Have you ever been jogging and found yourself frustrated that all the songs in your playlist were not quite the right rhythm for the speed you wanted to run? Sometimes you get into the pace of a song perfectly only to find the next song is just a little slower or a tiny bit faster. Whatever the change in tempo, it leaves you unable to continue using the music to pace yourself unless you repeat the song that was working for you – and that can get pretty repetitive!

The folks at PaceDJ have realised that this scenario is a common problem for people trying to workout to music. So, in order to make our lives more interesting, and our workouts more effective, PaceDJ have built applications to generate playlists according to the BPM (Beats Per Minute) of the music. Now you’ll never want to slow down just because of your music!

Sign Up To PaceDJ

Head over to the PaceDJ website to sign up, or sign up using one of the mobile applications. You can choose your own username or you can sign in using your Twitter or Facebook credentials. The account is useful if you want to keep track of your favourite playlists or generate your own playlists. However, if you’re just exploring, it’s possible to check out other people’s playlists without logging in.

BPM Calculation

In order to calculate the best BPM for your workouts, PaceDJ asks you to fill out some basic information about your age, health and the sort of workout you plan to do. Obviously, someone riding a bike at a moderate pace will need a different speed to someone running at a slow pace. They also take into consideration your height, which can make quite a difference to your pace.

Without tools like PaceDJ, people usually just guesstimate their ideal workout BPM by finding the BPM of a track that worked well enough and building from there. This BPM calculation tool is something people can really make use of to build their perfect playlist for every activity and intensity.

Another great feature available in the PaceDJ mobile applications is the pedometer BPM calculator. This makes it really easy to work out what your comfortable pace is and what your low and high intensity BPM rates will need to be.

Playlist Suggestions

Once your ideal BPM is set for your workout, PaceDJ suggests playlists for you. On the website, you can pick from any playlists other people have created and shared. It’s also possible to create playlists by browsing individual songs by their BPM.

If you like a playlist you can buy the whole list or individual tracks from iTunes or Amazon. You can also keep track of your favourite playlists if you’re logged in.

Mobile Applications

PaceDJ is available for Android and iPhone. You can crab your copy for just a couple of dollars (currently 1,55 € or US$1.99).

Mobile use of PaceDJ is where the real magic starts. When you’re using PaceDJ on your smartphone, it will calculate the BPM of all the songs on your phone and SD card. So, you’re making workout playlists out of your own favourite music. Also, if a song’s BPM is incorrectly imported you can fix it using the PaceDJ app.

You can keep track of your ideal calculated BPM for your workout or re-assess according to your current activity pace using the pedometer included in the application. But whatever pace you set, PaceDJ will change your playlist for you on the fly.

There are plenty of controls you can set to ensure just your favourite music is used. You can find music from within a certain folder only, change the BPM variance, and include or exclude double-time or half-time songs from your workout playlist.

PaceDJ Wishlist

The PaceDJ application is almost the perfect app for the music-loving fitness fanatic. Ideas for the future though, could include sharing playlists with music streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer. Since many people already have these applications on their phones, it could prove to be a popular development.

More Fitness Articles

If you’re kickstarting your fitness plan, check out these articles too:

• Kickstart Your Summer Fitness & Weight Loss With FitBit
• 3 Really Inspiring Fitness Infographics, Plus Create One Of Your Own!
• Get In Shape & Make Your Android A Personal Trainer With Fitness Buddy [Android 2.2+]

What do you love about using PaceDJ? What other features would you like to see them add?