Find songs for your running pace Playlists for running, walking, cycling and other workouts

Did you know music could boost your performance by 15%? All you need is to you choose the right playlist for your runs (or any other workout), and luckily we're here to help.

BPM Search


Select a BPM in a specific genre and hit "Get BPM!" to get a list of songs for your next Playlist.
Don't know what BPM to search for? Then you should know that best exercise music is between 120-140 BPM, but the right range for you also depends on what type of exercise you do (running, cycling, walking, etc.) and personal factors. For example, if you're running with (the most efficient) 90 strides for one foot over a minute, then you should try fast-paced songs with BPMs of 175-180.

Want the perfect fitness playlist? Then you need to optimize the BPM

Whether we’re out for a run in the countryside or working out at the gym, having the right tunes playing on our headphones can definitely help us along. But what are the right tunes? Intuitively, we know it has something to do with the tempo of a song. Something fast and heavy will definitely have a different influence compared with a slow ballad or a saxophone solo.

More specifically, though, it all comes down to the beats per minute or BPM of a song. The GetSongbpm tool will find the ideal playlist to match your target BPM. Let’s take a closer look at how you can find a song’s BPM and use this information to create the perfect playlist for your run.

What is BPM and why does it matter?

Beats per minute is the tempo of the song you are listening to, and it will have a profound effect on your running or your workout regime. This is because the brain loves patterns and synchronicity. As you run, you’ll find yourself trying to synchronize your foot movements to the music in your ears, so get it right and there is no doubt that your choice of music can help you run more efficiently as you subconsciously try to keep up.

But this raises the question of what it means to “get it right.” Essentially you need two crucial pieces of information:

  • What running BPM should you be aiming for?
  • How do you figure out the BPM of a song?

Let’s take a closer look at both questions.

Choosing the BPM

Make some online enquiries to try to answer that question, and you will soon see the “magic number” of 180 start to appear with regularity. However, to say that 180 is the ideal running BPM is, at best, an over-simplification and at worst, a complete falsehood.

The optimum BPM depends on you, on your fitness and on your workout aims, but most sports psychologists and fitness coaches agree that 120 BPM is a good place to start if you simply want some background music. To give a little context, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper is at 120 BPM. For harder running, 140-145 BPM is a better target as a soundtrack for your run. For example, Beat It by Michael Jackson is at 140 BPM.

If, rather than background, you are looking for music to give synchronicity and help you maintain a constant pace, then this is when you should be looking into the 150 to 180 BPM range. Here, though it is vital to understand your own natural running rhythm.

Determine your running BPM

First things first, you really need an assistant to determine your ideal BPM. Trying to do it on your own will not yield an accurate result, many have tried. All you have to do is run on a treadmill at your usual easy pace. Then set a stopwatch for 60 seconds and have your spotter count how many times your right foot lands over the course of that minute. Double the result, to allow for the other foot, and there you have it – your target BPM.

Gathering your playlist

So now we understand your natural BPM for synchronicity, and some target BPM ranges if you prefer your music to be a more gentle backdrop to your run. The next question is how to tailor your playlist to that BPM? Fortunately, it does not mean hours of work to try and find the tempo of one song after another online. This is, after all, the information age, and the GetSongBPM provides a ready-made solution that doesn’t just calculate the BPM of a song - it also helps you to put together an exhaustive playlist.

Simply enter your desired BPM along with your preferred genre of music that takes your fancy and tell the app how long your run or workout is going to be. It will instantly come up with a carefully selected playlist, tailored specifically to your needs. It will even link you directly to the chosen songs on Spotify, so that you can listen to them right away.

GetSongBPM is powered by a database containing more than five million songs and 500,000 albums, performed by over 200,000 artists. If you like some variety in your music, no two runs ever have to be accompanied by the same soundtrack again - be prepared to discover some great new artists and maybe to become reacquainted with some old friends from years gone by.

Of course, for every person who likes variety, there is someone else who prefers familiarity, and already has a playlist they know and love. GetSongBPM provides an additional audio tool, designed specifically for these circumstances. Using a simple drag and drop process, it will analyse the songs that are already on your playlist and help you find the ones with the desired BPM to match your workout.

Choose the right BPM – but also the right music

There is no doubt that careful selection of your playlist according to BPM will help you run more effectively. However, don’t allow yourself to be blinded by BPM to the exclusion of all else. Music is more than just rhythmic sound to accompany your steps – if that was all there was to it, you could simply run to the sound of a metronome.

So while paying close attention to the BPM is important, remember, music is all about expression and inspiration. Just as important as determining the BPM of a song is the need to select a playlist that moves and inspires you.

Ultimately, we respond best of all to the music we like, and musical taste is the most personal and specific consideration of all. That’s why ultimately, GetSongbpm’s ability to not just select some appropriate music but to select it from favorite songs that are already in your playlist is such an important factor in choosing your perfect fitness playlist.