Not much can compare to the feeling of getting a good workout in. Whether it’s dead-lift day, leg day, triceps/chest day or the ever-popular elliptical day, knowing that you’re doing a good job to keep strong and healthy leads one to feeling at least a bit happier, coupled with the fact that you can pretty much eat whatever you want for the rest of that day and get away with it.
Not much can compare to the feeling of getting a good workout in. Whether it’s dead-lift day, leg day, triceps/chest day or the ever-popular elliptical day, knowing that you’re doing a good job to keep strong and healthy leads one to feeling at least a bit happier, coupled with the fact that you can pretty much eat whatever you want for the rest of that day and get away with it.
And who doesn’t like a good soundtrack to put that new workout plan into action?
However, if The Ping Center is your one-stop-shop for physical fitness, you’re bound to notice a few songs have a strong following by the folks who decide which iron-pumping anthems to blast there. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s something I’ve picked up on during my half-assed squats and 15-second planks.
First and foremost, I have to graduate from the introduction and start with the obvious.
If I was to guess, I’d say that if you were to go to Ping, eight out of 10 times you wouldn’t even finish your stretches before hearing “Stronger.”
Ping loves Yeezy. Yeezy season lasts all year for them.
And, although “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Jesus Walks” get heavy rotation as well, Kanye’s 2007 track “Stronger” is, by far, Ping’s fav jam.
But it’s appropriate, no?
Working out does make one better, faster, and stronger — still not sure about harder. As for the verses, does anything spell 50 lbs. flyes like numerous fashion references, debaucherous partying, and Klondikes? I don’t think so. Therefore, this gorgeous song will remain bound to the campus recreation’s playlist for a long time, possibly even through the coldest winter.
Sticking with hip-hop — the preferred genre of Ping and working out, alike — most millennials have a fond nostalgia for 90’s rap, even if they were not around when it was released. And who better to fill that void of thug motivation than the Big Poppa — Mr. Biggie Smalls, himself?
The catchy hook of Biggie’s 1997 posthumous song “Hypnotize” can often be heard throughout the weight rooms and upstairs, echoing the silky lines of “Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can’t you see/ sometimes your words just hypnotize me.” Like “Stronger,” the song mentions fashion brands, too — DKNY, Versace, and Moschino, to name a few. Am I sensing a theme here? (Answer: Probably not, hip-hop culture commonly evokes wearing designer brands. Just ask Gucci Mane.) And although Biggie was never on a #gymislife status, I’d much rather listen to him while cursing under my breath on the treadmill than someone like Busta Rhymes or The Game, so it’s all good baby baby.
“Stronger” and “Hypnotize” are the big two, but there are several other tracks that frequently play. Drake’s “0 to 100,” Outkast’s “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” and Usher’s “Yeah” all receive their fair share of playing time over dozens of simultaneous sets of 10. Juicy J also gets some love with “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and “Bounce It,” but a little more infrequently.
Based on the commercials and manual skips, it doesn’t take a pre-med major to know that the Ping staff uses iTunes Radio, which would explain why the songs get clumped together. But still, would it hurt to throw a few switch-up playlists in there, with a few deeper cuts, and maybe even some high energy pop tunes? If “Starships” came on, it wouldn’t even matter that I left my pre-workout in the dorm.
But I’m not one to complain, so I’ll just have to go back to re-racking the leg press, putting some “clipse” on the end of bar, feeling solidarity with Ye, and wondering if anybody makes real shit anymore.
Luke Furman is a freshman studying journalism. Can you spot the seven hidden Kanye references in this column? Email him at lf491413@ohio.edu or find him on Twitter at @LukeFurmanOU
