Need extra inspiration to hit the gym this summer? Spotify has very kindly provided the best motivation one could ask for with their ultimate workout playlist.

Collated with the help of the Music in Exercise and Sport Group at Brunel University in London, Spotify selected tracks based on their global popularity combined with their ability to make you work harder based on their tempo, style and lyrical content. They found that the most effective songs were those that encouraged listeners to sync their movements with the beat.

Dr Costas Karageorghis, an expert on music for exercise and sport, says that your workout can easily be kicked up a notch with the right song choice.

“When synching your movements to the beat of the music, increase the intensity of your workout by raising the music tempo by one or two BPMs beyond your comfort zone,” Dr Karageorghis recommends. “This will increase your workrate with the added benefit that the difference in effort will be almost imperceptible.”

The most popular song for working out Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ fast-paced, upbeat track Can’t Hold Us. Women love Rihanna’s We Found Love while men prefer songs like Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.

Spotify’s research also found interesting differences in the way men and women exercise, with women favouring morning work outs while men enjoy exercising on their lunch break. Women are also more likely to time their workout to the beat of a song.

Spotify’s ultimate playlist mirrors workout patterns by starting with warm up tracks before leading into high intensity songs and then, finally, warm down sounds.

None of these floating your boat? Take a look at the songs favoured by celebrities as the soundtrack to their exercise regime:

Katy Perry (singer): Intuition by Jamie Foxx

Ryan O’Keefe (Sydney Swans player): Plans by Birds of Tokyo

Rihanna (singer):  Party like a Rockstar by Shop Boyz 

Jillian Michaels (celebrity trainer): Boom by Snoop Dogg featuring T-Pain

Zoe Saldana (actress): Keep You by Class Actress

Tomas Berdych (tennis player): Uprising by Muse