Today I’m sharing some of my favorite podcasts to listen to at the gym.
I feel like it wasn’t until a few years ago when the first season of Serial blew up that podcasts really became mainstream and lots of people started listening. I’m so glad that I found Serial back then and discovered podcasts, because I listen to them a lot now – at home on my Google Home and when I’m on transit.
Since there’s so many great podcasts out there, I thought I’d share some of my favorite ones. I’ve added descriptions of each of them as well as links to their websites so you can find out some more information.
The Black Tapes
This is the perfect podcast for you if you’re a fan of The X Files and creepy things. It was one of the first podcasts that I really fell in love with when I started listening to podcasts a few years ago. This podcast has ended, so you can binge listen to it as fast as you want – you don’t have to wait a week for the newest episode like I did when I listened to it.
The Black Tapes starts with Dr. Strand being interviewed, who investigates supernatural activity. He sets out to disprove them as supernatural and looks for alternative explanations. The interviewers end up looking into Dr. Strand’s dark and mysterious past. If you end up liking The Black Tapes, check out it’s sister podcast, Tanis.
Criminal
This podcast does episodes on all things related to crime – from the people who commit the crimes, law enforcement, the justice system, and the victims.
There’s over 100 episodes now of Criminal, so there’s lots to listen to. Episodes include a guy who tried to pull a D. B. Cooper inspired heist on an airplane and someone who gave people new identities and lives through the witness protection program.
Frontline
Based on the PBS documentary series of the same name, the Frontline podcast is an audio version of the TV show. I really like listening to these podcasts on longer cardio sessions at the gym because they’re usually about an hour long.
My favorite episodes are about Harvey Weinstein and how it was an open secret in Hollywood that he was a creep and the two parter about Facebook and it’s impact on privacy.
Planet Money
Planet Money is a podcast from NPR. These are shorter podcasts that focus on some facet of money or finance. They’ve done episodes on everything from is expensive vodka worth the extra money to how a company getting hacked costs them money.
The Vanished
The Vanished is my favorite podcast. The host, Marissa, covers the cases of missing people that haven’t gotten a lot of attention. She puts a ton of time and effort into each episode and is well produced as a result.
She interviews family and law enforcement (when they’re willing to talk to her) to get the story of the missing person as well as getting access to police paperwork. You’ll like this podcast if you’re a fan of shows like Dateline.
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy Theories is a newer podcast that’s really well made. Each topic is two episodes long. The first one will cover the background and facts, while the second episode will cover a few of the most popular conspiracy theories and how plausible each one is. They’ve covered everything from Area 51 to the Freemasons.
Lore
Hosted by author Aaron Mahnke, on Lore he shares the creepy and the weird from the past. He’s released over 100 episodes, so there’s lots to binge listen to. If you end up liking Lore, you should also check out Lore on Amazon Prime (there’s 2 seasons so far). He also hosts another podcast call Unobscured. Season 1 is all about the Salem witch trials and is also really good.
What’s your favorite podcast? Share it in the comments below.