AEE: Sore After a Workout? Exercise Your English with these Phrases

Summary

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Podcast Summary: All Ears English – "Sore After a Workout? Exercise Your English with these Phrases"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Release Date: September 27, 2025

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Brief Overview

This episode focuses on everyday English vocabulary and phrases related to exercise soreness, sharing strategies for discussing aches and pains after working out, and exploring how these topics can foster stronger social connections. Lindsay and Michelle dive into the nuances of feeling "sore" versus "tight," offer useful gym-related idioms, and role play social situations to help learners sound natural when talking about fitness and recovery in American English.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sharing Soreness: A Universal Experience

• Social Value: Explaining that talking about being sore after exercise is a common, relatable way to connect with others, especially among people with active lifestyles.
• Example: Lindsay shares her own recent experience feeling sore after "leg day" at Orange Theory.

"I'm not so sore today, but I was yesterday because I did a big leg workout at Orange Theory..."
— Lindsay (01:48)

2. Second Day Soreness (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – DOMS)

• Explanation that soreness often peaks two days after a workout, not just the day after.

"It's not the day after the workout; it's the day after the day after the workout that you feel sore."
— Lindsay (02:05)

3. Types of Workouts & Personal Routines

• Hosts’ Workouts:
  • Lindsay mixes weightlifting, running, and rowing.
  • Michelle is into Peloton bootcamps and Warrior Rhythm (yoga + HIIT).
• Active Habits: Both share how their routines affect soreness and highlight the variability in people's exercise habits.

"I've been doing more Pelotons, but not just the bike... boot camps with weightlifting."
— Michelle (03:01)

4. Importance of Rest and Recovery

• Rest Day / Recovery Day:
  • Explanation of these terms; why everyone, even avid exercisers, need days off.
  • Discussing ways people might stay gently active on rest days (walking, light movement).

"People usually have a rest day or two during the week, even if they're working out consistently."
— Lindsay (07:26)

5. Distinguishing “Tight” vs. “Sore”

• Tight: Often means lacking flexibility or feeling stiff (not always from working out).
• Sore: Generally caused by exercise, relates to tired or fatigued muscles.

"You could say my muscles are tight, but they might not be sore if you haven't been working out..."
— Lindsay (06:15)

• Shared Insight: These are often used interchangeably, but there's a subtle distinction.

6. Common Phrases and Vocabulary in Workout Contexts

• Recovery:
  • "We're gonna take a recovery" or "three, two, one, recover." (08:41)
• Threw Out (a body part):
  • Phrase meaning you injured it, e.g., “I threw out my back doing squats.” (08:52)
• On Fire/Burning:
  • Describing intense muscle fatigue or burn during exercise.

"It's burning, Michelle. It's burning, burning, burning."
— Lindsay (11:30)

• Modifications:
  • Adjustments to exercises to make them easier or safer, e.g., “You can modify and skip the push-up.” (13:02)
• Foam Roller:
  • Tool used to massage sore muscles and aid recovery.

"I had to use a foam roller this morning."
— Michelle (14:31)

7. Authentic Social Roleplay

• Simulated Post-Workout Conversation:
  • Demonstrate using new vocabulary naturally (“My arms are so sore”; “I think I may have thrown out my back a little”).
  • Shows that using casual, honest phrases (“Walk it out!”) fosters connection.

"My back gets tight unless I do some movement every day."
— Lindsay (14:36)

8. The Value of Connection in Everyday Topics

• Broader Lesson: Even mundane topics (e.g., working out, dead phone batteries) offer language learners real opportunities for connection.

"The connection is there again in the... working out day, next day, soreness. But it's just waiting for you to find it with the right words."
— Lindsay (16:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Everyday Connection:

  "It's these very simple moments... that really help you build relationships when you have the words."
  — Lindsay (throughout episode)

• On Pushing Through Soreness:

  "Sometimes you can just walk it out. Work it out as you’re walking."
  — Lindsay (15:01)

• On Dropping the Ball in Conversation:

  "Maybe I dropped... Maybe I could have said, oh no, are you okay? That would have been better."
  — Michelle (15:56)

• On Making Language Learning Relatable:

  "You know how Seinfeld is the show about nothing? ...It's almost like the topics are about nothing, but they're not based on nothing."
  — Michelle (17:07)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:48: Lindsay describes post-workout soreness and introduces “second day soreness”
• 02:37–03:31: Hosts discuss personal workout routines and habits
• 06:15–07:03: Explaining the difference between “tight” and “sore”
• 07:26–08:52: Definitions and usage of “rest day” and “recovery”
• 11:22–12:23: Phrases for describing intense fatigue (“on fire”)
• 13:02: Discussion about “modification” during workouts
• 14:08–15:29: Roleplay using workout recovery vocabulary in casual conversation
• 16:39: Reflection on the role of everyday situations in building language connections

