Amanda Rey, Coach at House of Athlete | Source | Coach at House of Athlete

When Amanda throws on a playlist and dives into a workout, she’s not just moving muscles and sweating it out — she’s also watching her music push her forward too. Literally.

As someone with synesthesia, Amanda sees colors and temperatures while listening to music, so she sets up her playlists to tell a story and guide her through training.

Quick-fire ab workouts need high-tempo tunes like Enrique Iglesias and Justin Bieber, and those colors tend to burn bright and hot. Leg presses with higher weight levels require heavy bass — think epic movie soundtracks — to push through difficult reps, bringing out deep bronzes, blues, and purples.

For Amanda, music is more than auditory — it’s a visceral, visual experience too — and for a lifelong ballet dancer like herself, it’s always been a constant.

Using synesthesia to fuel her workouts is purposeful for Amanda, and requires a succinct and efficient flow in matching music to her moves. That’s where her natural intuition, education in behavioral analysis, and confidence in her combination of Zodiac signs come in to keep her grounded and always ready to mastermind a plan for performance.

At this point for Amanda, timing her crunches to Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida” isn’t rocket science, but it’s all part of her balancing act to spin everything she has into a net positive. She works on weaknesses and synthesizes natural strengths.

Everyone’s got a story to tell, and for Amanda’s, just ask what’s on her playlist next.