Play that funky music...

I often hear people say that they just can't motivate themselves to workout. Admittedly, I occasionally have those days too. But what I have found, is that when I really think about it, 9 times out of 10, I will always feel better if I just make myself get out there and move. Once I am moving, the stress and fatigue melts away, and I am can get in the zone. However, if you are finding that shear will-power isn't quite enough, you may benefit from having a trusted play-list of your top workout favorites to keep you going. A research team out of Stanford showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. All great ways to make your workout more effective. Listed below are some resources for making your own awesome and moving playlist:

Did I tell you I am now a hip-hop extraordinaire? Get your top 10 hip hop workouts songs!

Wanna know what made the overall top 10 list?

Think you could do better? Create your own list with lots of recommendations on iTunes through the Sport iMix site.

Feeling manly?...here are the 52 Best Workout Songs according to "The art of manliness"

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a resource for a womens' top workout mix. Help a girl out! I would LOVE to make a Restoration Fitness top 25 by having you list your favorite workout music for women in the comments below!!

H.I.T. IT!

H.I.T., or High Intensity Training, is one of the best ways to get a great workout and overcome weight loss or strength gain plateaus. Essentially, it means packing a big punch of effort into little packages throughout your training. HIT stresses intensity over repetition. Additionally, adding higher intensity, more powerful effort bursts into your cardio program can also have huge benefits. Twenty minutes of high intensity interval cardio increases your aerobic capacity (VO2max) dramatically, maintains lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism during and after exercise, and potentially burns more fat calories than 30-45 minutes of low intensity cardio.

Here are some tips to add high intensity into your program:

1) Choose a weight for an upper body exercise that you can only lift 6-10 times, lower body would be closer to 8-15 times. Use a 3-1-4-1 cadence for the lift. For instance, on a seated row: Pull bar toward your ribs for 3 seconds, pause 1 second at end range, spend 4 seconds allowing bar to return to start, and finish with a 1 second pause prior to repeating.

2) Finish your lift with a hold at mid-range to force the muscle to near complete failure.

3) For an intense cardio interval program try this:

• 3-5 minute warm up at easy pace
• 30 seconds at a sprint followed by 30 seconds rest
• Add 30 seconds to each sprint and rest interval until you reach 4 minutes total for your "sprint" interval
• After your sprint interval, take 4 minutes rest, then reverse the order back down to 30 seconds for each "sprint" and rest interval.
• Finish with a 2-3 minute walk or cool down followed by a great stretch!

**you should always either consult with your physician for clearance or have worked up to a high level of fitness so that you are able to work at a high cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscle intensity without risk of injury

How often? 2-3 days for interval cardio training and 2-3 days for your weight training. See expert Yuri Elkaim give you specifics.