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Phrases & Vocabulary Highlighted

• “Second day soreness”
• “Rest day” / “Recovery day”
• “My muscles are tight”
• “My muscles are sore”
• “I threw out my back”
• “On fire” / “Burning” (muscles)
• “Modification” (exercise)
• “Foam roller”

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains the friendly, relatable, and slightly humorous tone typical of All Ears English, emphasizing that language learners should focus on real-life, everyday connections with a "Connection NOT Perfection" approach.

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For more on connecting in everyday English, check out episode 2476 ("Out of Juice: How to connect over dead batteries").

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Transcript

[A]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Soar after a workout. Exercise your English with these phrases. Welcome to the All Ears English podcast. Downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl. Coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com app.

[B]

Many of us like to work out and and feeling sore after a workout is a common thing to share with friends today. Find out how to share this and more to connect on this everyday part of our lives.

[C]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[A]

Hey there, Michelle. How are you? What's going on?

[B]

I'm good, Lindsay. How's it going? Good.

[A]

I'm not so sore today, but I was yesterday because I did a big leg workout at Orange Theory on Friday and so my soreness was hanging around. You know how they say you can get second day soreness? You know that expression?

[B]

Yes. I actually don't know that expression, but that makes sense to me.

[A]

Yeah, it's not the day after the workout, it's the day after the day after the workout that you feel sore. What about you?

[B]

Yes. Yeah, no, I have. I have been again, Lindsay, working out. Oh, I'm back in it. Okay, so that's what inspired this episode, probably. Because when I wrote it, I was probably sore from working out and. Yeah, Lindsay, I mean, do you have a favorite workout day? Like, do you. Do you like leg day or. Or is there a day you dread? That's the better question. Wow.

[A]

Like that. Usually my workouts are a mix of weightlifting and running and rowing. It's all three together because I do Orange Theory, but sometimes I like to just go weightlifting, just legs. Because then a couple days later after the second day, soreness is gone. I feel stronger when I run. Like I feel the results right away. It's crazy. What are you doing for your workouts Michelle, I'm curious, what's the.

[B]

I've been doing pellet. I've been doing more pelotons, but I. Not just the bike. I've been doing, like, boot camps with weightlifting. I actually have to buy some heavier weights because, yeah, I used to do just the lightweights and now I need to. I would like to bump it up. And also at a gym that I go to sometimes, my friend and I have been doing this warrior rhythm class where it's a mix of yoga and hit and, you know, so.

[A]

Sounds great.

[B]

And so, so I've been kind of. Dan and I have a new thing where we're, you know, basically trying to bump up the workouts.

[A]

No, that's great. There's so much research coming out now that says how important it is, especially for women to lift weights.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I didn't know it. I didn't know it until like a couple years ago and I started reading this. And it's like a way of just maintaining your ideal weight, too, because all the glucose goes to your muscles. It's so crazy.

[B]

It's so crazy. Yeah, it is crazy. So that's why I need to buy the heavier weights. So. But. So, Lindsay. Yeah. So you do sometimes feel sore the day after a workout or the second day after a workout. I mean, even just a hike. Right. Even where you're just doing a lot of walking and you're kind of moving up if, like, if it's not a traditional. Traditional workout. Right. Sure.

[A]

You can feel skiing for sure. I mean, the first day out of the ski season, I am super sore.

[B]

The next day or the day after. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So today we're going to talk about. I mean, Lindsay, we already connected so much on this topic, so let's talk about this and how we can share this connection topic with our listeners. This is really good. This can lead you to talking more about activity levels, hobbies, so many different things. So that's what we're going to really be getting into today.

[A]

And it's so true. And there are so many contexts. Like tonight when we finish recording, I'm going to go to run club. So I'm going to go to my run club and go run twice around the park and then go have a water with them, just have something to drink with them. And we're probably going to. Someone is going to mention that they're sore from a marathon they just ran or a half marathon or something. Right. So these, the context in which this comes up is really common if you live an active lifestyle.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So it's very satisfying to find that connection moment.

[B]

Yeah. Lindsay, do you find that since you are a pretty active person, do you find that you get sore less or is it still a lot?

