Heavy Moves Heavy 2025 â AMGâs Ultimate Workout Playlist
By Thus Spoke
Before I was press-ganged into the Skull Pit, I, Ferox, began curating an exercise playlist named Heavy Moves Heavy. For a decade, I alone reaped the benefits of this creationâmany were the hours spent preening aboard my Squat Yacht, mixing oils so that I could marvel at the glistening gainz unlocked by the List. My indentured servitude is your good fortune, because a new and improved version of the Heavy Moves Heavy playlist is now available to all readers of AMG in good standing.1 The lifters among us have spent countless hours in the Exercise Oubliette testing these songs for tensile strength and ideological purity. Enjoyâbut donât listen if you are being screened for PEDs in the near future. This music will cause your free testosterone levels to skyrocket even as it adds length and sheen to your back pelt. ~ Ferox
A year has passed, and now the barbell of honour has been placed on my (regrettably smaller) shoulders as Ferox steps back from the AMG side-quest to focus on his main story. Our leader may be absent, but our search for gains continues with an otherwise full house and new recruits to boot. The songs that guided and shaped our workouts are compiled here in a playlist guaranteed to boost yours, whether you listen on shuffle or straight the way through.1 So what are you waiting for? Down your pre-workout, grab your straps and your knee-sleeves, and get ready to get massive. ~ Thus Spoke
Thus Spoke Enters Muscle Mommy Mode:
âSilence like the Graveâ // Paradise Lost (Ascension) â Straightforwardly solid, catchy, sharp, with a killer atmosphere. Insta-playlist save when the single dropped. Paradise Lost back on top-form and just time to give you the energy for moving heavy things.
âMagnoliaâ // Deafheaven (Lonely People with Power) â Oh yeah, Iâm dead serious. Sorry not sorry to any haters out there. This is four minutes and change of unqualified emotion and racing thoughts and it gets my blood running hot every damn time.
âAgainst the Dying of the Lightâ // Dormant Ordeal (Tooth and Nail) â Unironically motivating in a way presumably not intended. Just when you want to quit, that roar of âraaage, RAAAAAAGGGE,â and the impeccable drum and guitar work come in to see you through.
âCondemnesiaâ // Cytotoxin (Biographyte) â The devastation of a currently-occurring nuclear disasterâcomplete with a frantically clicking geiger counter and a witnessâ agonised moansâportrayed through slick, punchy tech-death. Do I need to explain?
âPerfida Contracçao do Açoâ // Filii Nigrantium Infernalium (Perfida Contracçao do Aço) â I wouldnât normally go for something like this; the vocals are kind of horrible. But the energetic ridiculousness is so fucking feral it takes you beyond pumped and into crazed maniac territory; which is obviously ideal for the gym.
âDNA (Do Not Amputate)â // To the Grave (Still) â Mean, melodic, and with a message, thereâs nothing about this that doesnât work while lifting. If Iâm going to include any deathcore in the playlist at all, then it has to be To the Grave.
âEunuch Makerâ // Depravity (Bestial Possession) â If your resting-murder-face, hoodie, and headphones arenât enough to keep people from having the audacity to speak to you, then listening to this could help. Itâs massive, and fun as hell, and will make you look extra mean through osmosis, I guarantee.
âArchitects of Extinctionâ // Psycroptic (Architects of Extinction) â Banger alert. The change in vocals makes this a smidge less strong than it otherwise would be, but câmon; a riff that good has got to be anabolic.
âAmaranthâ // Nephylim (Circuition) â My dopamine-fixation song for the best part of a month. Itâs uplifting, itâs catchy, itâs infinitely replayable. What more do you want?
âNatural Lawâ // Primitive Man (Observance) â Itâs not too long, itâs a very important, massive chunk of overwhelming heaviness that makes me feel ten times the size and heft I actually am. You can get through all three (or however many) sets with spare time to admire the pump.
âDeathlessâ // Phobocosm (Gateway) â Monstrous, massive, intense. Fast and furious isnât always it; more and more, I crave slow, oppressive, and malevolent. Itâs just what I crave to dig deeper.
