Dallas resident Blake Ward is one of the most in-demand DJs in the area. You’re as likely to see him at a special department store opening at NorthPark Center as you are a glitzy nightclub. He’s admittedly more of a music expert than a gym rat, but he’s getting better. “I recently started using the Couch to 5K program to kick-start my professional running career, and so far it has been going great.” Ward claims he can now run 20 consecutive minutes without “stopping, puking, or crying.” But it’s not the hip new apps and technology, he says, that are making it possible. “I credit the techno and house beats with giving me the pump-up I need to wheeze my way to the finish line,” Ward says.
His favorite track on this mix is Para One’s “You Too.” “It has the ’90s aerobics class vibe going for it,” he says.
He also recommends “Baby F-16” by Panteros. “It should be called ‘Baby Godzilla.’ Because you will no doubt feel like a beast as you pump iron to the techno beats in this song.”
Although he didn’t include it, Ward believes the most inspiring fitness anthem is Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best Around,” which famously accompanied the everyman workouts in The Karate Kid. He jokes that the track should be banned by professional sports leagues as a performance enhancer.
“You may want to stick with my playlist,” Ward says.
