Total Workout: Stretch

Any serious fitness fanatic knows that warming up and stretching out is crucial for maximizing workouts and minimizing injury, and you've got to make sure you start out easy-peasy lemon-squeezy before hurling yourself into your hardcore reps. So, we've recruited Mase to urge you to "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" before handing you off to the musical muscle relaxants found the heart-beat propulsions of Kanye West's rap-soul searcher "Love Lockdown". From there, you can reach for release with Eminem and his inspirational "Lose Yourself", and unravel your tight muscles to a swoonful burst of Gaga's "Alejandro". We've only just begun — reach into Next Steps to keep up the stretch.

OK, you've warmed up nice and easy 'til you feel good and loose. Here's where you step it up ever so slightly — so hook onto the creamy, sweet-treat beats of "Milkshake" from Kelis, and let them sink you even deeper into the stretch. And we're willing to wager that it feels rather good, right? Well, go ahead and shake off the chains of bodily tension to the sonic lift-off of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway", and when you're tempted to let go, summon the dialed-in groove of Stereo MCs to keep you "Connected" to your body, and let the serene sonic glow of Moby's "In This World" be your light at the end of the workout tunnel. Stretch it out into Deep Cuts for more music to get loose by.

When you want to have complete command over tenaciously taut muscles, Deep Cuts is on hand like a bottle of embrocation, so rub a little Fatboy Slim into your ears and feel the difference when "Sunset (Bird of Prey)" hits take-off velocity. Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" makes the ideal soundtrack for softening up glutes and rubberizing thighs, and Faithless should echo your bodily condition when guest vocalist Dido enters the fray with "Feelin' Good". When you're finally savouring that delicious loose-and-limber sensation, Katie Melua is there to put "God On the Drums, Devil On the Bass" . . . and you on the stationary bicycle.

Talk about essential. Stretching is the easiest part of your total workout to overlook, but skipping the stretch means missing out on a world of bodily benefits, whether you're looking to ramp up your workout, scale back on the risk of injury, or increase your balance and flexibility. So, get that stretch going and extend it to its maximum potential with the elasticized sounds of our Total Workout: Stretch Essentials. It's easy to take your routine to a better, looser place with the Happy Mondays — who twist melons (but not sinews) on "Step On" — and Bruce Hornsby, who delivers piano therapy to each and every joint on "The Way It Is". Jane Fonda's "Lunges, Quad Stretch" will propel you past couch-potato procrastination, Hollywood-style, while your own righteous rap trainer Ice Cube will keep you "Pushin' Weight" until you reach your goals — or your toes.