English Expressions about Exercise

Out of shape / In shape

“Six months ago, I was out of shape. Now I’m in great shape!”

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Common expressions:

• I need to go to the gym. I’m really out of shape.
• I want to get in shape before the summer!
• My personal trainer is in great shape – there isn’t an ounce of fat on his body.

Work out

“Work out” is another word for “exercise”

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Common expressions:

• I always work out in the morning, when I have the most energy.
• Yesterday I worked out for 3 hours – I’m exhausted!
• I like to listen to English podcasts while working out.

Stretch

“It’s really important to stretch before working out.”

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Common expressions:

• Let’s stretch before we start running.
• Stretching helps reduce exercise-related injuries.
• Breathe deeply and count to 30 as you stretch.
  (Learn about when to use breathe vs. breath)

Push-ups

“I do three sets of 20 push-ups every morning.”

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Common expressions:

• My goal is to do 100 push-ups in a row.
• I did 50 push-ups yesterday, and now my arms are sore.
• John can do push-ups with only one arm!

Flabby / Toned

“A few months after starting my daily push-up routine, my flabby arms became toned!”

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Common expressions:

• I wish my arms weren’t so flabby.
• My sister has perfectly toned arms.

Sit-ups

“Sit-ups are torture!”

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Common expressions:

• At the end of soccer practice, the coach made us all do 200 sit-ups.
• I try to do 50 sit-ups right after I wake up.

Note: There is a variation of the sit-up in which your legs are in the air and you only raise your body a little bit off the floor. These are called crunches.

Six-pack

“I wish I had a six-pack like that guy!”

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Common expressions:

• What’s the fastest way to get six-pack abs?
• My cousin lost a lot of weight, and now he even has a six-pack!

Sprint

To “sprint” is to run as fast as you can

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Common expressions

• We do sprint training during basketball practice.
• I can sprint 100 meters in 12 seconds.
• She sprinted the last few meters of the race and came in second place.

Note: “Sprinting” is the fastest. It is faster than normal “running.” Then there’s “jogging” (slower than running, but faster than walking) and the slowest is “walking.”

Pull a muscle

A “pulled muscle” is an injury: the muscle stretches too far

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Common expressions:

• Be careful not to pull a muscle.
• Ouch! I think I pulled a muscle in my leg.
• If you pull a muscle, you should apply ice to reduce swelling.

Out of breath / Catch your breath

“Just a minute! I need to catch my breath.”

Out of breath = When you have difficulty breathing after exercising hard.

Catch your breath = When you stop to wait for your breathing to return to normal.