â1918 Pt 3: ADE (A duty to escape)â // 1914 (Viribus Unitis) â It took less than a single complete playthrough for this to end up on this list. Itâs heavy enough for leg day, and itâs atmospheric and moving in that perfect way that helps you dissociate from how much your body hurts. Iâve had it on repeat through many a tough session since.
Kenstrosity Bursts Through His Own Workout Gear:
âRot in the Pitâ // Depravity (Bestial Possession) â If there was ever a song that eradicated mental blocks to that next rep, that next PR, that next push, itâs âRot in the Pit.â Boasting mountain-moving swagger and a center riff that risks greater injury to my body than any ego lift could ever approach, Depravity penned a bona fide gymstormer with âRot in the Pit.â
âSummoning Sicknessâ // Pedestal for Leviathan (Enter: Vampyric Manifestation) â Imagine getting legs so powerful and swole they force your gait to changeâbut youâre doing it in the basement of your Transylvanian vampire castle with Igor loading up weights on the bar for your next PR. Thatâs what âSummoning Sicknessâ feels like when Iâm pushing
âNachthexeâ // Bianca (Bianca) â You wouldnât expect something that dabbles so heavily in atmosphere to possess such meaty muscle as this, but Biancaâs âNachthexeâ proves the might of the sleeper build. Once they take of the airy, soft pump cover, a devastating topology of deadly power ripples just under the skin.
âThe Insufferable Weightâ // Barren Path (Grieving) â Donât let the lighter weights Iâm lugging around fool you. Volume days are fucking brutal, and a challenge for both my mind and my body. Barren Pathâs âThe Insufferable Weightâ adrenalizes me with itâs speed and brutal rhythms just enough to survive those endless reps.
âGranfalloonâ // Unbirth (Asomatous Besmirchment) â Unbirth is the pool from which some the nastiest, grooviest, and most deceptively complex riffs spawn. This is great fodder for those compound movements that build strength and density. You could pick anything off of Asomatous Besmirchment for such gains, but my preference is âGranfalloon.â
âKollapsâ // Jordsjuk (Naglet til livet) â Black metal? For the gym? You fucking bet. Guaranteed to pull you back from the brink of absolute failure, Jordsjukâs âKollapsâ thrashes and shimmers with enough vibrancy and verve to make whatever load Iâm pushing feel like light weight.
âInfestisâ // Igorrr (Amen) â You wouldnât expect something as weird and wacky as Igorrr to fit in the land of iron and steel, but here we are. With stomping riffs and vicious roars, âInfestisâ is top tier workout gear. Great for keeping pace and supporting breath control, youâll find much progress with Igorrr by your side.
âFlashback (ft. Strawberry Hospital)â // Blind Equation (A Funeral in Purgatory) â Every year I open up one slot for those high intensity workouts where cardio and strength meet. This year, my spotter cheering me on when Iâm doing sprints and weighted jumps is Blind Equationâs intense and lightning-fast âFlashback.â Gotta go fast!!!
âLeave the Flesh Behindâ // Ashen (Leave the Flesh Behind) â Probably the underdog in the litter, Ashenâs âLeave the Fleshâ behind is all muscle, and a mountain of it at that. These riffs represent both the immovable object and the unstoppable force. One day, I hope to be like them.
â12 Worm Woundsâ // Death Whore (Blood Washes Everything Away) â It was difficult to narrow down a selection from Death Whoreâs lean and mean debut, but I keep coming back to the swaggering riffs of â12 Worm Woundsâ went I need motivation for that next lift. It just makes everything Iâm doing seem like the most fun Iâll ever have.
âThe Fire in Which We Burnâ // âŠand Oceans (The Regeneration Itinerary) â Boasting what I consider to be the single best black metal riff of 2025, âŠand Oceans greatly surprised me with a swaggering barnstormer of a track ready made to stoke the fire in my chest for a second wind. Hand me another set of plates, itâs time to go up for one more set!
âNever Difiledâ // Serenity in Murder (Timeless Reverie) â Who needs to spell correctly when you have hundreds of pounds to push on the bar? This is the question I ask whenever the adrenaline-soaked âNever Difiledâ plays as I rack up the plates for my next set. Nobodyâs ever been able to give me an answer.
