Workouts

/ˈwɜːrkaʊts/ noun

Definition

Sessions of physical exercise or training to improve fitness, health, or athletic performance.

Etymology

'Work' comes from Old English 'weorc' (effort, task), and 'out' was added in the 1890s-1900s as exercise became a specialized concept. 'Work-out' originally meant 'to work out a problem' before being applied to physical exertion.

Kelly Says

The term 'workout' is pretty modern—before the 20th century, people didn't 'work out,' they just did physical labor, sports, or calisthenics; it's a distinctly industrial-age term born when work became something you did in a gym rather than all day long.

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