Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 385, Exercising at the Gym.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 385.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in.
You can download a learning guide for this episode to help you improve your English even faster.
This episode is called Exercising at the Gym.
It's a dialogue between Jay and Sally. about common exercise-related vocabulary.
Let's get started.
Hi, are you done with this weight machine?
Yeah, I am.
I was just trying it out.
I think I must be doing something wrong.
My muscles are aching already.
Maybe I can help.
I've been working out on these machines for a few months, so I'm pretty used to them.
I just joined the gym this week.
I usually do a cardio workout on a treadmill or stationary bike, and I've used free weights at home before, but now it makes sense to do my strength training here.
Have you thought about getting a personal trainer?
That's a good idea.
I'm usually here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Thanks.
I'll definitely look out for you.
I'm Sally.
I'm Jay.
Nice to meet you.
You too.
I think I've sweated enough today.
I'm off to the locker room.
Yeah, me too.
See ya.
Bye.
Our dialogue begins with Jay saying to Sally, Hi, are you done with this weight machine?
Are you finished using this weight machine?
A weight machine is a piece of equipment that you use to make your muscles bigger, usually by pulling or pushing some heavy weight.
Weight here refers to any object that is very heavy that is used for exercising.
In this case, Sally says, Yeah, I am.
I am finished.
I am done.
I was just trying it out.
To try something out is a phrasal verb meaning to do or to use something a small number of times or for a short period, until you see whether you like it or not, until you see whether you want to continue.
I'm trying out the computer at the computer store.
I'm typing on it.
I'm trying to see if I will like it.
Sally says Your muscles are the parts of your body that move, the bones that allow you to have movement.
To ache, A-C-H-E, is a verb meaning to have a pain.
You feel discomfort.
It isn't a strong pain.
An ache is something that hurts, but it isn't very intense.
Jay says, maybe I can help.
Of course, Jay sees a beautiful woman at a weight machine and he offers to help.
What a nice guy.
Jay says.
I've been working out on these weight machines for a few months so I'm pretty used to them.
To work out on means to exercise using these machines.
He says he's pretty used to, meaning he's very used to them.
He knows how they work.
Sally then tells Jay, I just joined the gym this week.
Gym is short for gymnasium, a place where you exercise.
Sally says I usually do a cardio workout on a treadmill or stationary bike.
Cardio is short for cardiovascular, which is a word describing something related to the heart or things designed to make the heart beat or work faster.
Cardiovascular.
What we say simply as cardio is in this case a type of exercise like running or jogging to get your heart to beat faster.
Sally says that she does her cardio workout, her cardio exercise, on a treadmill.
A treadmill is a machine where one part of the machine is moving So that you can walk with your feet or jog or run, but you stay in one place.
So the machine moves and you walk or jog with it.
To tread is a verb meaning to walk.
The stationary bike is a bicycle, but a bicycle that doesn't move.
So you just move the wheel of the bicycle.
We would say you pedal the bicycle, but you are not moving anywhere.
You do it just for the exercise.
Sally says that she's used free weights at home before.
A free weight is a large, heavy object that you do not have inside of a machine.
So, for example, when you are watching the Olympic weightlifting champions and they lift a lot of weights, those weights are called free weights.
They're not connected or attached to any machine.
Sally says, now it makes sense to do my strength training here.
Strength training is when you do exercise to make your muscles bigger and stronger, like me.
If you see me, you know I do a lot of strength training.
I'm just kidding.
Sally wants to do some strength training.
Make her muscles bigger so she can protect herself against nice guys like Jay.
Jay then asks, have you thought about getting a personal trainer?
A personal trainer is a person who has the job of helping you exercise correctly and Someone who gives you advice and tips about how to use the machines and how to use the weights.
Someone who is there to motivate you.
A trainer, T-R-A-I-N-E-R, is any person who trains or gives instruction to another person.
There are a couple of meanings of that word.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
Jay says, When I joined the gym, I signed up for a trainer for a few sessions and she helped me set up a good regimen.
When he signed up for the gym, when he joined the gym...
He also signed up for a personal trainer for a few sessions, a few times, maybe two or three different days.
This trainer helped him set up a good regimen.
A regimen is a special plan that you follow, usually something to improve your health, to make you healthier.
Sally says that's a good idea.
And then Jay says if you want help with those machines, though I'm usually here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Here we go.
This is what Jay was waiting for an opportunity to give Sally some extra help, of course, to get to know her better.
Jay says that he is usually at the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Sally says, thanks.
I'll definitely look out for you.
To look out for someone in this dialogue means to look for someone to look around to see if you can find a certain person in a particular place.
To look out for has a couple of different meanings in English.
Take a look at the learning guide for those explanations.
So Sally appears to be interested in Jay.
She introduces herself by giving her name.
She says, I'm Sally.
Jay says, I'm Jay.
Nice to meet you.
Sally says, you too, meaning nice to meet you too.
I usually don't sweat because I don't work very hard.
Sally says I'm off to the locker room.
The locker room is a large room in a gym where you can change your clothes.
You can put on special gym clothes, shorts and a shirt, and you can take a shower and clean up after you have sweated working out on the weight machines.
Jay says, yeah, me too, meaning I'm going to go to the locker room too.
Then he says to Sally, see ya, meaning see you later.
And Sally says bye.
Of course we have to come back the next Monday, Wednesday or Friday to see what happens with Jay and Sally.
Then
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Hi.
Are you done with this weight machine?
Yeah, I am.
I was just trying it out.
I think I must be doing something wrong.
My muscles are aching already.
Maybe I can help.
I've been working out on these machines for a few months, so I'm pretty used to them.
I just joined the gym this week.
I usually do a cardio workout on a treadmill or a stationary bike, and I've used free weights at home before, but now it makes sense to do my strength training here.
Have you thought about getting a personal trainer?
When I joined, I signed up for a trainer for a few sessions and she helped me set up a good regimen.
That's a good idea.
If you want help with those machines, though, I'm usually here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Thanks.
I'll definitely look out for you.
I'm Sally.
I'm Jay.
Nice to meet you.
You too.
I think I've sweated enough today.
I'm off to the locker room.
Yeah, me too.
See ya.
Bye.
The script for this episode was written by someone who always follows a healthy regimen, Dr Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thanks for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2008.