âThe Twisted Helixâ // Mutagenic Host (The Diseased Machine) â They say genetics play a huge role in what kind of gains you can expect to achieve naturally in the gym. Well, Iâm an ectomorph so itâs toughâand takes a lot more timeâto build and maintain muscle. The solution? Twist my helixes and instantly quadruple my gains. Mutagenic Hostâs âThe Twisted Helixâ is just the tool for the job!
â+++Engine Kill+++â // Ruinous Power (EXTREME DANGER: Prototype Weaponry) â Sometimes you just need something threatening to rip the rails right off the track to hype you up for a grueling session. Thatâs what songs like Ruinous Powerâs â+++Engine Kill+++â are for. Short, to the point, and vicious, it will get your blood surging and your body raring to go.
âFemtoâs Themeâ // Flummox (Southern Progress) â Something so theatrical doesnât sound like a natural fit when working out, but the sheer heft and chunky rhythms of Flummoxâs âFemtoâs Themeâ defies those expectations. Iâve been using it for leg days and the results are crazy town! Donât believe me? Try it for yourself!
Steel Druhm Trains His Ape Arms to Crush the Empire State Building:
âAbandoned Feretrumâ // Sepulchral (Beneath the Shroud) â Blending old school black and death noise, Sepulchral mainline pure badger adrenaline and rattlesnake venom into your major muscle groups. Handle those power chugs with care, Brah.
âNecrobotic Enslavementâ // Glorious Depravity (Death Never Sleeps) â Taking discarded Morbid Angel riffs and repurposing them to turn a peaceful man rabid is why we have science. Take 2 doses of âNecrobotic Enslavementâ 30 minutes before throwing 45 lb plates at people who sit on exercise machines and chat.
âA Scream in the Snowâ // Black Soul Horde (Symphony of Chaos) â Trve metal can embiggen the innate desire for strength and raw power like no other, and âA Scream in the Snowâ will have you swinging olympic bars to get that sword arm ready for bloody constraint and weightroom glory.
âEyes on Sixâ // Biohazard (Divided We Fall) â Loudmouthed tough guys from Brooklyn scream at you to watch your back as they try to snap it with angry riffs and bad attitudes. This is for the caveman living in your reptile brain.
âCarry Onâ // Nite (Cult of the Serpent Sun) â Badass riffs and Manowar-esque demands that you carry on despite hardships are the crucial things that separate a routine workout from a Herculean trial that transforms you. Carry on to bigness.
âCrusadersâ // Starlight Ritual (Rogue Angels) â A dirty, greasy 80s metal anthem that sounds like proto-Iron Maiden is what you need to evolve from tubby baby to a fucking WRATHCHILD. Join this crusade and tip your templar.
âIron Signâ // Ambush (Evil in All Dimensions) â Unraveling the Riddle of Steel requires a long, hard journey guided only by iron signs. This cut will set you on the right path toward your ferric destiny.
âBending the Steelâ // Ambush (Evil in All Dimensions) â If youâre out there bending the steel, why not get moral support from Ambush with this massive aggressive dose of testosterone and primal motivation? When the singer shouts, âLetâs go, boys!â youâll feel your strength grow 3 times (plus two!). With an iron will, you gotta keep bending the steel!
âGaruda (Eater of Snakes)â // Brainstorm (Plague of Rats) â Brainstorm write heavy metal for leg day, and Garuda is your feathery guardian iron eagle compelling you to crush that feeble PB. The strong can tell their eagle where to fly and what snakes to eat.
âBeyond Enemy Linesâ // Brainstorm (Plague of Rats) â Brainstorm ainât done with you by a damn sight! If the thundering drums and beefy riffs here donât get you chalked up and ready for iron warfare, you should take up underwater doily knitting.
Steel-Jacketed Olden Bonus:
âSpark to the Flameâ // Winterâs Bane (Redivivus) â One of the greatest gym/workout songs EVER. Lyrics that speak of creating a better version of yourself as you burn in the crucible of effort will help you rise high as those burly riffs hammer your inner coward into moist gum paste.
