Grammar for Exercise, Part 2
2022-12-16
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1Last week, we looked at common phrasal verbs and gerunds linked to exercising and health.
2For this week's Everyday Grammar report, we will continue to explore exercise vocabulary.
3We will learn different prepositions, verbs, and nouns we can use when talking about what we do to exercise and how we use our muscles.
4Let's start with common prepositional phrases.
5Two common prepositional phrases we use for talking about physical health is being "in shape" or "out of shape."
6Another one you will hear is getting "back into shape."
7If you are "in shape," you are physically strong and fit.
8People who are in shape likely exercise regularly and eat well.
9Adam was so in shape last year.
10He worked out almost every day.
11If you are out of shape, you are not physically fit.
12"Out of" is used to show a change away from the usual or expected form.
13Dmitry was out of shape after his knee operation.
14When you are out of shape, you may want to get "back into shape."
15This means you start doing physical activity to become fit and strong.
16Brittany's new year resolution is getting back into shape by doing yoga three times a week.
17When you work out, it is important to do exercises the right way.
18This helps keep you safe from injury and makes your efforts more effective.
19You might hear someone tell you to make sure you "engage your muscles."
20The verb "engage" means to involve. When you "engage" your muscles, you are using them.
21Exercise like yoga engages your core muscles.
22A similar verb is "activate."
23This means to make active. When we activate our muscles, we "turn on" or start to use them.
24This activation is created by the connection between our brain and muscles.
25If we activate our muscles for exercise, we can better engage the muscles and use them!
26It's important to activate your stomach muscles to support your back.
27Now let's look at some nouns you can use to talk about your exercise routine.
28Activities like weightlifting and high intensity training have special words that describe and differentiate between groups of exercises.
29A "rep," for example, is a shortened form of "repetitions."
30A rep is the number of times you do the movement of an exercise.
31She did 10 reps of squats.
32A "set" is group of reps.
33There are usually about 8 to 12 reps in a set.
34There may be fewer reps if the exercise involves heavier weights.
35And there may be more if the weights are lighter. After each set, you should rest for a minute or two.
36I like to do four sets of eight reps of biceps curls.
37A "superset" is a combination of exercises in a sequence with no break or rest.
38So, you do one set of one kind of exercise, centering on one muscle or group, then immediately change to the other kind of exercise, centering on a different muscle or group.
39Our superset today includes chest flies and a tricep dip.
40A "circuit" is a combination of three or more exercises that you complete back-to-back with no rest in between.
41Circuits combine strength training and cardio.
42Cardio is any kind of exercise that gets your heart to beat faster and harder for a period of time.
43I jumped and did pushups and lunges for my circuit today.
44An "interval" is the amount of time you take to do the exercise.
45We do two-minute intervals of the circuit before taking a 20-second rest.
46Finally, a "round" is how many times you complete a group of circuit exercises.
47I completed five rounds of the circuit before the time finished.
48Today we looked at more common expressions for exercise, including the prepositional phrases "in shape" and "out of shape" and verbs like "engage" and "activate."
49We also looked at the differences between "rep," "set," and "superset," among others.
50Let's end this report with some homework.
51Try to make some more sentences with either the verbs, prepositional phrases or the nouns that we talked about today.
52You can talk about which muscle or body parts you activate or engage while you work out.
53Or you can describe your workout routine with nouns like "round," "interval," or "circuit."
54Share your work in the comments!