[A]

I think when I'm in that mode of working out frequently. But if I go on vacation, I do like a beach vacation or I just traveling or something, and I don't have time to get active. Then you come back to it. Oh, my gosh. Especially if I lift heavy quickly after that. Yeah, I will feel it for sure. I'm not immune. Not immune.

[B]

Okay. Okay. So, yeah, we're gonna discuss how to talk about this in English also. Some of these you might hear during a workout. So these. These are really going to be good. So you've. Let's get into it. So we've been throwing these words around, tight and sore. Lindsay. Yes. Yeah. Is there a difference between tight and sore? Because I was trying to figure that out.

[A]

Yeah, good question. I feel like there is, actually. Well, maybe they're the same thing, but they could be different. Like, you could say my muscles are tight, but they might not be sore if you haven't been working out, but you might not just not be very flexible if you say your muscles are tight.

[B]

Right, right. So like, maybe to a masseuse, if you get a. Go get a massage, there might be a difference. But I mean, you can pretty. I mean, you can say either one of these, but sore, you know, might be more about that fatigue when you can hardly walk.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe. Yeah, go ahead.

[B]

No, no, it's height. Not may or may not be related to working out more about like that stiff feeling. But it's. It is kind of tricky to tell the difference between these.

[A]

I think what our listeners are gonna. Well, I mean, either one, right. You. You might go to a yoga class and you chat with the person next to you and you say, you know, oh, my gosh, I'm so tired. I'm glad to be at yoga class tonight because I need to get more flexible. Right. So they're both going to come up in these connection moments.

[B]

Definitely. And then what's the next one?

[A]

The next one is a rest day or recovery day. Right. Taking a rest. We all need this. People usually have a rest day or two during the week, even if they're working out consistently. I. I never work out seven days straight per week. That's too much.

[B]

Michelle, honestly, how many days would you say you go for?

[A]

I mean, so in a given week, I might work out like three to five Times in that week, probably. If you consider hiking and then like one Club Orange theory. All the things I do. Yeah, probably.

[B]

Yeah. So yeah, somebody might say something like, today is my rest day, so I'm just gonna take a walk around my neighborhood. Right. Maybe you still want to keep it moving a little bit. A little low impact movement, but still kind of a rest. You also might hear this during a workout, right. You might hear the instructor say, okay, we're gonna take a recovery. Right. Oh, so yeah, so because maybe you're doing some really intense motions or, you know, you've been lifting a lot, and then they say, oh, take that recovery. Right. Because you need to have the strength to do the next thing.

[A]

Yep. Or they might use it as a command, like, you know, three, two, one, recover.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So if you're doing sprint or hit training, you might know this because you're doing hit training now, Michelle, as they count down, right. They bring you into a walking recovery. Something like that.

[B]

Yes, yes, exactly. And then this one we hope doesn't happen to any of you guys, but it's to say you threw out your something and this is about an injury. So you might say, I threw out my back when I was doing squats the other day. I think I'm okay, but I need to take it easy. Oh yeah, that reminds me of the.

[A]

Show we were talking about, younger. The show about the.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Who lies and says she's 28 and she's actually 40. And then at one point she gets what they call like 40 year old shoulder. I guess that's a thing.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

She gets diagnosed with that and she's like, be quiet. No one can know I'm 40, you know.

[B]

Oh, that's so funny. It's funny.

[A]

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[B]

Oh, yeah, this one is. This one is really common. When you say on fire, what does it mean when something is on fire?

[A]

Lindsay, when you're in the workout class, it's burning, Michelle. It's burning, burning, burning.

[B]

Right?

[A]

We can feel that buildup of lactic acid. I guess it is.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Like, if you do wall sits. Oh, my God. Do you ever do wall sits?

[B]

I mean, I have, but. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. It's just when you are. Or maybe you're doing a ton of squats. Yeah. Like a wall sit, actually. And you just. You. At first. At first you're doing them and you're thinking, okay, this is okay. And then you get a little into it and you keep on repeating as like, oh, God. But yeah, no, I have done a wall sit recently and. Whoa, that hurts.

[A]

Oh, it hurts. Or even burpees. I mean, how do you say your lungs are on fire? That's how I feel sometimes when I do, it's like your lungs are on fire. We don't really say it, but I'm out of breath is what we would say.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I'm gasping for breath. That kind of thing. Yeah.

