Motivational Rock songs

The power of music is staggering. One minute we're struggling to find the motivation to finish the work out at the gym; but then an absolute corker of a tune comes on shuffle. Suddenly the music takes over, and we find the strength from the deepest cavern inside of us to finish the last set of challenging weights.

To help you with your work out and to generally brighten your day, we thought we'd compile a list of 10 such tracks, that make you want to chest press a lion, wrestle a bear or run up a set of Philadelphian museum steps sporting a ridiculous headband and an odd shaped sweat patch.

There are hundreds of motivational rock tracks and narrowing it down to 10 is the hardest thing I've done in a long while, missing off some obvious tracks that you should already now. So if you have any particular favorites that didn't make the list, then share your stuff in the comments section below!

1. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

It's hard to argue that a Queen song wasn't going to make the list, it was a case of which one. With an operatic ballad passage leading up to probably the most head banging riff of all time, it had to be Bohemian Rhapsody. Written entirely by Freddie Mercury, who'd have thought that a song about a boy who has killed a man, been sentenced to death and then wanting Scaramouche to do the Fandango before meeting Beelzebub in hell would sell over 6 million copies. It eventually became the UK's 3rd best selling single of all time, and number 1, in 5 countries, and in many peoples opinion the best song ever.

2. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf

Originally written by Jim Steinman and performed by a little-known entertainer called Meat Loaf, this slowly turned into one of the most iconic tracks of the 70's. It was rejected by several record labels, one of which told Steinman to "buy some rock records and learn how to write songs". The album eventually sold 43 million copies worldwide and stayed in the UK charts for 474 weeks making it one of the best selling albums of all time. The track describes how a motor biker is travelling "Faster than any other boy has gone", then the thrilling drums and guitar indicate how he is "Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike" after crashing.

3. Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Whitesnake were formed in 1978 by David Coverdale after his stint as lead vocalist in Deep Purple. A string of 4 UK top 10 albums in the early 80's catapulted them to becoming one of the most commercially successful bands of that era. Their first number 1 single was "Here I Go Again", which was eventually re-released 4 times all with slightly varied tones, lyrics and an acoustic version. The music video probably became more famous than the song itself because it features Tawney Kitaen wearing white lingerie, dancing on the bonnet of a Jaguar XJ. Certainly got me hooked!

4. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy

Frontman Phil Lynott was the first commercially successful black Irishman in hard rock music. He got their being the front man of a multi-racial band that released 12 studio albums in as many years. Their first 5 albums were well received in Ireland, but little was known of the band elsewhere. Record company 'Vertigo' said to Lynott that they need to be more 'American'. Lynott wrote this song in 1976 and is about American Troops coming back from the Vietnam War. This expanded their popularity and was Thin Lizzy's ticket to tour America and the UK. Eventually, their unique dual guitar sound would lead to their first success with the album 'Jailbreak' reaching number 8 in the U.K and number 12 in the US.

5. All My Life - Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are a band that could write a book about their history and it would be thousands of pages long, but lets focus on the music. 'All My Life' was released as a single from the 2002 album 'One By One'. The single peaked at number 1 in the US Hot Modern Rock chart. The meaning of the song is still debated. Some believe it has sexual connotations and hidden innuendoes with frontman Grohl saying on fooarchive, "That song is a little dirty, use your imagination." However, the song which was released just after his difficult divorce with his wife, seems to talk about depression and trying to find 'Another one who believes'. Take whatever meaning you can from it, it's still a motivational aggressive track worthy of this list.

6. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

Off their eponymous debut album, reaching number 2 in the US in 1968, 'Born to be Wild' was widely known for giving the genre of heavy metal its name; through the lyric 'Heavy metal Thunder'. It's thought to be the 'first heavy metal track' however it was later corrected as it uses elements of classic and hard rock instead of heavy metal. This single featured on many films such as 'Easy Rider' and is the song that brought Steppenwolf to the forefront of 70's rock. They released 13 albums, selling a total of over 25 million records during their discontinuous time as a band. This is a classic and has featured on plenty of self-made and official driving CDs.

7. Highway to Hell - AC/DC

After releasing 3 studio albums, they became an accomplished band across their homeland Australia. AC/DC then hit the road and found international success by touring with Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Crew, Kiss and Aerosmith. They wrote their most famous and 6th album as they were touring in 1978. Guitarist Malcolm Young took credit for the famous riff as he described the tough touring schedule as a 'Highway to Hell'. The album was their first to hit the US top 100, and peaked at 17. In 2011, Young announced there would be a new album 'in the next couple of years' and we are still waiting for this. Earlier on this year, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, declared he would take a paycut to be able to tour with AC/DC. So there is still more to come from AC/DC!

8. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Nirvana are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the noughties and the release of their 2nd studio album 'Nevermind', was one of the main reasons. The album reached number 1 in 1992 and was seen as when alternative rock entered the 'mainstream'. Just like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Nirvana helped ignite the 'grunge' era of music in the nineties. The single was front-man Cobain's attempt at a 'perfect pop song' and reached number 1 in 5 countries, and it isn't a surprise seeing it on this list. The music video features a small quaint secondary school, which eventually starts moshing and causing havoc, just what Cobain, Grohl and Novoselic want.

9. Ace of Spades- Motorhead

If you were to use this song as a reason to why you crashed your car, you might get away with it. The song was written by front-man Lemmy Kilmister in the back of a transit van travelling at 90 mph. The short but upbeat speed metal song, based on gambling and taking risks, was released on Motorhead's 4th studio album and peaked at number 4 in the UK. Lemmy recalled writing the album in an interview and said "I never knew it was such a good song. I sang 'the 8 of spades' for 2 years and no one noticed". After recovering from health issues, Lemmy helped write Motorhead's 21st album; 'Aftershock'.

10. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses

As if I would miss off Guns 'n' Roses! There are many famous album openers in the world of rock, but this takes the cherry. Guns 'n' Roses released their first album 'Appetite For Destruction' in 1987  and it was soon to reach number 1 in the US and UK. This was the second single to be released and it reached number 7, and Guns 'n' Roses were propelled on the rock scene.  They released a further 4 albums before iconic guitarist Slash and other members of the band quit, leaving frontman Axl Rose. We will always wonder what would have happened if Axl Rose, and Slash had never fallen out, would they be the biggest rock band ever? Or would you already consider them that?

So thats your lot. 10 motivational rock tracks that will sort your day out. Stick them on your Monday morning playlist and turn the volume up. Do you agree with these tracks? What rock song motivated you to do something? Comments in the section below.