ESL Podcast 813 - Doing Basic Exercises

workout - a period of exercise; a period of time spent using one's body in physically challenging ways to improve one's health, strength, and/or endurance

Hal likes to ride bikes during the summer, but in colder months, his favorite workout is to swim in the indoor pool.

gym - gymnasium; a large building where people exercise and play sports, usually with many aerobic machines, weights, and areas to play sports

This gym has two basketball courts, a swimming pool, and a sauna.

to exercise - to use one's body in physically challenging ways to improve one's health, strength, and/or endurance

Karina tries to exercise at least 20 minutes each day.

calisthenics - exercises that improve strength and flexibility through simple movements like bending or twisting

This website teaches some simple calisthenics that you can do without leaving your desk.

to stretch - to move one's body in ways that push or pull parts as far as they can comfortably go

If you stretch every day, soon you'll be able to touch your toes without bending your knees.

sit-up - an exercise that involves lying down on one's back, putting one's hands behind one's head, and moving into a sitting position by using the muscles in one's abdomen (stomach area)

When you do a sit-up, don't pull on your head and neck with your hand. Use the muscles in your abdomen instead.

push-up - an exercise that involves lying down on one's stomach, putting one's hands flat on the floor, and pushing until one's arms are straight so that only one's toes and hands are touching the floor

If you aren't strong enough to do a real push-up, try to do it on your knees instead of your toes.

pull-up - an exercise that involves hanging from a metal bar by one's hands and then pulling up, bending the elbows so that one's chin reaches over the bar

The soldiers have to be able to do at least 10 pull-ups without stopping.

in shape - physically fit; healthy and in good physical condition

Darci couldn't run for a few months after her knee injury, and then it took her several weeks to get in shape again.

lunge - an exercise that involves a rapid, forward movement with one's body, usually by standing with one's legs apart, one in front of the other, and then quickly shifting one's weight to the forward leg

To prevent injury from lunges, make sure your knee is positioned over your toes.

squat - an exercise that involves standing and then bending one's knees so that one's bottom and thighs (the part of the leg between one's knees and hips) are close to one's feet, using the thigh muscles to support one's weight

The dancers are so strong! They're able to hold a squat for several minutes at a time.

free weight - a heavy object held in one's hands to build one's strength, where the heavy object is not attached to or controlled by a machine

When working with free weights, it's important to carefully control body movements to avoid an injury.

cardio workout - cardiovascular exercise; challenging physical movements designed to increase one's heart rate so that the heart muscle becomes stronger and the body uses a lot of calories (energy obtained from food)

Certain types of Latin dancing is a lot of fun, and a great cardio workout.

jumping jacks - an exercise that involves jumping to alternate between two positions: (1) standing with one's legs together and one's arms hanging down so that one's hands are the sides of one's upper legs and (2) standing with one's legs apart and one's hands held up above one's head

It's funny to watch little kids try to do jumping jacks, because they don't have enough coordination to move their arms and legs at the same time.

in place - in one place, without moving to a different place; without movement over a distance

The marching band often practices its music while marching in place, instead of moving across the field.

to jump rope - to hold a long rope (heavy, thick string) with one end in each hand and swing it in circles over one's head and under one's feet, jumping over it each time it hits the ground

Have you ever tried to jump rope with two ropes at once?

to see the light - to suddenly understand that another way is better and begin to do something that way

Oliver used to have a lot of credit card debt, but a few months ago, he saw the light and now he pays for everything with cash.