Grin Reaper Gets Down with the Fitness:
âNo Pain, No Gainâ // Majestica (Power Train) â Metals of Power and Heft are a must for my workouts, especially stretching and pre-lifting calisthenics. Majesticaâs cheesy anthem is perfect montage-fodder, and even though the track is rife with clichĂ©d chestnuts, it features kinetic hooks that gird my gears for whatâs to come.
âStorm the Gatesâ // Soulfly (Chama) â Once Iâm limbered up, itâs time to sweat. Max and the boysâ bouncy grooves peddle just the right combination of chest-thumping swagger and ferocity to make sure my next rep sets the tone for a simmering sesh of glorious gainz.
âSkullbatteringâ // Werewolves (The Ugliest of All) â Thereâs no better way to keep momentum hurtling forward than with a good olâ fashioned ode to smashing braincases. Setting the right tone for a workout is paramount, and here Werewolves does not fuck around. Thereâs nothing pretty or flowery about âSkullbattering,â but if swole is your goal, you need to exorcise the Ugly.
âAnodyne Rustâ // Blood Red Throne (Siltskin) â I hurt my shoulder a few years ago, and though stretching and (prescribed) drugs didnât help much, bulking up did. Exercise slipped out of my routine as work and family commitments grew (as did my waistline), but as Iâve recently knocked the Rust off my dumbbells, Iâm reminded of the palliative restoration that comes from pumping iron and death metal.
âRavenous Leechâ // Guts (Nightmare Fuel) â Scuzzy, groovy, and unapologetically fun, Nightmare Fuel is filled to the gills with mid-paced chugs that make a great soundtrack for AMRAP workouts. While most of Gutsâ bloody remnants will Fuel your workout, spinning âRavenous Leechâ is sure to leave you hungry for even more punishment.
âBy Lead or Steelâ // Barbarous (Initium Mors) â Does Cannibal Corpse feature heavily in your gym listening? If so, consider Barbarous, who channels similar vibes and vitriol with less viscera. Itâll make you want to drink motör oil and punch babies, and thatâs the kind of shove you need when youâre out on swole patrol.2
âKaltfrontâ // Eisbrecher (Kaltfront) â Something about heavy distortion, dance-adjacent electronics, and gravelly vocals makes âNew German Hardnessâ prime listening for calculated and efficient movements. With near imperceptible head bops and a commitment to perfect form, this âKaltfrontâ leaves me focused and hard as a block of ice.
âHope Terminatorâ // Cytotoxin (Biographyte) â Plenty of great death metal jams spurn gym-list inclusion with slow-build intros, not getting to proper stankinâ until theyâre well into the track. Cytotoxin knows better, immediately flaying you with technicality. âHope Terminatorâ is the perfect mid-playlist piece to curb fatigue and keep your spirit engorged.
âLet There Be Oblivionâ // Ade (Supplicium) â Romeâs Ade lays down a banger of a riff on âLet There Be Oblivion,â and itâs long and strong enough to push me through a set or two. If Iâm struggling during a workout, whether in motivation or physically, I need every ounce of energy I can muster, and songs like this one can be the tipping point.
âBlinding Oblivionâ // Depravity (Bestial Possession) â Like Gutsâ Nightmare Fuel, Bestial Possession boasts track after track of gym-ready scorchers. I chose âBlinding Oblivionâ 1. to maintain consistency with âLet There Be Oblivionâ and 2. because something about the subtle melody in the song gives it an air of refreshment that I need as the demands of my workout ramp to a frothing climax.
âElevator Operatorâ // Electric Callboy (Elevator Operator) â Itâs dumb, itâs trite, and itâs so devastatingly catchy that it sticks in my head for days on end. Most importantly, it makes me want to move things up and down, and I wonât apologize for that.
âSunlight Covenantâ // Spire of Lazarus (Those Who Live in Death) â I donât dabble in deathcore often, but when I do, itâs usually technical, symphonic, and anthemic. Spire of Lazarus crafts just the right blend of their core components to make âSunlight Covenantâ a certified HMH banger. As a bonus, try to time it so that the track hits on your last set of the dayâthe melody and backing swells make a triumphant send-off as you clinch the last rep and wipe down the bench. You wiped the bench, right?
