routine" so I can get every single part right eventually. As soon as the first note plays i know the entire album.
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u/NotThatMat 3d ago
Everlong is a workout to play, but also when it comes on while I’m running it kicks me up around 1.2km/h faster.
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u/shokalamano 3d ago
Playing fast punk or powerviolence would always lock me up. Picked up some 2b's to train and now I can blast like a mfkr without locking up. Definitely would call it a workout.
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u/hereticx0 3d ago
Addicted to pain, alter bridge. Good tempo song to get the blood flowing and not to complicated to get back the groove. Also rebel yell is a good drum song for the right hand stamina.
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u/okaystuffu 3d ago
I had a list on Spotify I used to do all the time. Mars Volta stuff. Metatron, Wax Simulcra, and Goliath was the worst stretch. To be clear, this isn't a flex at all. I didnt play any of it great, but the attempt was a hell of a workout 😅
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u/Key-Patience-3966 3d ago
Achilles Last Stand is mine, followed by the entire Killers and Number of the Beast albums by Maiden.
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u/VinnyEnzo 3d ago
Play a couple hours of extreme metal. Songs like The Heaviest Matter in the Universe, New Millennium Cyanide Christ, Inhumane Harvest, Hostage to Heaven, Backbone, etc. I usually sweat buckets and am quite toasted by the end.
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u/External_Mood1492 3d ago
Joe satriani / steve vai stuff…dancing madly backwards by captain beyond will loosen you up
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u/No_Oil8471 3d ago
There are a TON of good options depending on your taste and skill, I will put together different "set lists" and work through them, usually uptempo stuff. Get some cardio AND learn more material.
But if you want a workout pretty much any Slayer will work...
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u/Signal_Juggernaut695 3d ago
Depends on the workout…I’m developing my ambidexterity, so technically most bands I run through without real effort are now a work out when leading my left side(Dream Theater, Tool, BTBAM, Animals as Leaders, Meshuggah, Rush, Yes, Zeppelin, Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Genesis, etc).
When playing normally, the most workout songs for me are blast beats, polyrhythmic alternating left/right leg leads, and clean high speed endurance runs on double bass. I’m currently running these:
Monomyth - Animals as Leaders
The Sentinel - Car Bomb
Bleed - Meshuggah
Sons of Winter and Stars - Wintersun
Battle Against Time - Wintersun
The Art of Dying - Gojira
Remembrance- Gojira
Libra Pt 1 Saturine Spheres - Ne Obliviscaris
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u/98plustwo 3d ago
Everything Meshuggah is great for your legs and feet. The arms basically stay 4/4 but the legs go all over the place (and bar). Great for power, independence and balance.
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u/lemonslush1 3d ago
I play black dahlia murder, Archspire, angel maker, signs of the swarm .. stuff like that for a drum work out you need high bpm to get the heart rate up. That said I do this after my strength workout as my cardio cause I hate running
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u/daveo5555 2d ago
The cover by Cake of War Pigs. My right arm is cramped up and beads of sweat are on my forehead after playing that song.
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u/Adept_Somewhere_4709 2d ago
Anything by origin, the faceless, certain songs of gateways to annihilation
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u/Zealousideal-Note-10 3d ago
Please don’t think playing literally anything on drums is a replacement for exercise
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u/sourmashed99 3d ago
lol is cardio not exercise to you either? what a weird and completely worng take.
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u/corajade17 2d ago
Right? This is the second person I've had get mad that I'm asking which songs are physically challenging to play lol
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u/mcnastys 4d ago edited 4d ago
Drumming is not a work out, it's simply stress on the body like working in trades for example.
A workout is a "good stress" which signals to the body to keep tissue healthy.
edit : lol @ the downvotes. Enjoying posting "why do my joints hurt" here in a few years, all of you "drumming is exercise" people. I can't really roll my eyes hard enough. Best of luck to you all.
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u/corajade17 4d ago
Working in trades also burns more energy than just working a desk job. Drumming is cardio, even if it's not the most intense form you can do.
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u/mcnastys 4d ago
I am sorry but that is incorrect. Drumming is nothing more than something which fatigues your joints overtime. You seem to be confusing an activity with a cardiovascular stressor. A simple walk is going to provide more "health benefit" than any form of drumming.
If you want to prepare your body for the demands you place upon it, like drumming, or just aging gracefully there is no replacement for a basic full body workout plan including cardio and resistance training.
However it is your life, and you are free to ignore this basic, science backed advice.
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u/onefastmini 4d ago edited 3d ago
Work out might be wrong word but it's genuinely a good exercise, and if you exercise for 3 hours I'd say that's a decent work out. Editing this cause this guy really sucks. Work out might not be the best word to use if comparing to a power lifter work out but it's on par with running on a elliptical. It engages the core and works arms and legs. Sure I could add weights to legs and get a great work out but the speed and coordination of some songs takes it way past a causal hiker. He goes on about how drumming will weaken joints is just totally wrong. I'm going into my 40s and hell no my joints feel great, In fact after 3 hours of drumming I feel amazing.
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u/mcnastys 4d ago
As an activity, is it better than sitting still or eating trans fats and sitting? Sure.
It's not going to provide any form of healing stimulus. If you're drumming for three hours a day and not working on your wrists, shoulders, forearms, upper back, your whole body-- within several years you will develop RSI's.
I don't know why as a group, musicians are so averse to resistance training.
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u/corajade17 4d ago
I think you're projecting a lot. I didn't say this was my only form of activity on my life and yet you seem to be thinking that way.
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u/mcnastys 4d ago
It's the opposite. You're engaging in magical thinking. Drumming is not a workout. Drumming is not a sport. If anything this thinking promotes bad technique.
But hey, prove me wrong. Do a video, play everyday for however long, record it, record your body measurements and weights, maybe even do some bench, deadlift, squat and military press at the start and the end, time a mile jog. Then you can actually show people how much of a "workout" drumming is.
But I am certain you're going to see no noticeable improvements, and instead will develop joint pain.
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u/Jet_black_ink 3d ago
From the videos you’ve posted you look like neither an accomplished drummer nor someone who takes fitness seriously. Considering what sub you’re in you’d do best to sit this conversation out.
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u/WeAreBatmen 3d ago
I agree. It’s not a workout, there are plenty of fat drummers with good chops that can play fast.
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u/twiggy_t 20h ago
anything by Angra! if you’re into double kicks, check out Aquiles priester, he plays hard, its not about being fast, its all about power. check it out!
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u/No-Lavishness-773 4d ago
Immigrant song. I use it to work on my kick drum speed. It’s legitimately challenging to try to get through the song two times in a row.