There are two exercise camps. The first is made up of people who take a Zen-like approach to working out, preferring to be left alone with their thoughts while pumping iron or hauling it on the treadmill. The second is for those who rely on steady beats of their favorite song to pull them through that last rep or mile. If you're a thoughtful exerciser, more power to you, but new research shows that jamming out while you're working out can actually increase your endurance.

Researchers found that syncing music tempo with your exercise pace can actually increase your work out efficiency. Running on a treadmill to a song that matches your cadence can result in a 10 percent reduction in perceived effort, which allows you to work out longer, reports LiveScience.

Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology found that running in time with a song that had 125 beats per minute (bpm) helped increase endurance by 15 percent.

Skullcandy is a brand-name in music listening devices, including headphones, earbuds, MP3 players, hands-free devices and more. Founded in 2003, the highly-successful Skullcandy company was founded on the principle of creating portable audio equipment suited to an active, athletic lifestyle, with a particular emphasis on sports like snowboarding and skateboarding. Skullcandy's products are aimed at action sport enthusiasts but have reached a much wider demographic -- appealing to sporty and non-sporty types alike.

Sold in over 40 countries worldwide, Skullcandy products are known for their unique, hip hop-inspired design and their versatility throughout a variety of activities. Their ear buds are particularly popular, having been dubbed the "world's coolest ear bud" by CNN Money.

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Next time you're sweating it out at the gym, pump up the volume on your iPod. Recent studies showed that women who listened to their workout tunes a bit louder than usual not only increased the intensity of the workout but were in a better mood too. During the study, women who listened to loud music did 36 reps of the leg press, compared to 29 reps for women who listened to low or medium-volume music and 26 reps for those who listened to no music at all.

While the findings were true for both cardio and strength training exercises, the difference was most noticeable in participants who were pumping iron. Could it be that listening to music takes your mind off the fact that good grief, this hurts like heck? Yep, study author Janet McMordie tells MSNBC: "Psychologically, music gets you pumped up and it also distracts you from what you're doing," she says. Additionally, listening to music helps bust boredom in even the most routine workout.

A word of caution, though -- don't crank your tunes too much. Prolonged exposure to levels of 85 decibels or higher can permanently damage your hearing.

Ready to fire up your fitness? Check out our That's Fit playlist, sure to inspire you through the toughest of sets.

What are your favorite workout tunes?

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jennifer L. Davis

Age: 28

Occupation: I am an insurance sales and service representative for my primary job, but I have several other major responsibilities, to say the least. I am also a single mother, and, as a hobby, I help people with diet and training in my spare time. I meet people and work out with them to teach them new exercises and do nutritional and other advising through e-mails. I also have one night a week when I prepare meals for the week for myself. My life is pretty hectic, but I feel very blessed. I manage the time very well and keep everyone smiling. My days start early with cardio, then off to manage insurance accounts, then soccer practice for my son, followed by the gym and finally, I answer e-mails. These are our normal days. It gets really crazy around time for a figure competition, too. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

How often do you exercise? I do cardio three mornings a week and weight train five days a week.

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I first heard about Xflowsion because of Sarah Chalke from "Scrubs" -- it's one of her favorite workouts. After that, I felt like I was seeing it everywhere, so when I had an opportunity to review it, I was really excited. After all, I really like martial arts and dance, and even though I'm terrible at it, I enjoy yoga (and yes, one can be bad at yoga -- trust me).

Xflowsion isn't just a single workout. It includes four workouts, actually, along with two audio discs and a "real meals" nutrition guide. Live in Hollywood is the big, main workout, clocking in at 83 minutes (although, the menu does let you customize the length of the workout, if you like). It features live music (if you have surround sound, the video has awesome audio capabilities) and about 60 participants. Body Blast is just 26 minutes and is a challenging full body workout with great music -- not live, but really upbeat. Amazing Abs focuses on, well, your abs, and is 23 minutes. Calm Down Dog is a "restorative and gentle yoga-centric workout" meant to reduce stress and relax your mind.

Normally, the whole system (a $315 value) costs $39.95, but right now, Xflowsion is offering an "economy and body recovery plan." So, for a limited time, they're selling The Xflowsion DVD series (which includes everything mentioned above plus a free copy of "The Lean" DVD) for $19.95 plus $7.95 S&H. That is a lot of at-home fitness for the price, folks.

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader. We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other. That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Adidas is giving gorgeous gym bags to each featured member. To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions, with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Tania Alavi

Age: 42

Occupation: Trial Attorney

How often do you exercise? Four to five times per week.

What type of exercise do you do? Aerobic and strength training.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? My trainer, Fitz.

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It might seem like a crazy concept to some of you, but the fact is that not everyone is terribly comfortable downloading music. For some people, the frustration of downloading songs onto their computer and then uploading them to their MP3 player is more hassle than it's worth. But, still, who doesn't love to work out to music?

