Good Sports: Physical Education - Middle School and High School

You'll need mental agility and fitness to learn these physical education terms. Don't be afraid to stretch your intellectual muscles — a few repetitions of this list will definitely improve the strength of your vocabulary.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acceleration
    the act of increasing the speed
  2. aerobic
    enhancing respiratory and circulatory efficiency
  3. agility
    the gracefulness of a quick and nimble person or animal
  4. anaerobic
    not using or dependent on oxygen
  5. balance
    a state of equilibrium
  6. bench press
    a weightlift in which you lie on your back on a bench and press weights upward
  7. biceps
    any skeletal muscle having two origins
  8. body mass index
    a measure of someone's weight in relation to height
  9. calisthenics
    light exercises designed to promote general fitness
  10. cardiorespiratory
    of or pertaining to or affecting both the heart and the lungs and their functions
  11. cardiovascular
    of or pertaining to or involving the heart and blood vessels
  12. center of gravity
    the point within something at which gravity can be considered to act; in uniform gravity it is equal to the center of mass
  13. cool down
    lose intensity
  14. coordination
    the skillful and effective interaction of movements
  15. defense
    the team trying to prevent the other team from scoring
  16. deltoid
    large triangular muscle covering the shoulder joint
  17. dribble
    propel a ball by repeated taps or kicks
  18. endurance
    the power to withstand hardship or stress
  19. fitness
    good physical condition; being in shape or in condition
  20. flexibility
    the property of being easily bent or shaped
  21. foul
    an act that violates the rules of a sport
  22. free weight
    sports equipment used in calisthenic exercises and weightlifting; it is not attached to anything and is raised and lowered by use of the hands and arms
  23. gastrocnemius
    the muscle in the back part of the leg that forms the greater part of the calf; responsible for the plantar flexion of the foot
  24. gymnastics
    a sport involving acrobatic feats on different apparatuses
  25. hamstring
    one of the tendons at the back of the knee
  26. heart rate
    the rate at which the heart beats
  27. hydration
    the process of combining with water
  28. inactive
    not engaged physically or mentally
  29. incline bench press
    a bench press performed on an inclined bench
  30. intramural
    carried on within the bounds of an institution or community
  31. isometric exercise
    muscle-building exercises (or a system of musclebuilding exercises) involving muscular contractions against resistance without movement (the muscles contracts but the length of the muscle does not change)
  32. isotonic
    of two or more muscles; having equal tension
  33. latissimus dorsi
    a broad flat muscle on either side of the back
  34. moderate
    being within reasonable or average limits
  35. muscle contraction
    a shortening or tensing of a part or organ
  36. offense
    the team that has the ball (or puck) and is trying to score
  37. overhand
    with hand brought forward and down from above shoulder level
  38. pectoral muscle
    either of two large muscles of the chest
  39. perspiration
    the secretion of the sweat glands of the skin
  40. physical fitness
    good physical condition; being in shape or in condition
  41. power
    physical strength
  42. pull-up
    an arm exercise performed by pulling yourself up on a horizontal bar until your chin is level with the bar
  43. pulse
    the rate at which the heart beats
  44. pushup
    an arm exercise performed lying face to the floor and pushing the body up and down with the arms
  45. quadriceps
    a muscle of the thigh that extends the leg
  46. reaction time
    the time that elapses between a stimulus and the response to it
  47. repetition
    an event that happens again
  48. resistance
    any mechanical force that tends to slow or oppose motion
  49. set
    several exercises intended to be done in series
  50. speed
    a rate at which something happens
  51. sportsmanship
    fairness and courtesy in following the rules of a game
  52. squat
    exercising by repeatedly assuming a crouching position
  53. stability
    the quality or attribute of being firm and steadfast
  54. strength
    the property of being physically or mentally powerful
  55. stretch
    extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
  56. teamwork
    cooperative labor done by a group
  57. train
    exercise in order to prepare for an event or competition
  58. trapezius
    either of two flat triangular muscles of the shoulder and upper back that are involved in moving the shoulders and arms
  59. triceps
    any skeletal muscle having three origins
  60. underhand
    with hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level
  61. vigorous
    characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
  62. warm up
    cause to do preliminary exercises so as to stretch the muscles
Created on Wed Feb 01 10:10:02 EST 2017 (updated Wed Mar 29 16:09:30 EDT 2017)

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