55I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Last week, we looked at common phrasal verbs and gerunds linked to exercising and health. For this week's Everyday Grammar report, we will continue to explore exercise vocabulary. We will learn different prepositions, verbs, and nouns we can use when talking about what we do to exercise and how we use our muscles. 2Let's start with common prepositional phrases. 3In shape, into shape and out of shape 4Two common prepositional phrases we use for talking about physical health is being "in shape" or "out of shape." Another one you will hear is getting "back into shape." 5If you are "in shape," you are physically strong and fit. People who are in shape likely exercise regularly and eat well. 6Adam was so in shape last year. He worked out almost every day. 7If you are out of shape, you are not physically fit. "Out of" is used to show a change away from the usual or expected form. 8Dmitry was out of shape after his knee operation. 9When you are out of shape, you may want to get "back into shape." This means you start doing physical activity to become fit and strong. 10Brittany's new year resolution is getting back into shape by doing yoga three times a week. 11Engage and activate 12When you work out, it is important to do exercises the right way. This helps keep you safe from injury and makes your efforts more effective. 13You might hear someone tell you to make sure you "engage your muscles." The verb "engage" means to involve. When you "engage" your muscles, you are using them. 14Exercise like yoga engages your core muscles. 15A similar verb is "activate." This means to make active. When we activate our muscles, we "turn on" or start to use them. This activation is created by the connection between our brain and muscles. 16If we activate our muscles for exercise, we can better engage the muscles and use them! 17It's important to activate your stomach muscles to support your back. 18Nouns 19Now let's look at some nouns you can use to talk about your exercise routine. 20Activities like weightlifting and high intensity training have special words that describe and differentiate between groups of exercises. 21A "rep," for example, is a shortened form of "repetitions." A rep is the number of times you do the movement of an exercise. 22She did 10 reps of squats. 23A "set" is group of reps. There are usually about 8 to 12 reps in a set. There may be fewer reps if the exercise involves heavier weights. And there may be more if the weights are lighter. After each set, you should rest for a minute or two. 24I like to do four sets of eight reps of biceps curls. 25A "superset" is a combination of exercises in a sequence with no break or rest. So, you do one set of one kind of exercise, centering on one muscle or group, then immediately change to the other kind of exercise, centering on a different muscle or group. 26Our superset today includes chest flies and a tricep dip. 27A "circuit" is a combination of three or more exercises that you complete back-to-back with no rest in between. Circuits combine strength training and cardio. Cardio is any kind of exercise that gets your heart to beat faster and harder for a period of time. 28I jumped and did pushups and lunges for my circuit today. 29An "interval" is the amount of time you take to do the exercise. 30We do two-minute intervals of the circuit before taking a 20-second rest. 31Finally, a "round" is how many times you complete a group of circuit exercises. 32I completed five rounds of the circuit before the time finished. 33Final thoughts 34Today we looked at more common expressions for exercise, including the prepositional phrases "in shape" and "out of shape" and verbs like "engage" and "activate." We also looked at the differences between "rep," "set," and "superset," among others. 35Let's end this report with some homework. 36Try to make some more sentences with either the verbs, prepositional phrases or the nouns that we talked about today. 37You can talk about which muscle or body parts you activate or engage while you work out. 38Or you can describe your workout routine with nouns like "round," "interval," or "circuit." 39Share your work in the comments! 40I'm Faith Pirlo. 41Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 42___________________________________________________________ 43Words in This Story 44gerund - n. (grammar). the -ing form of a verb that acts like a noun 45routine - n. a series of actions that are repeated in the same way in a given situation 46destination - n. a place to which a person is going, or something is sent 47gym (gymnasium) - n. a building or room for exercise 48yoga - n. a system of exercises for gaining bodily or mental control and well-being 49core - n. all the muscles in your torso or middle part of your body 50abdominal - n. the part of the body below the chest that contains the stomach and other organs 51intensity - n. extreme degree of strength, force, energy, or feeling 52squat - n. a position in which your knees are bent, and your body lowered so that you are close to your heels or sitting on your heels 53biceps curls - n. an exercise where you bend your arms at the elbow to strengthen your bicep muscle or the front part of the upper arm 54tricep dip - n. an exercise to make your triceps, the large muscle in the back of the arm, stronger 55chest flies - n. exercises to make your chest muscles stronger 56cardio - n. any type of exercise that causes the heart to beat faster and harder for a period of time 57pushup - n. an exercise in which you lie on your stomach and raise and lower your body by straightening and bending your arms 58lunge -v. to move or reach forward suddenly in a forceful way 59_____________________________________________________________ 60What do you think of this story? 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