[B]

Actually, I just wanted to throw in another expression. I just thought of modification. Great one. This is one that you might hear in the workout class, which is where. So actually last night I was doing one where there were burpees. And, you know, you can do the burpee several ways. It's guys, a burpee, if you don't know, it's when you do a plank and then you like a push up and then you walk it back and then you jump up. But sometimes, you know, at first I was doing the push up too, and then they might say, oh, well, you can modify. You make a modification. A modification would be no push up. Right.

[A]

Totally.

[B]

Something to make it a little easier.

[A]

Yes. Good gym vocabulary here. I love it. Right. So make your workout. What. What is right for your body?

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's what we have to do. And then foam roller. This is something I feel like people talk about a lot nowadays. This is a foam round object that we use on sore muscles. So, for example, I need to use my foam roller because I'm in pain.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah. I never used.

[A]

I have before, but, yeah, I just. I don't know. Sometimes I get lazy. I just want it to heal, you know, any pain.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. So, Lindsay, I mean, these are all really useful for connection. Look, we're having so much fun talking about this.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Such a good topic. Yeah.

[A]

And it's fun because we know each other's sort of workout habits a little bit, and we can kind of get to know each other on a deeper level by, oh, you're back into working out, you know, how's it going? What are you doing? It's interesting, right? It's different seasons of our lives here.

[B]

Yeah, it's true. It's true. So really, there's a lot to share. Share here. So should we do a role play?

[A]

Absolutely. Michelle. Here we are taking a workout class together, and that's something that happens too, right? Where we might use these phrases. And we. We took a workout class yesterday, and we're meeting now for a walk. Oh, gosh. If we can even walk. Let's see.

[B]

All right. How are you feeling after yesterday?

[A]

Oh, man, my arms are so sore, Michelle.

[B]

Same. And my legs. I had to use a foam roller this morning. It's still.

[A]

It's still good. We walk. My back gets tight unless I do some movement every day.

[B]

Definitely good for a recovery day.

[A]

I think I may have thrown out my back a little, though. I'll go slow.

[B]

All right, sounds good. So we don't usually be asking more.

[A]

Questions like, what's wrong?

[B]

Yeah, I'm just like, all right, whatever.

[A]

Sounds good.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. Let's just walk. Sometimes you can just walk it out. Work it out as you're walking.

[B]

Walk it out. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

[A]

So you said. I said, oh, man, my arms are so sore. Very common thing to say.

[B]

Okay, I said same. And my legs. I had to use a foam roller this morning, so I was trying to work out my muscles.

[A]

Exactly. And then I said, it's still good that we walk. My back gets tight unless I do some movement every day. That's how I feel too. If I don't move in a day, I've just sit at a desk or something. I feel Awful, you know?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I know. And then I said, definitely. Good for a recovery day. Nice.

[A]

And then I said, I think I may have thrown out my back a little, though now I'm saying I might have, I don't know, slipped a disc. Hopefully not, because that's actually really bad.

[B]

Yeah. But yeah, yeah. And then instead of saying, oh, no, are you okay? I just said, sounds good.

[A]

Drop the ball on the connection there a little bit at the end.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, maybe I dropped. Maybe I could have said, oh, no, are you okay? That would have been better.

[A]

Michelle. That's all right. You can't be perfect all the time. Connection. Not perfection here, but you can rescue it. You can rescue the connection, right?

[B]

Exactly. Exactly, exactly. Guys, head on over to episode 2476 that was called out of juice. How to connect over dead batteries. I believe you did this with Aubrey. What a fun topic.

[A]

So funny and really, really useful.

[B]

This goes back to, you know, we've talked recently. We did an episode. I forget what it was, but where it's like some. Oh, about laundry. Right. Something so mundane, something so every day. And it's like really about dead batteries. Really? Over laundry, really? But it's. These are really useful.

[A]

100. Michelle. The connection is there again in the. In the battery moment, the dead iPhone moment, the, you know, the laundry moment, the working out day, next day, soreness. But it's just waiting for you to find it. Right? It's just waiting for you to find it with the right words. Okay, now we have them. I love it. I wonder what other scenarios we can come up with. Michelle, are very.

[B]

I feel like that would be good for a whole course. It's like, really the course. It's almost like reminds. You know how Seinfeld is the show about nothing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So it's almost like the topic's about.

[A]

Nothing, but they're not based on nothing.

[B]

Right, you guys?

[A]

I love it. Oh, so cool. Guys, if you love our style, definitely hit the follow button right now on the show. All right, Michelle, this has been great. Hope you recover from your soreness.

[B]

Oh, thank you. You too. Talk to you later. Bye. Bye.

[A]

Thanks for listening to all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[B]

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[D]

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[A]

Uh, Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

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