Exercise And MovementA2
Entra en la primera unidad y empieza a hablar de tus hábitos de ejercicio: podrás contar cómo entrenas, qué actividades practicas y cuándo te mueves. Avanza paso a paso y convierte cada palabra en una frase que usarías de verdad.
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Exercise Vocabulary
To talk about physical activity, hacer ejercicio is used when someone trains or moves to take care of their body. Practicar deporte is used when the activity is a specific sport, such as practicar tenis or practicar natación. General words such as entrenar, moverse, actividad física and rutina also appear. Entrenar is used when there is a regular plan, for example entreno tres veces por semana. Calentamiento is the part before exertion, and descanso is the time to recover energy. In a gym, pesas, máquinas, clase and sesión are heard often, because they name the type of work being done.
Cardiovascular Activities
Cardiovascular activities make the heart beat faster and usually move the whole body for several minutes. Correr means moving quickly with the feet, caminar means moving at a normal pace, and saltar means lifting both feet off the ground or one after the other. Nadar is done in water, and montar en bicicleta is used for riding a bike or pedaling. In everyday sentences, one can say salgo a correr por la mañana, camino al trabajo or nado en la piscina. When talking about a routine, these activities often go with expressions such as dar un paseo, salir a correr and hacer cardio.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| to move quickly with the feet to advance along the ground. | ||
| to advance at a normal pace without needing to hurry. | ||
| to move through the water using the arms and legs. | ||
| to go on a bicycle to move around or exercise. | ||
| to raise the body suddenly with one or two feet. | ||
| to run slowly to maintain a comfortable pace. | ||
| to go up a high surface using the hands and feet. | ||
| to move a boat with oars or make the gesture of that movement. | ||
| to move on skates across a smooth surface. | ||
| to practice physical activity to care for the body and health. |
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Strength Exercises
To work the muscles, verbs such as levantar and expressions such as levantar pesas are used. Hacer flexiones consists of lowering and raising the body with support from the hands, hacer abdominales works the abdominal area, and hacer sentadillas consists of bending the knees and lowering the body as if one were sitting down. Musculación is also heard for strength work in general and repeticiones for counting how many times a movement is repeated. At the gym, a common sentence is hago tres series de sentadillas.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| to raise weight with the hands to strengthen the muscles. | ||
| to lower and raise the body with the arms while keeping the torso straight. | ||
| exercises to strengthen the abdomen by lifting the torso. | ||
| to lower the body by bending the knees and then rise again. | ||
| heavy training objects used for strengthening. | ||
| small weights for one hand used for strength exercises. | ||
| to lift or move weight using physical strength. | ||
| to apply force forward against an object or surface. | ||
| to exert force to bring something closer to the body. | ||
| to work the muscles in a planned way to gain power. |
Stretching and Flexibility
Before or after exercise, estirar prepares the muscles or relaxes them. Doblarse describes moving the body forward or to one side, and respirar accompanies many exercises to maintain the rhythm. Relajarse is used when finishing the activity, when the body gradually returns to a calm state. One can say estiro las piernas, me doblo hacia delante and respiro despacio. In yoga and during warm-ups, flexibilidad, postura and respiración appear frequently.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| to lengthen the muscles gently to prepare or relax the body. | ||
| to lean the body to bring it closer to a lower part. | ||
| to take in and let out air consciously and calmly. | ||
| to leave the body without tension after exertion. | ||
| the body’s ability to move with a wide range without stiffness. | ||
| to prepare the body with gentle movement before exercise. | ||
| to reduce tension in the muscles or in a posture. | ||
| to move the torso forward or to one side with control. | ||
| to move a part of the body in a circle to loosen it. | ||
| a state of bodily and mental rest after exertion. |
Individual Sports
Individual sports are practiced personally, although there may sometimes be a coach, judge or opponents. Yoga combines postures, breathing and body control. Tenis is played with a racket and ball, almost always against another person. Atletismo includes races, jumps and throws. Gimnasia works on balance, strength and coordination. Patinaje is done on skates, on ice or on wheels. In these sports, people often talk about técnica, equilibrio, velocidad and resistencia.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| physical and mental practice with postures and breathing. | ||
| racket sport in which a ball is hit over a net. | ||
| a set of physical events such as running jumping and throwing. | ||
| sporting activity with balance strength and coordination exercises. | ||
| sport practiced with skates on ice or the ground. | ||
| sport involving movement through water with technique and endurance. | ||
| sport practiced on a bicycle on a road or track. | ||
| combat sport in which one strikes with the fists. | ||
| combat sport with a sword and precision rules. | ||
| sport of gliding over snow on skis. |
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Team Sports
Team sports are played in groups and depend on cooperation among players. Fútbol is played with a ball and goals are scored in the net. Baloncesto uses a ball and a basket. Voleibol consists of passing the ball over a net without letting it fall to the ground. Béisbol is played with a bat, ball and bases. In this type of sport, words such as equipo, partido, jugada, pase and defensa appear. Jugar al fútbol, jugar al baloncesto and ir a entrenar con el equipo are used frequently.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| sport in which a goal is scored mainly using the feet. | ||
| sport in which a ball is put through a hoop. | ||
| net sport in which a ball is hit with the hands. | ||
| sport in which a ball is hit and players run around bases. | ||
| group of people who play together to achieve a common goal. | ||
| person who plays with you in the same group. | ||
| place where one tries to score in sports such as soccer. | ||
| hoop into which the ball is put in basketball. | ||
| final hit to send the ball with power or precision. | ||
| action of preventing the opponent from scoring or advancing. |
Movements and the Body
Many movement verbs are used when exercising. Empujar means moving something away from the body with force. Tirar means doing the opposite, bringing or dragging something toward oneself. Levantar means raising an object or part of the body. Agacharse means lowering the body by bending the legs and waist. These actions usually go with body parts such as brazos, piernas and rodillas. One says doblar las rodillas, levantar los brazos and empujar la puerta. In an exercise class, estirar los brazos and flexionar las piernas are also heard.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| to apply force forward against something or someone. | ||
| to pull toward you with controlled force. | ||
| to raise an object or part of the body upward. | ||
| to lower the body by bending the legs and waist. | ||
| part of the body that extends from the shoulder to the hand. | ||
| part of the body we use to walk run and jump. | ||
| joint connecting the thigh to the lower part of the leg. | ||
| upper part of the body where the arm joins. | ||
| rear area of the body that supports the torso. | ||
| area of the body between the chest and pelvis. |
Places, Equipment and Frequency
Exercise can be done in many places. Gimnasio is the most common place for training with machines or weights. Parque and casa are also common spaces for walking, running or following a routine. Equipment includes mancuernas, esterilla, bici estática, pelota and raqueta, depending on the activity. To talk about frequency, expressions such as todos los días, tres veces por semana or de vez en cuando are used. For intensity, one says suave, moderado or intenso. In a complete sentence, one can say hago ejercicio en casa tres veces por semana or entreno en el gimnasio con pesas.
| Usage | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| Used to say where exercise or sport is practiced. | ||
| Used when the activity takes place outside the home or a building. | ||
| Used to talk about the place where people swim or train in water. | ||
| Used to name what you need to train. | ||
| Used to refer to objects or clothing for practicing sport. | ||
| Used to indicate how many times something occurs in a week. | ||
| Used to describe an activity that is very demanding or energetic. | ||
| Used to talk about an activity that is gentle and not very demanding. | ||
| Used to say that an activity lasts a short time. | ||
| Used to express that something forms part of a constant and habitual practice. |
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