5 Classic Rock Songs That Belong On Every Water Aerobics Playlist

Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like a classic rock banger. In fact, the genre lends itself to water aerobics workouts due to the combination of rhythm and intensity that's often found in many of its most famous tracks. Music is the ultimate motivator and firestarter, so why not burn calories while rocking out with your goggles out?

The only issue is, which tracks do you add to your playlist here? This may come down to artist preference, as some folks might adore Aerosmith and detest AC/DC, or vice versa. However, it's important to compose a compilation that features two important elements when working out in group settings: instantly recognizable songs to lift the mood, and easily synchronizable music to move to. Think of tracks that you would label arena rock, because they get everybody in the crowd going wild. Instead of just clapping along, the characteristics of these tracks can be adapted into aqua aerobics exercises.

The good news is that we have picked five powerful classic rock songs for you. All you have to do is add them to your Apple Music, Spotify, or YouTube Music playlist and get your body moving and splashing in the water.

There's a reason AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" has become such a monumental fan-favorite track throughout the decades. Storming off the Australian rockers' 1990 album, "The Razor's Edge," the intro plays out like the mantra to a rainmaking ritual with everybody screaming, "Thunder! / Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah."

While it's become a popular drinking song, it's easy to see its value to a water aerobics session (where there's hopefully no drinking taking place at the same time). This stomping anthem doesn't barrel through its runtime at a million miles an hour on the highway to hell. It adjusts the tempo to peaks and valleys, while providing sections that encourage a switch-up in position or exercise. For example, the pre-chorus, where Brian Johnson sings, "And I was shakin' at the knees / Could I come again, please? / Yeah, the ladies were too kind," translates well into a synchronized start-stop motion in time to the four-beat rhythm of the guitar riff and drum combo.

Interestingly, AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" has been used by medical researchers during chemotherapy, and it's been discovered to have had a positive effect. If anything, this confirms that listening to this track can only be good for your health, so you might as well get moving to the groove created by the thunder from Down Under.

As with any exercise, water aerobics requires a decent warm-up to loosen those stiff muscles and creaky joints. What better way is there to start than with the Rolling Stones' aptly titled "Start Me Up"? The Stones' longest-charting single debuted on 1981's "Tattoo You" album, but this crowd-pleaser never went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also served as the official song for Microsoft Windows 95, which feels like the last operating system that actually worked how it was supposed to.

"Start Me Up" features a consistent mid-tempo beat that carries throughout the entire track. It's also a highly sing-along-able number, so don't be too surprised if you catch yourself singing, "If you start me up / If you start me up, I'll never stop." There aren't too many musical surprises hidden here, allowing you to kick off your exercise in a calm and effective manner without raising your heart rate too high.

As a matter of fact, if you watch the music video, you may even get your entire workout routine from Mick Jagger himself. All his dance moves can be done in the water — and who wouldn't want to have the moves like Jagger?

In every exercise, there's a point in which you enter the fabled flow state, where you're locked in and everything comes to you more naturally than before. A perfect number for this stage is Heart's "Barracuda," which comes off the band's 1977 record "Little Queen." This rousing classic rock single went to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stuck around on the chart for 20 weeks.

Powered by galloping guitar work — which could easily be considered among the best riffs from the '70s — "Barracuda" refuses to sink, only swimming to victory. There's a stirring quality in the song that motivates and almost calls out to the listener, saying, "Come on" and demanding that you do one more rep or hang in for just another minute.

For those who love their stretches or squats, there's an ideal section in the song where Ann Wilson belts out, "You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees / Now wouldn't you, Barracuda?" Let this part encourage you to time your movement to every instance in which Wilson sings "down." Oh, and it's absolutely mandatory that you say "barracuda" in the same cadence as her. Why? Because it's fun.

There's no other movie character like Rocky Balboa to make you believe that the impossible is possible through hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Apart from the iconic theme by Bill Conti, the song that best embodies the spirit of the Italian Stallion is Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," which appeared in 1982's "Rocky III."

Look, you might not be stepping into the ring with Mr. T's Clubber Lang, but you'll more than feel ready to crush the goals of any water aerobics exercise with this song's inclusion on your playlist. This hard-rocking track's knockout guitar riff and heart-pumping rhythm section contain the drive to power up any high-intensity workout. This shouldn't be merely a consideration for your playlist; it's an absolute must-add if you want to find that extra gear during a workout. After all, this is all about "the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight / Risin' up to the challenge of our rival."

No matter which workout you do, beast mode can be activated by pretty much anyone on the planet, but do you know what's necessary to achieve it? You need to be born to be wild. Yes, exactly like Steppenwolf's 1968 song that defined rock history and also appeared in the 1969 film "Easy Rider," starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.

While "Born to Be Wild" might make you think of cruising the open road on a Harley-Davidson, the truth is that it's peak for water aerobics too due to the composition of the track. For one, it maintains a consistent high-energy tempo, which is just the right pace for an exercise like underwater jogging. Second of all, John Kay's vocals just tickle that sweet spot and are the pitch-perfect workout accompaniment. And finally, who doesn't want want to hear the classic "born to be wild" line roaring while you're doing your workout?