“Music is key to any intense workout,” Illy tells Apple Music. When he’s not writing music, the Melbourne hip-hop artist is likely to be found working out—so it’s safe to say he knows the importance of a good playlist when it comes to firing up the heart rate and building muscle. “From keeping steps and reps in time with a beat to locking into a zone in the final push before finishing a set—you always find it easier to go harder, and not be as conscious of the effort, when there’s a big beat at a loud volume.” Check out Illy’s handpicked selections here, and read more below about the tracks that push him the hardest. Run The Jewels, “Close Your Eyes (And Count to F**k)” feat. Zack de la Rocha “If aggressive energy was boiled down into a track, it would sound like this. Makes you want to go harder.” Illy, “Loose Ends” feat. G Flip “Obviously biased, but on a different energy to aggressive, anything that’s a combo of upbeat and uplifting is easy to get lost in, which always helps motivation. If you can get lost in the vibe song, you’re not thinking about your legs burning, right? This is that jam.” M83, “Midnight City” “The beat on this is just so dope. High energy, constant high vibes. This is the kind of energy you take into a session and leave like you’ve earned your dinner.” DMX, “X Gon' Give It to Ya” “Any classic DMX is going to make you want to smash your sets, but this is THE jam of all of them. Wall-to-wall energy. Rep ’til failure anthem.”