âFossilizedâ // Ăltra Raptör (Fossilized) â This song has stayed close since I first laid ears on it, and not once has it failed to engage the hype machine. Whether warming up, working out, or cooling down, the classic retro riffs and sunglasses-at-night nonchalance define a cool I strive for, and motivation like that is the key to gainz.
Dolph Does Heavy This Time:3
âMortuary Ritesâ // Mörtual (Altar of Brutality) â Blood boils fastest with a roto-tom take off followed by a death-thrash pummel. As churning pit energy converts to flared nostrils, focused vision, and engorged fibers at the crack of a incessant stick, find a slow and steady breath as your body prepares for war.
âTlazolteotlâ // Kalaveraztekah (Nikan Axkan) â The beat of a clanging snare threatens whatever weighted structure exists in your path. âTlazolteotlâ marches ever forward through growling twists, hardwood clack, and flute-led guitar abandon. A brief respite of acoustics awaitsâbut so does the real bulk of this journey.
âBlack Scrawlâ // Pupil Slicer (Fleshwork) â Feedback, growling bass, pneumatic kicks, and an urgent snarlâPupil Slicer demands your full thrust. With this affixing hardcore anchor, âBlack Scrawlâ will carry you to your first peak push with a dragging breakdown coda.
âSwamp Mentalityâ // The Acacia Strain (You Are Safe from God Here) â Rest does not come to those who push only once, though. The burn of your resolve will light the path in the angst and mire and core-fluid whiplash of âSwamp Mentality.â And Vincent Bennettâs tattered and spit-riddled mic will provide an extra OUGH to your exhale.
âOrphansâ // Dormant Ordeal (Tooth and Nail) â If you could tether your pulse to the relentless kick assaults that Chason Westmoreland brings to âOrphansââall of Tooth and Nail reallyâyour spotter wouldnât be able to find dial emergency fast enough to save you. Instead, search for the heavier weighted tempo that exists between the pitter-patter as your guide. In this space, relentless and emotive riff runs and lead wails coalesce into one of the most threatening thrash-pit breaks of the year. Harness this power.
âThe Great Day of His Wrathâ // Blindfolded (What Seeps through Threads) â In vicious harmonized splendor, Blindfoldedâs neoclassical scale hopping riffage possesses a buoyancy that is vital to remaining invigored. And whipping around bleating and squealing mic energy with resplendent solo work, âThe Great Day of His Wrathâ both maintains your demanding schedule and restores a lightness to your being before the heaviest pulls come to play.
âRetinaâ // Pillars of Cacophony (Paralipomena) â Neoclassical drama, however, doesnât always seek to restore with its airy play. âRetinaâ arrives, rather, with a mechanical and and programmed structure that functions as a scaffold upon which ascending scale iterations match your own gradual and gravity-creating climb. As the pinch-happy shuffle sneers in precision stank-face deployment, resist the urge to discharge your steel load into the earth.
âLunar Tearâ // Barren Path (Grieving) â In any routine, no matter how structured, a moment of ferocious release can provide a benefit. Before this playlist enters its most grueling minutes, a lightning-speed romp in the grips of endless blasts and riffs exists to shake off the inertia that can result from testing your limits.
âHeaping Pile of Electrified Goreâ // Pissgrave (Malignant Worthlessness) â We are all filthâcorpses brought to life by the signals we create. Synapses creating chains from proximal to distal drive our movements from concept to power. Through squelching refrain and lockstep death metal assault, fibers at the edge of their load-bearing capacity persist and persevere in the midst of Pissgraveâs shifting and grimy rhythms.
âBursting with Lifeâs True Fruitâ // Umulamahri (Learning the Secrets of Acid) â Guttural expression unlocks the last inches of a tough pull. As we channel Doug Mooreâs garbage disposal tier phlegmanations into our own tidal vibrations, we visualize the final set. We are victorious. And in a celebratory expression of might, we slip into Umulamahriâs enlightened synth dissolution. Those who float cannot collapse.
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