That's where the Don't Quit Fitness slotMusic Player from SanDisk comes in. It's the easiest MP3 player -- basically, it's just plug and play. It's designed to work with slotMusic cards (which are available at stores like Best Buy and Walmart for about $15), and more than 50 artists have slotMusic cards available, so you're not stuck with the same old song.

This particular Don't Quit Fitness version (available for $35 at Best Buy, Walmart, or SanDisk.com) comes pre-loaded with a bunch of songs that have been handpicked by fitness guru, Body by Jake.

If you're like me, your playlist starts to sound a bit stale after a while. And if you're a bit bored with your tunes, you're more apt to get bored with your workout.

So keep things fresh and update your playlist with some of these Grammy-nominated songs. I used the suggestions to add a few songs to my list. I chose "So What" by Pink and "Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk. Which songs with a Grammy nod will you add to your list?

Want some more workout song suggestions? Check out Go Healthy Go Fit's third installment of fitness blogger playlists -- including suggestions from our very own Fitz! And be sure to check out AOL's coverage of the Grammys.

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Diane Strong

Age: 33

Occupation: Mostly a stay-at-home mom (two kids ages 2 and 4) with an occasional gig in a research lab.

How often do you exercise? Five times a week

What type of exercise do you do? I run about 25 miles, swim a mile, do 30 minutes of weights three to five times a week and cross train with a class called "Boot Camp" every week.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Two-time Dancing with the Stars Champion Cheryl Burke has had quite a year. Five tiny pounds on her little dancer's body caused tabloid hysteria, and now she's starring in her own series of workout DVDs called Disco Abs. She came clean with me on the inspiration behind this belly blasting workout, her infamous weight gain, and who she'd love to partner up with on DWTS. She even shares expert advice on dancing in stilettos; definitely read it before you try it.

Fitz: Tell me about Disco Abs.

Cheryl: It's a series of three workout DVD's set to disco music. The workouts are based on a bunch of fun dance moves, and that's what I love most about them. They're so much fun that you forget you're working really hard.

Fitz: Fun is vital to people sticking with it. And what component is directly geared towards abdominal training?

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Courtney Clasen

Age: 32

Occupation: Homemaker, Domestic Engineer, In-House Chef, Maid, Taxi, Motivator, Sheriff, Dog Walker, Cat Feeder, Snake Tamer, Playmate and Diva

How often do you exercise? About six days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I am proud to say that for the first time in my life I can call myself a runner. I also do resistance exercises.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? My bad mood! I know exercise will snap me out of it and give me that hyper "I love everyone" feeling.

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Over Christmas, I visited my parents, who live in a retirement community. I met my mom's really cool friend, Marilyn, who has recently taken up running (I won't presume to guess her age, but she lives in the same retirement community as my folks, so it's safe to say she's slightly more mature than most folks who begin a running routine). She's slated to run a leg of a marathon soon. She and I talked fitness and running, of course, and the conversation turned to music.

"I have some songs I'll listen to four times in a row because the beat is just what I need to keep my pace," she said. Marilyn didn't know how right she was.

The beats per minute (BPM) in certain songs can definitely affect your pace. This article breaks down the BPM that corresponds to different walking and running paces. For example, if you want to walk a 15 minute mile (4 mph), you want a song with a BPM of 140. To run an eight minute mile (7.5 mph), you want a song closer to 170 BPM. The question is, how do you know the BPM of your favorite songs?

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Name: Chuck Marshall

Age: 44

Occupation: Programmer

How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week .

What type of exercise do you do? Body weight strength training and cardio. I like to do intervals, elliptical, rowing, and running (when I'm not injured).

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Kellie Pickler has gone through a wicked physical transition of the past few years. When she auditioned to appear on American Idol, at five feet tall, she weighed in as a featherweight 100 pounds. But by the time the competition and Idol tour was over, she had packed on 28 pounds in less than a year. That's a lot of weight on a very little person. The weight gain made Kellie feel bad, but one fellow celebrity (whom most people love and adore) helped her see the light and lose the weight. Read on to hear her story.

Fitz: Your body has changed a ton since you landed in the spotlight. Tell me about that.

Kellie: Oh my goodness! My body has made a big transformation. When I auditioned for Idol I was only 100 pounds and kind of riding on "the young card." Although I exercised a ton, I think I stayed thin because I was ... young! But my eating habits on Idol and the during the tour became terrible. We were always eating fast food on the road and having late night munchies. I gained 28 pounds in less than a year!

Fitz: How'd you take it off?

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When loading up your iPod with workout tunes, Christmas songs are probably the last thing you think of. FitSugar recently ran a poll asking their readers if they would work out to holiday music. At the time I wrote this, 73 percent had responded saying there's no way they'd work out to holiday songs.

Why the bah humbug, exercise fans? Exercise is good for your mood -- add a little bit of cheerful Christmas music to your workout and you'll be a right jolly old elf. (Without the bowlful of jelly.) While Bing Crosby is perfect for nights spent around a crackling fire, consider these relatively more modern songs for your workout:

• Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by Bruce Springsteen
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies
• All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
• Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Jack Johnson
• What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder.

What holiday songs do you think would be good for your workout?

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