For a lot of bulldoggers, summer is (finally) just around the corner. But let’s just say what everyone’s thinking — summer is feeling just a little different than usual this year. Sure, we can still look forward to warmer temps, but as we all deal with COVID-19 and social distancing, travel is off the table… and even “school’s out!” has a different ring to it. There’s no doubt that it’s a challenging time, but we can still hang on to a few universal truths: A dance party can make so many things feel better. A good workout is great for boosting a mood. And the perfect workout music can make any sweat session a heck of a lot more fun.

There are plenty of things that are feeling out of our control these days, but when all else fails, you can prioritize yourself and your emotional health by getting on your yoga mat for an at-home sweat session and turning up the volume on your favorite workout music. At the very least, you have control over the soundtrack of your life… and your fitness, of course.

You might not know this about us, but we like to think of ourselves as experts in the field of workout music. Given the fact that there are lots of proven benefits to doing yoga with awesome workout music — according to one study from the UK, for example, people who listen to music while they exercise can keep it movin’ for longer periods of time than those who don’t listen to music — this is a pretty cool thing to have expertise in.

So if you’re looking for the best workout music to add to your fitness routine this summer and beyond, you have most definitely come to the right place.

It’s important to have the right tunes keeping you motivated to exercise all year ’round, but there are a few things that make workout music especially well-suited to the summertime.

Summer workout music needs to motivate you to get up and moving, like, ASAP.

Summer workout music needs catchy lyrics.

Summer workout music needs to have the kind of beat that will have it stuck in your head for days at a time (sorry, but it’s true). 

Summer workout music has to sound amazing blasting through your car speakers. 

Summer workout music has to pump you up for whatever booty-busting, body-strengthening moves you have planned for your at-home fitness. 

Summer workout music has to make you feel like dancing so that even when your body wants to quit during an especially tough exercise session, you can close your eyes and imagine that you’re at a dance party, instead. 

And what kind of workout music experts would we be if we didn’t have specific songs to recommend? We’re better than that. Obviously. 

We’ve been grooving to these twelve songs during our own at-home yoga flows and online classes lately. We think you’re going to love them as much as we do! Don’t forget — there are always plenty of playlists for you to check out on our Spotify channel!

Want more workout music to add to your Spotify playlists? See what our class leaders are rocking out to in bulldog’s online yoga classes!

Featured image: Malte Wingen/Unsplash